iTunes Match: A 'game-changer' for music listeners?

Techies can't decide whether Apple's new cloud music service is surprisingly revolutionary or hopelessly old school

iTunes Match allows users to download music on one device and listen to it on another, whether the song was obtained legally or not.
(Image credit: apple.com)

On Monday, after weeks of frantic anticipation from tech fans, Apple launched its iTunes Match service. For $24.99 a year, the cloud music service allows users to listen to their music collection on multiple devices, no matter where the music files are stored. It works by scanning the music collection on your hard drive, matching the tracks against the 18 million in Apple's music store, and then giving you instant access to those tracks via iCloud on up to 10 gadgets — from iPhones to iMacs to Windows PCs. Commentators are debating whether iTunes Match is really a "game-changer for digital music." Is it?

Yes. It actually legitimizes piracy: Since the advent of the iPod and the iTunes Store, Apple has urged people to buy music, says Mark Wilson at Popular Mechanics. Now, "Apple seems to be turning its back" on that idea. If a song is on your hard drive, you can access it via Match — whether or not the music was legally obtained. "It's like Hertz saying you can hotwire any car on the lot and they won't press charges, so long as you sign that rental agreement." Apple is essentially "selling pirates their plunder." Apparently, piracy should no longer be a big concern.

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