ekoliew 0 Report post Posted August 20, 2005 Hi to all, I was just wondering if anyone has had a work around to buy music from the iTunes music store in the USA? I find a whole lot of exclusives there that I want to buy but can't.. haha Thanks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
monkeygod 0 Report post Posted September 15, 2006 theres not really a 'workaround', but heres a method that may work. step 1 is the most difficult ... 1. you need a friend in the US with a valid credit card to set up a US apple ID for you 2. get a paypal account (if you don't have one already) 3. log on to the Itunes Store with the US apple ID, and change payment options to Paypal 4. voila ! you can now purchase and download songs from the Itunes USA store. 4a ... unless they've gotten smarter and disallowed international paypal accounts ... in that case your friend (assuming they aren't going to let you mooch of their credit card !) can help you purchase Itunes gift cards in the US, which you can apply for 'credit' to your account. That way you won't 'overspend' and drain your friends accounts ! 5. Repeat for all the different countries you have friends in Or services - this trick should also work (with minor modifications) with the Sony Connect Store. Itunes is still a lot better than several other music services - Napster and Rhapsody IP block, so you can't download if u come from a non US location Damn shame, cause Napster actually has some of the best exclusives... For hassle free music downloads though, Emusic can't be beat - although the subscription program is not to my taste ... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
xErTiNi 0 Report post Posted September 23, 2006 i rather go buy the original from the cd-shop... cos the quality is better... and no need so tedious... sign up alot of paypal etc... my comments dun be insulted Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dle4e_2005 0 Report post Posted September 23, 2006 (edited) We could also buy the iTunes Music Card(prepaid) at Apple corner located in OUB centre. **Alternatively look out for cheaper deals on eBay. Price should be $25 and $50.. Could be use to buy games and video also(correct me if i'm wrong) How to redeem To redeem iTunes prepaid cards: 1. Download iTunes for Mac or Windows, free of charge, at www.itunes.com. 2. Open iTunes and click Music Store. 3. Click iTunes Music Cards. 4. Enter the code printed on the attached card when requested. 5. Download your songs. Enjoy. Are the available in 224kbps AAC at least? Or can we get to choose a specific format like AAC+/ALAC? It is in AAC.. Bitrate should be above 192kps Edited September 23, 2006 by dle4e_2005 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
monkeygod 0 Report post Posted September 23, 2006 sound quality is ok, but not great. there are NO options for different size/codecs - all tracks on the music store are 128kbps AAC Compared to EAC/LAME APX MP3s, the file size is about 50-60% for a comparable song and the sound quality is about 70-80% depending on the track. Classical and Jazz (no surprise) suffer the worst from being compressed so much, but are still 'ok' - just don't expect to get immersed in the music ;P having said that, there are quite a few 'exclusive' tracks that can only be found on Itunes. these are usually remixes or bonus tracks that are not currently (or will never be) released on CD ... guess it depends on how much of a 'diehard' you are about your music some artists even have Itunes-exclusive special edition albums, where the regular album is released to CD, but a version with extra tracks is released online. Admittedly, I've seen at least 1 of these special editions show up in Singapore as an 'Asian Special Edition' on CD, but most of the time those extra tracks aren't pressed. Extremely annoying when they force you to buy the whole album just for a few bonus tracks Especially if you want the best sonic quality and were planning to buy the CD having an Itunes account also means that you are eligible to download at least 1 free 'discovery' track every week. that may not seem like a lot, but I've been at it for nearly 4 years now, on both the US and UK stores ... that adds up Add to that things like the U2 Complete Set you get with the SE Ipod, and the sampler cards you get at music conferences (the last SXSW had a card for all the sample tracks from attendees who had Itunes music - over 700 tracks *free*), and its a nice little boost to my music collection I'm confused about the Itunes gift cards being available here though - once again, you need the initial Apple ID linked to a CREDIT CARD for the relevant country to start downloading ... I don't see why they would be selling cards here that had no use, unless I'm missing something ... I tried that tactic a few years ago with the Canadian store and it didn't work Personally, I do not think the Itunes music store offers the best quality music around. Arguably, in fact, of the major online music stores, it has the WORST quality and options. BUT, they have the best interface and one of the best selections. They also have a LOT of musicians willing to do 'exclusive' material for them. I'm happy with getting the occasional track of the store if I can't find it anywhere else, or if its something infectious that I don't want to buy a whole album for. But I'm not going to spend any major money there. Its still CDs for me Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dle4e_2005 0 Report post Posted September 23, 2006 I'm confused about the Itunes gift cards being available here though - once again, you need the initial Apple ID linked to a CREDIT CARD for the relevant country to start downloading ... I don't see why they would be selling cards here that had no use, unless I'm missing something ... I tried that tactic a few years ago with the Canadian store and it didn't work The giftcard can only be used in US iTune store.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
monkeygod 0 Report post Posted September 24, 2006 so you're saying if you buy the gift card you can download the relevant amount from the US store ? without a US apple account ? anyone tried this ?? i clicked the link for 'Itunes Music Card' and the entry page is very different from when I tried this trick a few years back - now all they ask for is the Card redemption code, but I don't know what happens after that ... If this *does* work then watch out - Itunes JP, AU and CA here I come ... maybe even FR if I can be bothered to track a card down from there ... (these are the stores that offer free downloads every week) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
viix 0 Report post Posted September 25, 2006 If i'm not mistaken, some people over at mugs registered with some bogus US address. And off they go with the downloads. It seems that the store doesn't track the ip of registration nor verify the address other than the postal code. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
