I have several music files purchased from the iTunes Store around 2009 that are still DRM-protected M4P files. I'd like to use them on a non-Apple device. The usual suggestion is to burn them to an audio CD and import that CD back into iTunes as MP3, but my laptop has no optical drive. Is there a way to create an audio-disc image, mount it with a virtual drive, and have iTunes recognize it as a real CD? I tried ImgBurn and Virtual CloneDrive, but iTunes didn't detect the mounted image. I also tried redownloading the purchases and converting them with VLC, without success.
3 Answers
Before going through the CD process, check the purchases section of your Apple account and see whether those albums can be downloaded again in a DRM-free format. Some older purchases were later upgraded, but not every title was. If the replacement downloads are still M4P files, redownloading alone won’t remove the protection.
A virtual drive probably won’t work for this. iTunes generally expects an actual audio CD for the burn-and-rip process, and a mounted data or disc image may not be recognized the same way. The simplest solution is an inexpensive USB optical drive, or temporarily using another computer with a CD/DVD drive. Make sure the computer is authorized for your Apple account, then eject the disc and import the tracks normally.
Changing the extension or using VLC generally won’t remove DRM. M4P files are protected versions of Apple’s audio format, so they need to be played through an authorized Apple application or converted using an allowed method. A virtual disc image is unlikely to bypass that requirement, and using a physical external drive is much more reliable.
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