Step 2 Set output format for Apple Music M4P to MP3. To convert Apple Music to MP3 files, please touch the small 'audio' icon. DRmare Apple Music M4P to MP3 Converter will pop up a new window. Then you can see a format list. You can choose the target MP3 format as the output format by simply touching the MP3 icon. Mac M4P Converter software, free download Size: 3,829KB OS: OS X 10.5-10.11, Intel Processor With just a few mouse clicks, you can enjoy all your iTunes songs on any MP3 player without restriction.
iTunes Store used to be one of the largest music vendors in the world. Nowadays, not all of us still have the habit of buying songs from iTunes Store since it has been replaced by many alternative options that are providing better music streaming services. But if you have some older M4P songs purchased on iTunes dating back from 2003 through 2009 – when Apple encrypts songs in the iTunes Store using FairPlay DRM, you might currently have troubles in opening, editing, or moving these old protected iTunes M4P songs.
Convert Mp4 To Mp3 Mac Free Online
Luckily, there're multiple ways allowing you to remove DRM and re-download the non-protected version of these files legally and efficiently. For example, you can upgrade your music to iTunes Plus via iTunes Match; convert protected M4P to MP3 with dedicated conversion programs; or burn all purchased M4P tracks into a CD and re-import them as plain MP3 in iTunes.
In this guide, I will point you in the direction of converting protected audio files (.m4p extension) purchased from iTunes Store into MP3 format so that you can import these songs to a SD card, GarageBand or other media players.
1. What is M4P? How to Open a .m4p File?
Simply put, M4P is a protected MPEG-4 AAC audio files that were sold through the iTunes Store. M4P files can only be played via iTunes on a computer or devices such as iPhone, iPad or iPod. You must authorize your computer or devices using iTunes account in order to play, download, transfer or burn the files. Up to 10 devices and 5 computers can be authorized to the same Apple account.
In case you want to know more about M4P file type, you can read our previous article which explains what M4P file format is and how to open an .m4p file in simple words.
M4P, M4A, M4B, M4R, what is the Difference?
All iTunes audio files sold by Apple use MPEG-4 AAC format for audio encoding. But different filename extensions such as .m4p, .m4a, or .m4b are used to indicate various types of audio files. For example:
* M4P is a MPEG-4 container format that is commonly used to store audio streams encrypted by FairPlay Digital Rights Management. Older iTunes protected songs and Apple Music tracks are AAC files using .m4p file extension.
* M4A is the file name extension commonly used in iTunes Plus tracks which are unprotected iTunes purchased AAC audio files.
* M4B is a specific filename extension used for audiobook files because M4B can store metadata including chapter marker.
* iPhone ringtone uses the .m4r extension rather than .m4a extension.
Takeaway: For those who bought the music years ago with the Apple ID that is no longer active, it is almost impossible for you to unprotect or convert the file to other formats because you cannot authorize them.
If you have a bunch of older M4P tracks that are still playable in iTunes, and you attempt to convert them to MP3 to play in other location, you can choose the methods we introduce in the following parts.
2. How to Convert Protected M4P File to MP3 on Windows/Mac
Method 1. Using iTunes Match
The basic feature of the $24.99/year iTunes Match is to help you store all your music files in iCloud so that you can always access your iTunes library on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or on up to 5 computers. But it comes with an exclusive feature which enables you to get rid of DRM easily. It can upgrade songs from old DRM formats to 256 Kbps DRM-free AAC format, which is also known as iTunes Plus. Any of the songs you download from iTunes Match subscription are the DRM-free copies of the matched songs, and you can keep them on your device forever even if you cancel your subscription.
Now follow the steps below to convert iTunes M4P to MP3 with iTunes Match.
Step 1. Subscribe to iTunes Match
Open iTunes on your PC > go to the Store menu and scroll to the bottom of the screen, click 'iTunes Match'.
On the iTunes Match intro page, click 'Subscribe' button, then enter your Apple ID and password.
Confirm the billing info and click 'Subscribe' once again to confirm your subscription.
Step 2. Match or Upload Songs to iTunes Match
After you subscribe successfully, iTunes Match will scan your iTunes music library to see which songs in your library are currently available in the iTunes Store and which ones don't. If songs are in the iTunes Store, they will be added to iCloud automatically, while the other songs will be uploaded from your computer to iCloud. Once the uploading is done, you should see the songs described as 'Matched'.
Step 3. Download and Convert Music to MP3
Click the 'Download' icon to download the unprotected version of the past protected purchases, the songs will be saved as Matched AAC audio file (.m4a). Then you can convert them to MP3 audio file in iTunes with the following steps:
1.Open iTunes and click 'Edit' on the top menu. (Mac users open iTunes.)
2.Click 'Preferences' > 'Import Settings' and select 'MP3 Encoder' in the 'Import Using' tab, and click 'OK' to save the settings.
3.Select the songs you want to convert the MP3 format, you can press 'Ctrl + A' key to select all songs at once or hit 'Ctrl' and click your mouse to select random songs.
4.Go to 'File' > 'Convert' > 'Create MP3 Version', the songs will be converted to MP3 immediately.
5.When it's done, right click at the converted songs and select 'Show in Windows Explorer' or 'Show in Finder' to get access to your downloaded music.
Note: Some of you might get confused about Apple Music and iTunes Match which are two of Apple's subscription service. If that so, you can read a bit more about the differences between Apple Music and iTunes Match and choose the proper service when needed.
Method 2. Converting via TuneFab Apple Music Converter
There're many dedicate audio converters that can decode the FairPlay DRM and create MP3 versions of your files. Here I highly recommend that you use TuneFab Apple Music Converter, which has a solid reputation among millions of customers and 100+ authority sites. It's a paid app that cost $39.99 for a single lifetime license, but it offers you with 30 days free trial which allows you to convert iTunes songs, Apple Music songs, audiobook, etc. to MP3 for free.
The following are the directions of converting protected M4P to MP3 with TuneFab M4P Converter:
1.Launch TuneFab M4P Converter on your PC or Mac. And iTunes (Windows) or Music app (Mac) will be activated automatically. Make sure you've logged into iTunes or Music app with the Apple ID you used for purchasing the music.
2.Next, select the songs you want to convert the MP3 and go to the Output Settings to select the output format (MP3), output quality (256 Kbps, 44.1 kHz), etc.
3.Click the 'Convert' button and wait until the program completes the task. It might take a while if you have a large number of songs to convert to MP3. After conversion, you can move the music to any device you like or play with any media player that supports MP3 format.
Method 3. Burn M4Ps onto CD, then Rip MP3s from Burned CD in iTunes
The free workaround is to burn those songs from iTunes to an Audio CD (not an MP3 or Data CD) -> then import songs from CD to iTunes > finally convert the CD tracks to MP3 audio files using iTunes. This method won't cost you're a penny, but it's not as convenient as the options we mention above.
To complete the task, you will need:
1. iTunes (Apple's reliable CD ripping tool)
2. PC or Mac
3. A blank Audio CD (CD-RW)
4. A CD reader (If your computer doesn't have an optical drive)
Follow the directions below to convert DRM-ed M4P to MP3 via a burned CD:
1.Insert your CD to a CD reader or put the CD into your computer's optical drive.
2.Create a new playlist and drag and drop the M4P tracks into it.
3.Go to 'Preferences' in iTunes > click 'Import Settings > choose 'MP3 Encoder' in Import Setting.
4.Right click at the playlist, and choose 'Burn Playlist to Disc'.
5.Configure the Burn Settings: select Audio CD and click 'Burn'. It will take a while for iTunes to finish the process.
6.When completed, you can open the CD in iTunes and select the song of the CD.
7.Go to 'File' > 'Convert' > select 'Create MP3 Version' in the pop-up menu.
8.When you're done, you can eject the CD from iTunes and find all the MP3 tracks in your iTunes library.
Method 4. Using Audio Recorder
If you want to use your old protected M4P song as the background music of your video project, yet prefer not to pay for a service or tool to unlock the song, you can try to record the protected music and save as MP3 files with free, open-source sound recording program, such as Audacity.
But the downside of using audio recorder is that the quality of the audio will be decreased. If you want to keep the original sound quality of your tracks after converting, it's better using iTunes Match which can provide DRM-free songs with better quality or TuneFab Apple Music Converter which is capable of preserving the original sound quality of the song.
3. How to Convert M4P to MP3 Free Online
As I learned the free online M4P to MP3 converters cannot convert iTunes protected M4P files because of the encryption. It requires iTunes authorization to open or use these songs. However, if your have DRM-free M4P and want to make them available of other devices, you can try the online M4P converter like FileZigZag.
FileZigZag supports converting all sorts of file type, including documents, images, e-books, audios, videos, etc. You can convert up to 10 files daily for free. It supports more than more than 180 file formats and can perform more than 3150 different conversion.
Note: Most free audio converters that claim to remove DRM protection are nonfunctional. It is not worth downloading and trying these free converters if you attempt to convert protected audio files.
4. Does Converting M4P to MP3 Lose Quality?
It actually depends on what tool that you use to perform the conversion. The iTunes protected M4P is the old DRM-protected AAC format with a 128 Kbps bitrate.
* With iTunes Match, as we mentioned before, you can upgrade the songs from 128 Kbps AAC to 256 Kbps AAC format with no DRM restriction.
* While using TuneFab M4P converter, you can possibly maintain the best quality by manually setting the bitrate and sample rate from the output setting section. When the song is converted, you cannot notice any difference between the converted song and the original one.
* If using the free audio recorder, you can clearly hear the quality loss when listening back to your recording.
5. Conclusion
The above are the easy methods available for converting iTunes protected M4P file to MP3 format. After conversion, you can import the MP3 files to SD card and play it in your car, or put them on non-Apple devices for offline playback on the go. If you have any questions regarding this topic, please leave a comment below, we'll love to hear the feedback from you!
Apple Music provides tons of wonderful music tracks for users to listen to. And it offers premium subscriptions for users to enjoy more features. However, there is limited usage on Apple Music. That is users can play downloaded Apple Music songs on some devices. So, there are users wanted to convert Apple Music files to MP3.
In this post, we list some methods for you to convert Apple Music to MP3. You can check them out and begin to convert Apple Music M4P to MP3 for using with ease.
Part 1. Why We Need to Convert Apple Music to MP3
Apple Music comes with a 3-month free trial and several subscription options. The premium plan starts at $9.99 per month or $14.99 every year for up to six family members. With the subscription, you can access to 75 million songs ad-free on many devices. Up to now, Apple Music available devices are Mac, PC, iOS devices, Android Phone, and so on.
But there are still many portable and popular platforms that can't play Apple Music files. To avoid unauthorized sharing, Apple created and developed its own copyright protection technology. It's called FairPlay encryption technology. It aims to encrypt Apple's digital content with this limitation of the technology. So are Apple Music files. Apple Music is encrypted by this technology and encoded in a unique M4P format. So, you are free to listen to Apple Music's entire catalog on selected devices only.
Besides, you don't actually own Apple Music streams. Once you have canceled the plan, Apple Music will become inoperable at all.
However, if you convert Apple Music to MP3, it could be possible to listen to Apple Music on any device. Even if you don't have an Apple Music subscription anymore, you can do that. You can keep Apple Music M4P to MP3 files forever on your computer.
Part 2. How to Convert Apple Music to MP3 - Best Way
To convert Apple Music to MP3, here, we will introduce the best way for you.
Here, we can meet DRmare Apple Music Converter. It is well-designed for Apple Music fans. And it is the best Apple Music to MP3 converter. It's an easy-to-use. It can remove protection from Apple Music, M4B audiobooks, and more.
In addition, you can convert Apple Music files to MP3 at 30X faster speed. Also, other popular audio formats, like WAV, FLAC are available to select. It's worth mentioning that the output quality created by this tool is as excellent as CD quality. And all original ID3 tags can be preserved to convert M4P to MP3 files.
With this stunning Apple Music converter, you can get Apple Music free forever. And you can listen to Apple Music on any device and player, even if you are not a member of subscribers.
DRmare Apple Music to MP3 Converter
- Break the lock of protection from Apple Music streams
- Convert Apple Music M4P to MP3 and other common formats
- Customize output parameters, like ID3 tags and chapter info
- Unbelievable fast converting speed and keeping lossless quality
How to Convert Apple Music Songs to MP3 via DRmare Apple Music Converter
Please download & install this smart Apple Music M4P to MP3 converter Mac / Windows 10 on your computer. You can refer to the detailed instruction below to learn how to convert Apple Music to MP3 audios. After that, you can play Apple Music MP3 files on the most popular MP3 players freely.
- Step 1Import downloaded protected Apple Music to DRmare
- Double click to launch DRmare Apple Music Converter from your desktop. You will see there are two 'Add Files' buttons in the main interface. To import Apple Music files for converting, please touch the second Add button. And then, you can choose favorite Apple Music streams from the iTunes library. Or you can drag and drop Apple Music M4P files to the main interface of DRmare software directly.
- Note: DRmare Apple Music Converter can also convert common audio files. To import unprotected audios to DRmare software, please click the first Add option. After that, you can choose wanted audio tracks as you like. This tool also works to convert Audible AA/AAX files to MP3. When you click the second Add button, your all protected audio files are listed in the new window. You can select Audible files to this software.
- Step 2Set output format for Apple Music M4P to MP3
- To convert Apple Music to MP3 files, please touch the small 'audio' icon. DRmare Apple Music M4P to MP3 Converter will pop up a new window. Then you can see a format list. You can choose the target MP3 format as the output format by simply touching the MP3 icon. By the way, in this step, you can click the 'Edit' button to change the ID tags and chapter info. You can customize year, artwork, artist, genre, and so on. Finally, click 'OK'.
- Step 3Convert Apple Music to MP3
- You can set the destination folder according to your needs or keep it by default. When all settings are ready, tap the 'Convert' button to launch the conversion process. DRmare Apple Music Converter will automatically convert Apple Music files to MP3. Once converted, you can locate the unprotected MP3 songs on the target folder you set before.
Now, you'll also follow the detailed video demo below to learn how to convert Apple Music M4P to MP3 easily.
Part 3. How to Convert Apple Music Files to MP3 via iTunes
First of all, we need to clarify that not all iTunes music streams are under protection. Songs purchased from Apple Music directly are common audio files. And iTunes app comes with an 'MP3 Encoder' function. So, we can use it to rip iTunes music to MP3. If you have these audios, you can use iTunes to convert Apple Music to MP3 free as below.
Step 1. Launch the iTunes app on your computer. For Windows users, please click the 'Edit' > 'Preferences' icon. For Mac users, please click the 'iTunes' > 'Preferences' option.
Step 2. Hit on the 'General' tab. Click the 'Import Settings...' button, it will show up a small window.
Step 3. Click the 'Import Using' > 'MP3 Encoder' button in the new window.
Step 4. Select your favorite songs from your iTunes library that you'd like to convert to MP3.
Step 5. Click the 'File' > 'Convert' > 'Create MP3 version' to convert iTunes music to MP3 for free.
Notes:
1. The converted MP3 files are not the same as original quality.
2. If your songs purchased before 2009, this way couldn't work on those files.
3. If you are using macOS 10.15, you can convert iTunes songs to MP3 via the Music app instead of iTunes. Because iTunes has divided into 3 parts on macOS Catalina 10.15.
Part 4. How to Convert Apple Music to MP3 by Apple Music App
If you had upgraded your Mac computer to macOS Catalina 10.15 or above, then you can try this way. In this version of Mac computer, iTunes was divided into 3 parts. They are Apple Music, Podcast and Apple TV. This new Apple Music app supports to convert songs to other audio formats. That is to say, you can also convert Apple Music files to MP3. Here are the steps for you.
Step 1. Open the Apple Music app on your Mac computer.
Step 2. Go ahead to 'Music' > 'Preferences'. And then choose 'Files' > 'Import Settings'.
Step 3. Select the 'Import Using' menu and choose the 'MP3' format as the output format.
Step 4. Press and hold the 'Option' key on the keyboard.
Convert M4p To Mp3 On A Mac
Step 5. Go to the 'File' > 'Convert' > 'Convert to [import preference]'.
Step 6. Select the Apple Music songs you want to convert to MP3 files.
Part 5. How to Apple Music to MP3 Free with Audacity
Besides the ways above, here is a way to show you how to convert Apple Music to MP3 free. To do that, you can use the Apple Music to MP3 converter free. It is Audacity, an Apple Music M4P to MP3 converter free. This tool can also work on Linux. Now, let's see how to get Apple Music M4P to MP3 free.
Step 1. Install and launch the Audacity program on your PC.
Step 2. Click on the 'Edit' 'Preferences' > 'Audio Host Box' > Windows WASAPI' button.
Step 3. You need to set your computer's output device as the output sound card. Hit the 'recording' at the 'Audacity Preferences' to turn off the Software Playthrough.
Step 4. Touch the 'Record' button on Audacity program.
Step 5. Play the Apple Music songs you want to convert to MP3 files. And Audacity will start to convert Apple Music to MP3 free for you.
Step 6. Click on the 'Stop' button to complete the recording process.
Part 6. How to Convert Apple Music M4P to MP3 Online
Any way to convert Apple Music to MP3 free online? Of course yes. In this part, you can get an Apple Music M4P to MP3 online converter to make it. The tool here to help you is Apowersoft Free Online Audio Recorder. You don't need to install any extra app to use it. And you can convert Apple Music to MP3 online, free by this tool. Now, let's check how to record Apple Music as MP3 by Apowersoft.
Note: Before using Apowersoft Apple Music M4P to MP3 converter online, please install a launcher.
Step 1. Go to Apowersoft Free Online Audio Recorder official website.
Step 2. Press on the 'Start Recording' button. Then you can choose the System Sound as the audio source.
Step 3. Play Apple Music on Apple Music Web Player. And hit on the 'Start' button to record and convert Apple Music to MP3.
Step 4. Click on the 'Show in Folder' button to find the recorded Apple Music MP3 files.
Part 7. Benefits of Converting Apple Music to MP3
Now, we have gotten Apple Music M4P to MP3 files. What are the benefits we have now? That's to say, what we can do with Apple Music to MP3 tracks? Let's find them below:
1. Sync Apple Music files to other devices that don't have an Apple Music app.
2. Play Apple Music streams on any device and player, like MP3 devices, Android tablets, PS4.
3. Keep Apple Music forever and listen to them forever without the subscription.
4. Play Apple Music tracks on multiple devices simultaneously without the Apple Music family plan.
5. Use iTunes or WMP to burn Apple Music to CD
6. Transfer Apple Music to USB, SD card, or other devices.
7. Make Apple Music as an iPhone ringtone or Android ringtone.
In a word, there are lots of advantages to get Apple Music to MP3 files. Just follow the methods above and try. Hope you can enjoy Apple Music songs you like on any device you want.