iTunes: Build Your Music Collection

Build Your Collection Import your CDs, buy some songs and before long you'll have the music collection you've always wanted. So you've downloaded iTunes - now what? Start by importing music. iTunes makes it easy to import music, because when you open iTunes for the first time, it asks you if you want to import all the music on your computer, no matter the format. That's good news if you already have a collection of digital music in different formats. Then, break out your CDs. Import entire CDs or just choose the tracks you listen to most. You can even set up iTunes to automatically import it when you put your CD in your CD drive. Finally, build on what you love. With one-click access to the iTunes Music Store, you can download individual tracks or entire albums. Understanding Formats If you're excited about using iTunes, but have already have a music collection built up in other programs, you're in luck. iTunes can import music from your CDs as well as Windows Media Player, MusicMatch and any other app that uses MP3, AAC or WMA (unprotected). iTunes 4.5 will now convert files digitized by Windows Media Player in unprotected format to AAC, so you can use them in iTunes or on iPod. When you import your MusicMatch library or other MP3 collection, you can choose to let iTunes make a copy of the library, or point to the old files. If you want to gather up all your music later, iTunes lets you consolidate your library anytime. Convert Music from unprotected WMA When you import your own music CDs into Windows Media Player, by default the software copy protects your music so you can't move your music anywhere else, such as iTunes. You should turn this off. Here's how: Choose Options from the Tools menu in Windows Media Player Click on the Copy Music tab Uncheck the Copy Protect Music box Now Windows Media Player will save any music you import from CD as Unprotected and you can keep it with all your other music in iTunes.