Jeremy says,
DVD Jon has created a program which bypasses the DRM stage of the downloading process when purchasing songs from iTunes. One still pays for the tracks, and FairPlay is not included.
Link to download page, and Link to Jon Johansen's blog.
Here's a snip from The Register's story:
PyMusique [is] a Python-based utility that offers a "fair interface to the iTunes Music Store", co-written with Travis Watkins and Cody Brocious. The app provides the usual ITMS features – access to song previews and the ability to set up a payment account and to use it to buy songs – but there are two crucial differences.
First, PyMusique allows you to re-download songs you've purchased. So if your hard drive goes up the Suwannee and you haven't backed it up for a while, you can re-acquire your ITMS-sourced song library. Second, none of the tracks you download will be encumbered with DRM.
Of course, it's of very questionable legality. Quite apart from potentially bypassing Apple's FairPlay copy protection system – a no-no according to Europe's European Union Copyright Directive (EUCD) – running the software infringes the terms and conditions ITMS user agree to abide by when they set up an account.
Link to story.
And Donna Wentworth at Copyfight has posted some astute analysis here: Link.
