Mac OS X Power Hound, Second Edition

The iTunes Music Store

It’s fun. It’s easy to do. All your friends are doing it, too. While doing it, you feel invincible, like you can have anything you want. It seems inexpensive, but then you realize you’ve already spent next month’s paycheck, even though payday is still two weeks away.

No, you don’t have a drug habit. You’re just stuck on the iTunes Music Store (iTMS), Apple’s completely legal—albeit addictive—way to buy online music.

Yes, yes, the music you download is locked against copying. But the protection is less onerous than that of iTunes’ competitors, and the store provides the typical, excellent Apple experience. For now, the store is limited to the United States, France, Germany, and the UK, but it should be available soon in other places.

Here’s a collection of hints to maximize the store’s benefits.

Change the Behavior of the Gray Arrow Links

The iTunes’ store links are those small gray arrows next to each song, artist, and album in your library, as seen in Figure 8-6.

Figure 8-6. These small gray arrows are your direct connection to the iTunes Music Store. Click one, and you’ll be taken to the matching entry online, where you can browse (and buy) other tracks from the album.

When clicked, they take you directly to the corresponding entry on the iTMS. These arrows can be annoying, though—especially if you have a slow Internet connection or if you live somewhere where the ...