Kathy Reid <kathy@kathyreid.id.au> wrote:
What I would like to do is buy another, non-Apple music player, and fulfill the following requirements;
1. Run a music program within Linux (Ubuntu / Unity)
Maybe I should have started a separate thread for this, but I have a related question. Is there a music-organizing tool available for Linux that can properly take account of the structure of a musical work? According to a reliable source who has investigated the issue, most such tools only store metadata at the individual track/file level. Thus, for example, you can't select an entire symphony without selecting each of the movements individually, or specify that you want, say, the second movement, or choose a specific act/scene in an opera.
2. Download music legally within Linux
You'll need to obtain the music from a site that doesn't employ DRM ("Digital Restrictions Management", as the FSF rightly call it). There are sites that sell DRM-free music files (for example, in MP3 format) with proper copyright licencing. Amazon.com is the largest, but as far as I know, their music collection isn't offered in Australia yet.
3. Load my music player from within the music program
I think that's a standard feature these days.
4. Convert the music from iTunes/Apple format and have it available to the Linux music program.
Apple's DRM might prevent you from doing so. That's one reason why I don't have Apple media hardware - it's too restrictive.