AAC(Protected) to MP3

Thanks for the help. I really wish it could be easier for us to burn them to CDs since we're paying for them...

Originally posted by AndyH
or you have to burn the AAC files to a CD and then re-rip them from the burnt CD into MP3 format.

Ok, so burn the protected AAC files on a CD, then put the cd back in and transfer them to MP3s (in iTunes?)? Or am i not understanding that correctly? :S

It's easy to remove the DRMS from iTunes files. This will create a DRMS free AAC file which can then be converted to other formats. The instructions below are for Windows.

1) Install VLC. To get VLC: http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-windows.html
2) Play the iTunes file with VLC. (this extracts the key)
3) Use DeDRMS on the file to remove the DRMS. (this uses the key from step 2) To get DeDRMS: http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~astern/DeDRMS.exe.

Please note: DeDRMS, unlike PlayFair, leaves your name and email address in the resulting file. DeDRMS is also much smaller than PlayFair at 7k instead of 5MB.

Please also note: Don't pirate. iTunes, once the DRMS is stripped, should be treated fairly.

Finally: Use your files just like you use books and CDs. That's called "fair use". The DMCA is still untested legally. No one can say whether it is 1) constitutional or 2) whether certain exceptions may apply to removing DRMS. You have a legal right to be able to access your legitimately purchased content. Only the US Supreme Court will have the ultimate say whether this includes the right to use utilities like DeDRMS to remove DRMS from legitimately purchased content.

The latest nightly builds of VLC support FairPlay v2.

So just use the latest build to extract the DRM keys from the iTunes files then use DeDRMS or PlayFair to remove FairPlay.

http://vthr.via.ecp.fr/~videolan/build/win32/