There has been a lot of discussion about Mac OSX users being left out of the Musicology store. Is there anyway to download this music and burn a CD? Or for that matter rip an mp3 or AAC from the downloads? Or is the only answer to find a friend with a Gates machine? All suggestions will be appreciated...

Okay, so I just read yamomma's post. I have not tried it yet. Has anyone had success with this method? Well... we'll see...

dcbarns said:

I've downloaded The Chocolate Invasion, Slaughterhouse, and Magnificent (a single). I can listen to the tracks on my Mac (running OS X Panther), but I can't burn them to a CD . . .

I would wait until they offer a Mac alternative, unless you REALLY need to hear these tracks. It seems like a waste, only hearing them on the computer.

Hint: If you DO download, set your default browser to Internet Explorer. The songs won't work if you use Safari. (You reset the default in Safari preferences - I usually set it back to Safari when I'm done).

Burning to CD
First you need something like this: http://www.rogueamoeba.com/audiohijack/


Using this program, you can load the wma files into the program and record them into another format and save the new songs as anything you like as to put them into your i-tunes and/or i-pod.

Yes. Follow yamomma's post. Works great for me and, despite how difficult it looks reading these instructions, it's not hard at all. Basically, it boils down to this (and I'm using OS X 10.3.3, BTW):

1. Set Explorer as your default browser. You can do this by opening Safari and choosing "preferences."

2. Launch Explorer. Go to club. Select and purchase music. At the download page, control-click the download link and select "download link to disk." Make sure the files you download have .wma as their filename extension.

3. Make sure you have the latest version of Windows Media Player 9 for OS X.

4. Double-click one of the music files you downloaded. WMP9 will open. Then it will switch to Explorer to get a license for you to play the file. You'll end up at a page that says "click the play botton." But, there won't be a play button to click. Instead, quit out of Explorer and open the music file in WMP9 again. It will open and will play. If you've bought an album download, all the other tracks from the album will play without going through all that horseshit.

5. For burning the files to a CD, you'll unfortunately have to break digital rights management laws and use software like Audio Hijack.

6. Most importantly, do all steps 1-5 on the same computer that you bought and downloaded the files on. You won't be able to move the .wma to another Mac or PC and listen to/burn them.

yamomma said:

Co-sign -- Audio Hijack allows you to designate a software to record audio from. When audio is played in the designated program, Audio Hijack will record an audio file (of which you can choose the format, ranging from MP3s to loss-less aiff files). You can then use iTunes or Toast to burn CDs of the aiff files, and use iTunes to make MP3s or AAC files that you can play on your Mac or iPod.

Granted, doing this with the club downloads violates DRM laws. PP9 has said at the club that they don't have a problem doing this type of thing for personal use of the songs, but that doesn't change the fact that it's breaking the law. You'll have to decide on that one.

Try first the 'demo' file in the download page.
With some macintosh, wmp gives a "can not locate the file" after the download, and there is no way to listen the file.

Actually I can use the ibook to download the songs, but not the imac...

If you read the microsoft readme, there is this problem, and microsoft says there is no way to fix it...



f.

Doozer said:

OK, I have downloaded AudioHijack - and made a "test" file of "Magnificent". Can you tell me if there are any volume/EQ adjustments you had to make? Or was it a direct copy, no loss? For some reason, it sounds a little quieter than the original.

Thanks in advance! I'd like to know about the volume before I actually "purchase" the program.

Se7en said:

Hi Se7en --

I have not experienced ANY loss of sound quality using Audio Hijack. I haven't experienced having a recorded file sound quieter than the original. However, "Magnificent" seems to be a slightly lesser bitrate file than the other downloads at the club (watch what WMP says when you play the file...it shows the bitrate, which is lower than other files I've purchased). So, that could be what you're hearing.

You can import any audio file you record with Hijack into iTunes (even uncompressed aif files), click the filename in your iTunes library after the file is added, and get info (apple-i) on that file. You can adjust volume settings for the music file right in iTunes to accommodate for what you're hearing (under the "options" tab). You can also set preferences in iTunes to automatically adjust playback volume -- that will make iTunes play songs at similar volumes, making quiet songs louder and loud songs quieter so the volume level is even across your entire music libary.

Well I've tried everything I can think of and it just does not work on my Mac. I have resorted to having a friend make some CDs for me using his Gates machine. This really bums me out. Are ye olde fashioned mp3s so awful?

Npgmc support mailed:

Please open your media player, go to
tools, options, and open the privacy tab. Put a check mark against "Acquire
licenses automatically for protected content". Open the player tab. Put a
check mark against "Prompt me to back up my licenses". Click Apply. Click
OK. Close the media player. Launch the file again.

If this does not work, please re-install the media player and have that
option enabled again before acquiring a license.

So far I have tried everything to download the files. Unfortunately all the steps offered on prince org and by the npgmc support don't work for me. Since I live in Berlin, Germany I get the feeling that the german wmp9 software offered on the microsoft website differs from the american one because on privacy tab there is not such a thing as "acquire licenses automatically.....".

I also checked the microsoft website and as fabriziovenerandi mentions before I found out that if "cannot locate file or path" pops up accordingly to microsoft there is no way to access the files.

What can I say it really sucks that I cannot access the music.

Peace