Another Reason to Like Apple

As I've mentioned before, I recently purchased a new iPod and a used iBook. I also enrolled in the iTunes service to see what all the hype is about. The idea of paying about $1 for singles is appealing to me. There are quite a few artists out there with songs I like but I'm tired of paying 15 bucks to get just 2 or 3 songs I like.

Unfortunately, my first experience with iTunes wasn't all that great. First off, I don't find the interface to be as spectacular is many others have claimed. I find myself staring at the screen quite a bit trying to figure out what to do (particularly when it comes to the online store and maintenance of my account). I chose 3 songs to purchase and download. Unfortunately, they wouldn't load into the iPod because iTunes claimed it wasn't authorized to play the songs. I suspected that this was related to the fact that I originally used the iPod with Windows and not OSX.

Around that time I upgraded the iBook to Panther, wiping the box clean with the exception of a few documents I had stored on the iBook. I didn't backup the downloaded music.

This weekend I wiped the iPod clean and rebuilt the music collection from my library. I then went back into iTunes to download my music again. I just assumed that once I purchased the music, Apple would track the purchase and allow me to download again at a future date (like Audible). Wrong! When you purchase from iTunes, you are getting a one-time download. This means you better protect the content or you'll have to buy it again. This is clearly written in the iTunes terms & conditions, but who reads those? Lesson learned, and I'll make sure I protect the content in the future.

I sent a support request into Apple explaining my problem, and begging to get those three downloads again. Here was their response:

The Music Store Team has carefully considered your request for a new download. As a gesture of goodwill, we have re-granted your download access for your order history.

Please note that this is a one-time exception to the iTunes Music Store's Terms of Service, which clearly states that you will be responsible for backing up your own system. In the interest of fairness to all customers, the Music Store Team will be unable to make additional exceptions for you. To download again, open iTunes 4 and select Check for Purchased Music from the Advanced menu.

Very cool. And I got this response just 24 hours after my inquiry.