How do I add old PURCHASED iTunes songs to a slideshow? Photos won't let me add due to DRM.

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Level 1

8 points

How do I add old PURCHASED iTunes songs to a slideshow? Photos won't let me add due to DRM.

I have a couple of songs that I purchased from iTunes 15-20 years ago. The Music app on my Mac still lists them as "purchased AAC audio file" under Info. However, when I try to add them to a slideshow in Photos, they are greyed out and Photos says they are not supported due to DRM protection. I do not have an Apple Music account, so I am definitely not streaming these songs. They play without difficulty in the Music app on my Mac. What am I missing?

iMac

Posted on Jan 12, 2023 11:04 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

kostby

Level 4

2,946 points

Jan 12, 2023 3:45 PM in response to Hoover411

If you purchased music from iTunes between 2003 and 2009, there's a good chance it still has DRM (Digital Rights Management) enabled.

The fast, non-free, 100% legal choice I made was to delete those few songs I purchased with DRM from my music library, and re-purchase those songs from a vendor that does not currently sell music containing DRM. I had less than a dozen songs total with DRM, so for me, repurchasing was not costly, nor time-consuming.

A quick search of the internet outside this forum will offer additional ideas on how to resolve DRM issues, and discussion of them would likely violate Terms & Conditions of using this support community.

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Answer 2

Hoover411 Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 12, 2023 11:57 AM in response to Hoover411

I have a couple of songs that I purchased from iTunes 15-20 years ago. The Music app on my Mac still lists them in my purchased music and shows them as "purchased AAC audio file" under Info. However, when I try to add them to a slideshow in Photos, they are greyed out and Photos says they are not supported due to DRM protection. I do not have an Apple Music account, so I am definitely not streaming these songs. They play without difficulty in the Music app on my Mac. More recent music that I transferred from CDs are available to add to the slideshow. What am I missing?

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Answer 3

Old Toad

Level 10

210,615 points

Jan 14, 2023 10:36 AM in response to Hoover411

Other than repurchasing the non-DRM version you can burn the DRM tracks to a music CD and then rip them back into the Music library.

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Answer 4

Hoover411 Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 13, 2023 6:23 PM in response to kostby

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I bought them before 2009. Does that mean that if I buy these songs (again) from iTunes, the DRM will be removed and I will be able to use them in slideshow?

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How do I add old PURCHASED iTunes songs to a slideshow? Photos won't let me add due to DRM.

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