Authorized Tracks

If your computer is authorized to play tracks linked to another iTunes account, you can put those tracks into iTunes Match.

To make this easier, let’s use a real-world example. Suppose you live with Jamie, and Jamie purchases a Fountains of Wayne album on one iTunes account. You normally use a separate iTunes account, but you appreciate power pop nearly as much as Jamie, so you want to add those tracks to your library.

If Jamie just purchased the album, you’re in luck: Because Apple now sells all of its music DRM-free, you can simply copy Jamie’s tracks to your library, and iTunes Match will merrily do its thing with them.

If, on the other hand, Jamie purchased those tracks back in the day when Apple sold DRM-encumbered files—tracks that the company described as “protected AAC files”—things get more complicated, but the news is still good.