Apple releases a new Mastered for iTunes section in the iTunes store

 PattyCakes1984 I don't think you have understood it - the solution is for the studios to provide _higher_ quality audio files so that the 256kbps AAC come from the best possible source material. Also so that in the future, as higher bit rate files become more practical (and whatever contract negations required are worked through) Apple can just go do an encode from high-rate source material to whatever new format becomes available, and instantly(ish) customers can re-download (or stream) those versions.

Most people, it seems, are actually very happy with 256kbps AAC, and don't at all agree that the quality of music from iTunes sucks. Some people, I'm sure, but certainly not everyone, or index any kind of majority.

 thepatr1ck High quality/lossless files really aren't that big, so I guess I don't understand why you wouldn't just provide that. But, I also don't have tens of thousands of dollars of music. I know I'm in minority.

196kHz/24-bit (which are technically STILL lossy compared to the original sound) are pretty big, especially for portable devices which range from 2GB-64GB.

agreed, it'd be cool if these hi-res masters Apple gets would be available for purchase. wouldn't want my entire iTunes Match catalog to be full-res, but would pay an upgrade bump for certain tunes.

 PattyCakes1984 thepatr1ck it's also not just about quality so much as the actual final mastering/mixing process, it seems to me from the article and linked PDF. this is no different than the way film mastering has been done, and i imagine audio mastering has always been the same. the color correction for DVD (to be played on a TV) will be slightly different than an H.264 for mobile devices or for web because those two types of screens display color and contrast differently and the equipment themselves typically resides in areas of differently competing lighting. so you tweak the color correction and gamma for each, if you care to. just like in the old days with physical film, there's one color correction for the film print, but another lower contrast master for the videotape which serves as the master for home video.

a direct quote from the PDF:

"**Master for iTunes Plus**

When creating a master, mastering engineers take into account the limitations and characteristics of the medium or destination format, as well as the listening environment of their audience. For example, a master created for vinyl is unlikely to be listened to in an airplane or car, and therefore is often mastered for a listening environment where a listener can hear and appreciate a wider dynamic range. Similarly, a master created for a club environment might take into account the noisiness of the intended listening environment.

Because iTunes Plus is a highly portable format, its files have the potential to be listened to in a wide range of different settings. So while one listener may be using white earbuds while riding in a loud subway car, another may wind up listening intently to a Bach cantata on AirPlay‐equipped Bowers and Wilkins speakers or on a similarly equipped Denon receiver in a home media room. Just as likely, a college student may be deep into Miles Davis' Sketches of Spain while sporting Dre Beats headphones in the campus library. Keep in mind that Apple has sold more than 250 million iOS devices, and that many, many people around the world are listening to music on their iPods, iPhones, or iPads.

You’re being provided with all the tools you’ll need to encode your masters precisely the same way the iTunes Store does so that you can audition exactly what they’ll sound like as iTunes Plus AAC files.

Further, to ensure that your audience is hearing your intended sound, Apple recommends listening to your masters on the devices your audience will be using. While this doesn’t have to be done in real time, you should be confident that the sound will hold up when heard on its intended listening device and in its intended environment."

if you read the PDF, you'll see that Mastering for iTunes Plus is about capturing the best possible mix/master for the iTunes Plus format, inarguably the most popular format for purchased music. Apple is also requesting that musicians (big labels and indies alike) send them the highest quality master they can. given that a lot of music is recorded 96kHz/24-bit these days (or higher), buying a CD and ripping to a lossless format will leave you permanently stuck with a lower-quality file (unless of course you have iTunes match, which will presumably up the downloadable quality as the overall quality of their library {and other general technology factors} improves), not to mention all of the downsides of purchasing and owning physical CDs.

if you wanted the truest sound, you should buy the analog hi-fi vinyl, deal with it in a clean room, and use a laser phonograph, and record to a hi-def file of some kind. then purchase whatever type of portable device might be able to play such high-resolution files.

or the largest tech company in the world could just push everyone to upgrade their digital offerings that everyone is already buying, doing it mostly silently in the background where all end users will notice is that suddenly all of their music sounds better.