If much of your music downloads come from iTunes, then you might want to convert them into mp3 since most are DRM protected. By converting them into mp3, you won't be restricted to using your Apple iPod alone but can also play them on any computer and other portable media players. Here's how:
Conversion to mp3 for non-protected files
Once you've launched iTunes, choose "Edit" and then go to "Preferences." From here, go to "Advanced" and select "Importing." Change the default setting of "Importing Using" to "MP3 Encoder." After saving the changes you've made, check the library and press right-click to view the music track and select an option for "Convert Selection to MP3." You can easily convert the track to mp3 if the file is not protected. Meanwhile, a pop-up will inform you if conversion to another format is not possible for the protected track.
For iTunes 8, file conversion to mp3 has a different setting than older versions. Simply click on "Edit," choose "Preferences" and then "General" before clicking on the "Import Settings" option.
Conversion to mp3 for protected files
For the protected files, conversion to mp3 requires burning the music files to a disc. Use an audio CD for this. Through iTunes, open the audio CD and choose tracks to be added to the library. Point and press right-click on the selected media file to see an option for "Convert Selection to MP3." If you have a lot of media files to convert, better use a CD Emulator instead of burning tracks to several CD-R discs.
By converting them to a more widely accepted mp3 format, playing music tracks from iTunes using any of your music player is possible. Just follow the steps above.
