Apple has added a new section called “Mastered for iTunes” (http://www.apple.com/itunes/mastered-for-itunes/) to the iTunes Store, which lets you “experience music as the artist and sound engineer intended.”
Mastered for iTunes albums are mastered specifically with the iTunes format in mind, ensuring the delivery of the music to listeners with increased audio fidelity, more closely replicating what the artists, recording engineers, and producers intended.
Currently, the iTunes Store is offering only about 100 albums labeled “Mastered for iTunes.” Apple’s changes come after years of complaints by musicians, including Neil Young, that sound quality suffers from the compression used by digital services to reduce a file’s size, notes the “New York Times” (http://macte.ch/6CSHB). Apple isn’t charging extra for the mastered collections. Of course, some customers will probably re-purchase some music o hear the enhancements.
