iTunes Match is now available with iTunes 10.5.1

Apple has released iTunes 10.5.1 to include their new iTunes Match service. The service was originally scheduled to debut at the end of October but it officially rolls out today, a few weeks late.

The $24.99 a year subscription service allows users to store their music library in the cloud, even with songs that weren’t purchased from iTunes. The songs can be accessed on your iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, computer, or Apple TV.

The service does not require users to upload music unless the songs are not one of the 20 million songs available in iTunes. This means most users will spend little to no time uploading their music collection. All the music that iTunes matches streams to your devices is in 256-Kbps AAC DRM-free quality — even if your original copy was of lower quality.

There are some reports that the service went down shortly after being available to the public due to overwhelming demand. Apple has halted new signups for the time being but they are telling users to check back later.

Originally posted 2011-11-14 21:43:43.