Codi Brocious has posted a project statement for PyMusique describing in clear terms what it does and why they do it. Of key to note is that PyMusique does NOT give you free access to iTunes. You still need to have an account and pay for the songs or redeem them with bottle caps from Pepsi. However, what they don’t do is apply the DRM because its an open source project and thus would be trivial for people to remove this capability.
I’m sorry Apple, but the egg is clearly on your face on this one. Having the client apply the DRM is just plain old DUMB. Never ever trust the client. Yes, it’s possible to keep trying to close the holes that PyMusique uses, but eventually they’ll look just like a real client and then you’ll have real problems. Don’t get me completely wrong, I’m not angling for Apple destruction here. iTunes is great thing, however, DRM simply does not work. I can’t think of a music service that hasn’t had its DRM broken, deal with it. The RIAA and the cabal of cronies need to wake up on this issue. Until then, download for the cheap at allofmp3.com. Yes, it’s legal in the US to use this site (as the goods technically count as being purchased in a foreign country where they were legal, or something along those lines. Anyway, it was discussed on Dave’s IP list and that pretty much convinced me).