The Apple Music Downloader is a graphical application written in Python that enables users to download music content from Apple Music. The project is currently undergoing reconstruction, with progress tracked in a dedicated TODO list on the rebuild branch. The tool supports downloading high-quality audio in AAC 256kbps format and music videos up to 1080p resolution, along with batch downloading capabilities for artist works through multiple links or album and playlist links. The application offers extensive customization options through rich configuration settings.
The repository demonstrates active maintenance and community engagement. The repository has generated significant download activity across all releases, as indicated by GitHub's download badge.
Installation options cater to different user preferences. Windows users can utilize the recommended installer method by downloading the latest AppleMusicDownloader_Setup.exe from the Releases page. Alternative installation methods include running from PyPI or directly from source code using the src layout structure. The GUI launcher has been unified under amdl.launcher for consistent access across installation methods. For macOS users, the project directs them to an alternative implementation called am-downloader-mac.
The project implements comprehensive CI/CD automation through GitHub Actions workflows. The validation step installs dependencies on Ubuntu and performs basic compilation checks using Python's compileall module. The Windows build process automatically downloads FFmpeg, extracts the executable to the tools directory, and uses PyInstaller for packaging. Build artifacts are published as AppleMusicDownloader-windows-exe containing the final executable.
Core requirements include Python 3.9 or higher, an active Apple Music subscription, a Netscape-format cookies file, and FFmpeg. Users can obtain cookies files through browser extensions such as Export Cookies for Firefox or Open Cookies.txt for Chromium-based browsers. Optional tools expand functionality, including mp4decrypt for music video downloads and experimental audio encoding, MP4Box as an alternative muxing mode, and N_m3u8DL-RE as an alternative download mode.
The downloader supports diverse link types including individual tracks, albums, playlists, music videos, artist homepages, and post videos. The project builds upon code from gamdl (Glomatico's Apple Music Downloader) and yt-dlp, with explicit acknowledgment of these projects' contributors. The tool is classified across multiple domains including music downloader, audio extraction, playlist download, DRM removal, MP3 conversion, music library management, offline listening, track metadata handling, and batch download functionality.
