iTunes, iPod, and Gapless Playback
Posted on Wed, 13 Sep 2006
Apple released a new version of iTunes yesterday that includes a new Gapless Playback feature for both iTunes and the iPod. I've been ripping my albums as one continuous track since I started using iTunes due to the lack of this feature. I can't imagine listening to this album with gaps in between tracks.
Gapless playback seems to work for any album which would play back without gaps if you burned it to a CD from iTunes. This includes content ripped from CDs and purchased (iTunes Music Store) content from a few particular labels, including Global Underground. However, iTMS albums from Distinctive Records still do not play back correctly; now it sounds as if they skip a beat in between tracks. I'd recommend not purchasing content from Distinctive via iTunes until they fix this issue.