iTunes Search

Overview

The iTunes Search API searches the iTunes/App Store catalog — music, podcasts, movies, TV shows, apps, books, and audiobooks — returning metadata, artwork, and preview URLs. Keyless and free (verified live), it’s a great source for music metadata without registration.

Quick Start

Search music (verified live):

curl "https://itunes.apple.com/search?term=queen&media=music&limit=5"

{
  "resultCount": 5,
  "results": [
    {
      "trackName": "Bohemian Rhapsody",
      "artistName": "Queen",
      "collectionName": "A Night at the Opera",
      "artworkUrl100": "https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/...100x100bb.jpg",
      "previewUrl": "https://audio-ssl.itunes.apple.com/...m4a",
      "trackPrice": 1.29,
      "primaryGenreName": "Rock"
    }
  ]
}

Filter by media type:

curl "https://itunes.apple.com/search?term=inception&media=movie"
curl "https://itunes.apple.com/search?term=podcast&media=podcast&limit=5"
curl "https://itunes.apple.com/search?term=games&media=software"

Lookup by ID:

curl "https://itunes.apple.com/lookup?id=156780"

Authentication

None — keyless.

Rate Limits & Notes

• Free; ~20 calls/minute is a reasonable ceiling — cache responses.
• media= values: music, podcast, movie, tvShow, software (apps), ebook, audiobook, all.
• Artwork URLs let you change size: artworkUrl100 → replace 100x100bb with 600x600bb etc.
• previewUrl gives 30-second previews (audio/video) — handy for demos.
• Country filtering via country=US etc.; explicit results filter via explicit=No.

FAQ

Is the iTunes Search API free? Yes — free and keyless.

What can I search? Music, podcasts, movies, TV, apps, books, audiobooks — media= selects the type.

Can I get previews? Yes — previewUrl provides 30-second clips.