# iTunes / Apple Search API — music, podcasts, apps (no key) (`synthetic.ia/itunes-search`) Actor

Search Apple's public catalog: music, podcasts, movies, TV, apps, audiobooks and ebooks — plus lookup by iTunes id / ISBN / UPC. Artwork, previews and store links included. Clean HTTP API + MCP, no key. Pay per query.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/synthetic.ia/itunes-search.md
- **Developed by:** [Synthetic](https://apify.com/synthetic.ia) (community)
- **Stats:** 1 total users, 0 monthly users, 0.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.00 / 1,000 itunes queries

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## iTunes / Apple Search API — music, podcasts, apps (no key)

Search **Apple's public catalog** — **music, podcasts, movies, TV, apps, audiobooks and ebooks** — behind a clean HTTP API (and MCP tool). Get titles, artists, genres, release dates, prices, **artwork**, **audio previews** and **store links**, or **look up** any item by its iTunes id (or ISBN/UPC). Great for media apps, music/podcast tools, app-store research and agents. **No API key.** Pay per query.

- 🎵 **Music** — songs, albums and artists with artwork and 30-second previews.
- 🎙️ **Podcasts** — shows by name or author, with feed and artwork.
- 📱 **Apps** — App Store listings: name, developer, rating, screenshots, price.
- 🎬 **Movies / TV / books** — search across Apple's media catalog.
- 🌍 **Any storefront** — set `country` (US, AR, GB…). **Lookup** by id / ISBN / UPC.
- 💵 Pay per query · no key.

### The use case it was built for

Build a music or podcast search box, enrich a track with artwork and a preview, check an app's rating and screenshots, or let an agent resolve "what album is this song on?" — all from Apple's authoritative, keyless catalog.

### Sample output (`search`, music "radiohead")

```json
{
  "ok": true, "term": "radiohead", "media": "music", "country": "US", "count": 2,
  "results": [
    { "kind": "song", "id": 1097861834, "name": "Let Down", "artist": "Radiohead",
      "collection": "OK Computer", "genre": "Alternative", "price": 1.29, "currency": "USD",
      "artwork": "https://…/600x600bb.jpg", "preview": "https://…/preview.m4a",
      "url": "https://music.apple.com/us/album/let-down/1097861387?i=1097861834" }
  ]
}
```

### How to use

- **HTTP API (Standby):** POST or GET `/search`, `/lookup`. `GET /` returns help. Example: `GET /search?term=lex%20fridman&media=podcast`.
- **Normal run:** pass `{ operation, term | id, media, country }`; results land in the dataset + key-value store.
- **MCP tool:** expose it to your agent via Apify's MCP server.

### Input

- **operation** — `search` · `lookup`.
- **term** — search text. **media** — music/podcast/movie/tvShow/software/audiobook/ebook/all. **entity** — refine (song, album, musicArtist…).
- **country** — storefront (2-letter). **id** — iTunes id for lookup (or upc/isbn/amgArtistId). **limit** — cap results.

### Pricing

**Per query** from **$0.004** (down to $0.0015 on higher tiers). One call = one query.

### Related Actors

- **[Open Library Books](https://apify.com/synthetic.ia/openlibrary-books)** — book metadata and ISBN lookup.

### FAQ

**Do I need a key?** No — the iTunes Search API is public and keyless.

**Do I get artwork and previews?** Yes — high-res artwork URLs and (for music) 30-second preview URLs.

**Storefronts?** Set `country` to any 2-letter store code; prices/availability vary by store.

### Notes & limits

Data from the Apple iTunes Search API. Apple applies soft rate limits (~20 calls/min); heavy bursts may be throttled. Up to 50 results per call.

# Changelog

This Actor's version history is a separate document: https://apify.com/synthetic.ia/itunes-search/changelog.md

# Actor input Schema

## `operation` (type: `string`):

What to do.

## `term` (type: `string`):

What to search for.

## `media` (type: `string`):

Kind of content.

## `entity` (type: `string`):

Refine within a media type, e.g. song, album, musicArtist, podcastAuthor.

## `country` (type: `string`):

2-letter store country, e.g. US, AR, GB.

## `id` (type: `string`):

Numeric iTunes id (or set upc/isbn/amgArtistId).

## `limit` (type: `integer`):

Max results (1-50).

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "operation": "search",
  "term": "radiohead",
  "media": "all",
  "country": "US",
  "limit": 15
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `result` (type: `string`):

No description

## `runs` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "term": "radiohead"
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("synthetic.ia/itunes-search").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "term": "radiohead" }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("synthetic.ia/itunes-search").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "term": "radiohead"
}' |
apify call synthetic.ia/itunes-search --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,synthetic.ia/itunes-search"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/fe0Ax3FIEL5HzQmOB/builds/n727gmCefF89WaJAx/openapi.json