Digital Media After Death

What happens if you want to pass on your incredible iTunes music library to a family member, like you would leave a stack of rare records or compact discs? You curated it, you whittled it down to the best, you paid for it, but is it yours to give?

According to the Apple contract you signed, it’s not. It doesn’t technically belong to you, it’s not your property. But that means you can’t put it in your will anyway. Gigaom recommends a few things you can do to keep the soundtrack of your life, your photos, and any other digital media in the family. You can create a trust, burn or rip your digital files onto a hard drive or storage device and leave it to your loved ones, or you can give your family your passwords. The problem with these is that technically, none are completely legal according to most contracts. Software is currently being designed to allow estate planning attorneys like me help you pass on your precious files, the stuff our digital lives are made of. But until then, your water stained vinyl from the ’70s might have to do.