iTunes Search — Free Apple iTunes Store Search API (No Key)

TL;DR

The iTunes Search API is Apple's official REST API for searching the iTunes Store, App Store, Apple Books, and Apple Podcasts catalogs. Search for music by artist or song, find podcasts by topic, look up movies and TV shows, or discover apps and books. Results include pricing, artwork URLs, preview clips, release dates, and detailed metadata. The API requires no authentication and returns JSON. Essential for building music apps, podcast directories, or storefront applications.

Quick start: https://itunes.apple.com/search?term=radiohead

No API key needed — just make a request!

How to Use This API

1. Search Music by Artist

https://itunes.apple.com/search?term=radiohead

2. Filter by Media Type

https://itunes.apple.com/search?term=radiohead&media=music&entity=song

3. Search Podcasts

https://itunes.apple.com/search?term=tech&media=podcast&limit=5

4. JavaScript — Display Search Results

fetch('https://itunes.apple.com/search?term=radiohead&limit=5')
  .then(r => r.json())
  .then(data => {
    data.results.forEach(item => {
      console.log(`${item.trackName} — ${item.collectionName}`);
      console.log(`  Price: $${item.trackPrice || 0}`);
      console.log(`  Preview: ${item.previewUrl}`);
    });
  });

5. Python — Find Free Podcasts

import requests

data = requests.get(
    'https://itunes.apple.com/search',
    params={'term': 'programming', 'media': 'podcast', 'limit': 25}
).json()

free_podcasts = [r for r in data['results'] if r.get('collectionPrice', 1) == 0]
for p in free_podcasts[:10]:
    print(f"{p['collectionName']} by {p['artistName']}")

Search for Radiohead: https://itunes.apple.com/search?term=radiohead

Try This URL Now

Frequently Asked Questions

What media types are available?: Use the media parameter: music, podcast, movie, tvShow, audiobook, ebook, software (App Store), or all (everything).
How do I change the country store?: Use the country parameter with a two-letter country code: &country=GB for the UK store, &country=JP for Japan, etc. Defaults to US.
What entity types can I filter by?: For music: musicArtist, musicTrack, album, musicVideo. For podcasts: podcastAuthor. For movies: movieArtist, movie. Combine with the media parameter.
Can I look up by iTunes ID?: Yes, use the /lookup endpoint with an id parameter: https://itunes.apple.com/lookup?id=12345. Works for any item across all media types.
How many results can I get?: Use the limit parameter (default 50, max 200). The API returns at most 200 results per query. Combine with offset for pagination.
Do results include previews?: Music results include 30-second audio preview URLs in the previewUrl field. Movie and TV show results may include trailer URLs.

API Details

API URL: https://itunes.apple.com/search
Documentation: iTunes Search API docs
Category: Entertainment
Authentication: Not Required
Geographic Coverage: Global — per-country store results

What You Can Build

Music discovery app that searches across artists, albums, and songs
Podcast directory with episode listing and subscription links
Movie and TV show search with rating and price comparison
App Store deal finder that tracks price drops on software
Audiobook and ebook catalog browser with direct purchase links