I already posted this request, but did a little more research following one of the replies to my original request:
http://amarok.kde.org/component/option,com_simpleboard/Itemid,57/func,view/id,4672/catid,9/

After doing some googling, I found out that the iTunes on-demand streaming uses the DAAP protocol, and is available for linux. Check this out:

http://www.opendaap.org/

Here they have standalone server daemons and client libraries, even one written in python! I don\'t know enough about coding to be of any help actually making amarok use these things, but the infastructure has already been built.

Also, note that the compression iTunes uses is apparently gzip format, which makes my friends statement that \"pulling music off of iTunes seems faster than [the windows file browser]\" make sense.

This would be REALLY neat, and would let iTunes truly have nothing over AmaroK. Also, it doesn\'t look like it would take much for someone familiar with AmaroK code to integrate, as the daemons and clients are generally ready, or so it seems anyways. I hope others (mainly the developers) share my enthusiasm

Actually, gzip wouldn\'t make it faster since MP3 is already compressed and it doesn\'t help to compress compressed files. I assume gzip is being used in the protocol itself not for file transfers.

Even better for amaroK, there\'s a KDE ioslave for daap in development that would (should) make it easy. I\'m not on a network with iTunes... it depends what apartment I get this Fall whether I\'d develop it or not.

DAAP support would be great in Amarok.
Somebody refered to the KIO slave so that could be usable.
I can't find it though..