This morning, Amazon.com launched a new service called AutoRip that allows buyers of certain music CDs to automatically receive access to downloadable MP3s of the album via Amazon’s Cloud Player. But the most interesting feature is that it will convert any qualifying CD you’ve purchased on Amazon since 1998.

There are currently more than 37,000 CDs available for AutoRip, so there’s a good chance that something you’ve purchased in the last 15 years might be on the list.

This is great news for those of us who have previously purchased CDs that were lost, given away (or borrowed by ex-girlfriends who never returned them — you know who you are), or damaged before they could be converted to MP3s. My Amazon account had more than a dozen CDs included in AutoRip this morning, at least four of which I’d considered lost.

All you have to do is launch the Amazon Cloud Player while logged into your account and it will automatically add the CDs included in AutoRip.

The ripped MP3s are playable in the Cloud Player or downloadable at no additional charge in DRM-free MP3 format.

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