How do make iTunes keep songs by various artists in their original albums?

How do I keep iTunes from splitting up albums like Santana's Supernatural or +70's Gold+ into numerous albums with each of the various artists listed separately? Also, I would like to be able to sync those albums with my iPod so that all of Eric Clapton's +Cream of Clapton+ is in one place and not split into collections with the various groups he recorded the songs with together.

Select a track you want to edit and use the right-click context menu or CTRL-I to *Get Info.* To edit common data for multiple tracks choose the first track, then use combinations of SHIFT-click to extend the selection and CTRL-click to add or remove individual items, then invoke the *Get Info.* dialog as above.
Here are my track titles for *The Cream Of Clapton*:
Layla \[As Derek & The Dominos\]
Badge \[As Cream\]
I Feel Free \[As Cream\]
Sunshine Of Your Love \[As Cream\]
Crossroads \[Live\] \[As Cream\]
Strange Brew \[As Cream\]
White Room \[As Cream\]
Bell Bottom Blues \[As Derek & The Dominos\]
Cocaine
I Shot The Sheriff
After Midnight
Swing Low Sweet Chariot
Lay Down Sally
Knockin' On Heaven's Door
Wonderful Tonight
Let It Grow
Promises
I Can't Stand It
Each track has the Artist & *Album Artist* set to *Eric Clapton* (Info tab). *Part of a Compilation* (Options tab) is set to No. The album is properly organised in iTunes, my son's iPod and my iPhone. Hopefully, taken together with my article on Grouping Tracks Into Albums, you'll now be able to see what needs to be done for your other problem albums, otherwise feel free to ask for more clarification.
tt2

Similar Messages

HT2736 How do I gift multiple songs by various artists at once?

How do I gift multiple songs by various artists at once?

It doesn't have to be related to your typing speed Zevoneer
I usually refresh the page to see if really no one already replied to a question.
After posting my reply I sometimes notice another reply that has been posted several minutes before I refreshed the page.
It obviously takes a while to link the posts to a certain topic.
M

How to make iTunes read the song's name/singer from the file's name itself?

Hi everyone,
So I have this file with songs from everywhere. I spent quite some time now to make sure that the structure of each file's name is as such : "Singer - Song name", hoping that everything would be read by iTunes accordingly. However, either iTunes read it well, or it didn't read it at all ("Singer - Song name" appearing in Title alone), or iTunes read the "media" of the file (ie. what the guy I downloaded it from wrote for it in the Preferences, which usually is in capital letters or with a bunch of weird underscores). As I'm OCD and need everything to be neat, I'm highly tensed right now. I really want everything to be neat and clear!
So, how do I make sure that iTunes reads the files' names such that it knows the structure is "Singer - Song name"? Thanks.

iTunes doesn't use file names to determine how music appears in your library, Rather, it uses metadata that is split between:
data elements that are embedded within the media files
data elements that are included in the entries in the iTunes database
No amount of reorganization, renaming or other manipulation at the file level will make any difference to how songs will appear in iTunes. Using your example:
the value of the track number element is 1
the value of the artist element is "Elvis Presley"
the value of the song name element is "Blue Suede Shoes"
Depending on how you configure iTunes then the file name is either:
completely independent of iTunes (i.,e., the file containing this song could be xyz.mp3)
dependent on the metadata managed by iTunes, (i.e., when you have these two options set:
then iTunes will set the file name to be 1-01 Blue Suede Shoes.mp3 where:
the file is in a folder called "Elvis Presley" (the name of the album)
that folder is in one called "Elvis Presley" (the name of the artist) which is in iTunes Media\Music
Going back to your question "How to make iTunes read the song's name/singer from the file's name" the answer is simple - you can't, as this is not how iTunes works. There are some third-party utilities that you can use to set some metadata element values based on parsing of file names which might be a useful first step. However, to use iTunes effectively you should really forget about / ignore file names - manage your media using appropriate metadata and allow iTunes to look after file names behind the scenes.

How do I delete duplicate songs, but keep a link in their original albums to the single copy of the song left, so it will play in each album in sequence as if it were still there?

Greetings!
After importing my 300 or so CDs into iTunes, I found I have tons of duplicate songs.
Example: I have a song that came in a original album, then in again in a "Greatest Hits" album, then again in a "Hits of the 80's" album, and again in a soundtrack album. I have now have 4 copies of the exact same song.
How do I delete duplicate songs, but keep a link in their original albums back to the single copy of the song left, so it will play in each album in sequence as if it were still there?
I don't think this currently exists, but as my library keeps growing the duplicates keep growing. It would be nice if Apple sees this and adds a way to link songs to multiple albums.
I don't want to create a custom playlist for every album that has a duplicate song or two (I'd have dozens of playlists) - thought about fixing it that way but not really practical.

To my knowledge, there is no way of doing what you want. The only workaround is to create playlists for the other albums containing the track, but that isn't practical for most people.
You could provide Apple with feedback here: http://www.apple.com/feedback/itunesapp.html

How to make iTunes detect the new location of music files?

Hi everyone. I moved all of my music to a different location on my hard drive, and I changed the location in iTunes preferences, but it doesn't seem to detect this, so my library is empty now. I saved an itl, xml, and temp file as well, but I don't know what to do from here.
I also tried dragging the new music folder onto the "Library" entry in iTunes, and this added everything, but I no longer have my ratings, playlists or anything like that.
Is there some other way to have iTunes detect the new location? And can I get back my ratings and playlists?
Thanks.

iTunes doesn't use file names to determine how music appears in your library, Rather, it uses metadata that is split between:
data elements that are embedded within the media files
data elements that are included in the entries in the iTunes database
No amount of reorganization, renaming or other manipulation at the file level will make any difference to how songs will appear in iTunes. Using your example:
the value of the track number element is 1
the value of the artist element is "Elvis Presley"
the value of the song name element is "Blue Suede Shoes"
Depending on how you configure iTunes then the file name is either:
completely independent of iTunes (i.,e., the file containing this song could be xyz.mp3)
dependent on the metadata managed by iTunes, (i.e., when you have these two options set:
then iTunes will set the file name to be 1-01 Blue Suede Shoes.mp3 where:
the file is in a folder called "Elvis Presley" (the name of the album)
that folder is in one called "Elvis Presley" (the name of the artist) which is in iTunes Media\Music
Going back to your question "How to make iTunes read the song's name/singer from the file's name" the answer is simple - you can't, as this is not how iTunes works. There are some third-party utilities that you can use to set some metadata element values based on parsing of file names which might be a useful first step. However, to use iTunes effectively you should really forget about / ignore file names - manage your media using appropriate metadata and allow iTunes to look after file names behind the scenes.

How to make iTunes recognize the music library in my external hard drive after instaIling Yosemite?

How to make iTunes recognize the music library in my external hard drive after instaIling Yosemite? I tried re-setting the media folder location, but it didn't work. What else should I do?

The issue is not related to the external drive. iTunes Match has difficulties matching tracks ripped fom CDs because they may differ slightly from the versions on sale in iTunes. You can try the match again. Otherwise do a search of this forum. There are already many discussions on this subject here that may help you.

How to Make Itunes Recognize Foreign Characters in file names?

How to Make Itunes Recognize Foreign Characters in file names?
Any Body, please
DELL Windows XP Pro

That's not how it's supposed to work according to this: http://www.griffintechnology.com/support/italkpro/
By default, a playlist will be created in iTunes called "Voice Memos" and those files will be transferred there automatically. The files themselves can be found on your computer in your iTunes Music folder in Unknown Artist > Unknown Album.
It may be worth working through any trouble shooting articles on that site.
Regards,
Colin R.

How to make iTunes Match not convert my files ALACs in 256 kbps (VBR)? How to get iTunes to convert CDs to Apple loselss?

How to make iTunes Match not convert my files ALACs in 256 kbps (VBR)? How to get iTunes convert CDs in Apple loselss? The difference between 256 (VBR) and Apple Losless is very clear...

Dear Michael, good day!
1. As per your instruction, I turned off iTM.
Small discrepancy – where are two screens with iTM switch:
-Settings > iTunes & App Store.
-Settings > Music
I switched OFF in both.
NB: I turned device to English for convenience.
2. My next step was Setting > General > Usage – tapped {Music};
{All music} screen appeared; I swiped it and taped Delete.
3. I performed “hard reset” …………………………………..
4. Switched back On iTM
5. Taped Music app on Home screen
iTM has started – (it took 18 minutes to completed, 60 mbps Wi-Fi speed )
Regret to inform… All the same:
Erase and reset to factory default? Or I did smf wrong?

How to make iTunes the default on my MacBook Pro

I recently updated iTunes and now I'm having trouble making it my default music player. Any ideas?

Hi ajjacoby14,
To make iTunes the default application to use for playing music, use the steps found in this article -
iTunes for Windows: How to make iTunes the default application for music and audio files
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
Best,
Brett L

How to make itunes account for free

how to make itunes account for free?

Since you're posting here, you already have an Apple ID. Click here and follow the rest of the instructions.
(93518)

How can I get iTunes to display the tracks from a CD in their original (album) order?

To be absolutely honest, I don't really understand what this box is for, so I shall just use it to repeat and expand on my question. (I have already sent a "Feedback" comment on the same topic).
How can I get iTunes to display the tracks from a CD in their original (album) order?
It seems to me that there is something very basic wrong with the way iTunes handles CD Tracks.
Professionally produced CD tracks are seldom if ever in a randomised order. Why then does iTunes seem unable to display the tracks in the order they appear on the original CD source - whether from a personally owned CD or from a download from the iTunes Store?
Some music demands a specific, non-alphabetic sequence in order to make sense. Why does it seem that iTunes only offers Alphabetic, or reverse alphabetic order - both of which make a nonsense of the original, often intended order of tracks?
Why not replace the so-called "cover-art" in the bottom left hand corner if the iTunes window - which, while it may look attractive to some, gives the barest of information concerning the original disc, with a list of the original CD tracks in their original order, so that the user can easily reestablish the order in which they should be played.
As I would expect legibility might be a problem with doing this, why could not the original contents, (in their original order), at least, be displayed when the "cover art" is double clicked-on - the result of which at present gives me an enlarged version of the "Cover Art". While on the subject of the contents of the source disc, what about all the album notes which someone takes trouble to write in order to increase the appreciation of the music on the CD and the listener's general background knowledge of the artists involved. Such notes, it seems to me, have considerable intrinsic value in their own account. I would, I think, normally be prepared to buy such "Sleeve notes" - so long as a "taster" was supplied (as it is for the music) - for something like the cost of a single 'Tune" on iTunes.
These two aspects let Apple iTunes down enormously, in my opinion. I think that by chopping even quite protracted sequences of music up into bits does no one any favours - except perhaps Apple's already quite substantial bank balance. People have to be aware that two and a half, to three and a half minutes is a very short time to develop a piece of worthwhile music, and that there are many, many composers, not all of whom are alive today who have written music that huge masses of mankind value for the enrichment of their lives and the human condition in general.
Please make the viewing of iTunes tracks in their correct order by default possible. By all means have the alphabetical variations available as offering a different approach to the music, but not the sole approach to it - PLEASE.
Frustratedly yours
Alan Whitaker
PS I work at my old 24" iMac Intel Core 2 machine which runs OS "Tiger" - because it is more beautiful to look at, the screen is more pleasant to work on, and because, in some ways it is more capable (it will run FreeHand MX without needing a "patch"), than my more recent 21.5" which runs "Snow Leopard". (I don't find it that much slower, either).

Dear Mike
Thanks for the support. I am utterly amazed that after all the hype about how good iTunes is that it cannot play a downloaded CD in the correct order, and that what that order should be is not available directly from within one's own iTunes installation. (I know that one can go back to the iTunes Store to check what the order should be, but having downloaded the tracks surely iTunes is clever enough to retrieve this important information.
My iTunes to differ from yours in that I have also noticed that it seems unable to download copies of my "talking books" in the correct order either. But in my case it downloads them - from a CD - in order, but with the first track downloaded first - so that it appears at the bottom of the column of tracks so that it would get played last! (At least this is, while being inexplicable, a relatively "logical" bit of blundering and because of this is relatively easy to put right!).
I like many genres of music, some of which are not really programmed except perhaps by the artist performing them. I know that Frank Sinatra was very careful to programme his album songs to obtain a particular effect and in relation to the keys of the music. iTunes presumes to know better.
Film scores may be totally randomly put together, in some cases, but in others the order is vital to one's appreciation of the music as a whole and how it relates to the plot of the film.
In symphonic music most works are divided into sections and are conceived by the composer that way. Some individual sections may gain a life of their own if played separately, but they are never complete in the sense that the composer envisaged them without being placed in their proper context.
Opera and probably most choral music too, is similar except that the words may well become meaningless if the order is changed at the whim of a piece of ill-written computer code, while ballet music has to be heard totally within its sequential context or it becomes meaningless.
Finally, I would venture that iTunes, by jumbling up the order of the tracks as recorded on a CD, does an immense disservice, not only to the music on a particular CD, but to music in general, by expressing everything in terms of "Songs" - which it seems to interpret as stand-alone items of between 2 and 4 minutes whatever the genre. Even the way the iTunes publicity speaks of how many "songs" it can store instead of how many minutes or hours of recorded sound. This has to be another brick in the wall of "dumming-down" of people's expectations, and the shortening of their attention spans.
I don't know about anyone else, but I feel betrayed by Apple over this. Perhaps the look, feel and general presentation of an item are not the most desirable features of a consumer product. Maybe it should be judged more on it fitness for the purpose for which it was sold. There is one other possibility - that Apple are trying to redefine "Music" - and that everything that lasts longer than about 3.5 minutes or is in the form of what could for want of a better term be called symphonic in the broadest sense is something else - not "Music" within Apple's new definition, at all!
Well that's off my chest! now I can get down to creating some sort of order in my iTunes Libraries, knowing that I have to reconsult all the sources in order to confirm the source playing order.
Anyway thanks again. At least I know that it is not just me
alanfromthatcham

I am using MacBook Pro and running 10.8.4. iTunes version 11.0.4. Several of the cd's i have imported recently have been split into multiple albums by ITunes. How do I bring all the bonus tracks together with the original album?

I am using a MacBook Pro and running 10.8.4. iTunes version 11.0.4. Several of the cd's i have imported recently have been split into multiple albums by iTunes where it has identified bonus tracks. How do I bring all the bonus tracks together with the original album?

Hello there, Fineshot.
The following Knowledge Base article might provide some information that should help you resolve the issue you're having:
Why aren't songs with the same album art grouped together?
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1468
Thanks for reaching out to Apple Support Communities.
Cheers,
Pedro D.

Why are albums that have various artists appearing as separate albums for each track?

why are albums that have various artists appearing as separate albums for each track?

Check the tags via the info panel on each system.
You may see that one version has settings for 'Disk x of y' disks.
There are other fields that should be compared too, like 'grouping'. You also need to be certain the playlist (or the Library) are sorted by the same criteria e.g. by 'album' is different to 'album by artist' etc. That can cause unexpected differences in the way it displays.
I suspect match has given you iTunes copies of the files with Apple's own metadata whilst your originals are from CD with your custom tags.

I imported to library in iPhoto and now have an album called com.apple.iLifeMediaBrowser which has a lot of my old pics in it....How do I get these back into their original albums?

I imported to library in iPhoto and now have an album called com.apple.iLifeMediaBrowser which contains a lot of pics that were deleted plus a bunch of other pics......How do I move pics from this album to their original album???

What is your iPhoto version? I can ask this thread to be moved to the appropriate iPhoto forum where you might get more replies.

How do you return items from the trash can to their original locationn

how do you return items from the trash can to their original location

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities
To restore a file on the Trash to its original location, open Trash, right-click the file or press it with Command key, and select Put Back

How do make iTunes keep songs by various artists in their original albums?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for