Deleting random songs

I know this has been a problem before, but I have been doing some searching and haven't been able to find a solution/reason.
I have a 160gb iPod that has been fine for about 2 years now, and now all of a sudden it is deleting random songs.
I have got some songs off of CDs and put them on (I manually manage) and they will transfer fine and will play on iTunes. Then certain songs off of certain albums will just mysteriously delete, sometimes after playing fine on the iPod. In one situation it would cut out half way through, and then when I tried to play it again it had altogether disappeared.
I have deleted the music and put it back on again, but the same thing happens.
Any help would be appreciated! Unsure why this is happening, it is not all of my music, just random songs.

There are hundreds of posts like this.
Is your music just gone from the iTunes program library, or are the actual msuci files gone from your hard drive?
I suspect it is just gone from your library - that is the most common thing.
Background article on the ITL library file:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93732
Nobody knows why the library file gets corrupted - it could be any number of things.
What I do is make regular backups of that ITL file. I put it a copy on a USB drive.
Just a question, do you have iTunes organize your music, in other words is the checkbox in iTunes > Preferences > General tab checked? ANd did you ever change the music location while it was checked? I am not sure if that has anything to do with it, but I've noticed that files on an old location of mine go missing more often, esp if they have odd characters in them, such as àáèéôú.

Similar Messages

Itunes match deletes random songs from my iphone, even if i re download them from the cloud, the next day another 3 or 4 are deleted by itself, anyone know a fix?

anybody know how i can fix this, i already tried to turn off itunes match off and on again on the iphone but it does not seem to work, also artwork once downloaded into the iphone it does not stay there, the next day its just a blank artwork and after the internet circles in the top left of the iphone stop spinning, i go back to my music library and then back to the song and it downloads it, but it does not stay there forever, any fix?
it would be kindly appreciated since this is a very annoying bug, specially the songs that just get erased from my iphone for no reason.

Hi Kevinpnb,
Welcome to the Support Communities!
Sorry to hear of your frustration with Music Match on your iPhone. You should be able to delete the music from your iPhone by following the steps in this article:
iTunes Match on iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5637
Deleting songs downloaded to your device
You can delete a song or album from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch at any time. Don't worry; it'll still be in the cloud.
Tap the Music app.
Tap More > Songs at the bottom.
Scroll or search for the song you would like to delete from your device.
Swipe right to left on the song, and then tap Delete.
Note: You must be in Artists, Songs, or Albums view to delete songs from your device. Deleting from a playlist won't remove a song from your iOS device.
Also, this information can be found on page 64 of the iPhone User Guide for iOS 7
http://manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/1000/MA1565/en_US/iphone_user_guide.pdf
Remove a song from iPhone. Tap Songs, swipe the song, then tap Delete. The song is deleted from iPhone, but not from your iTunes library on your Mac or PC, or from iCloud.
If you have iOS 7, this will delete the song from local storage, but the song will still appear with a cloud symbol in the Music app, as you've noticed. To hide the iTunes in the Cloud purchases, navigate to Settings > iTunes & App Store, and disable "Show All: Music”
There may be a few orphaned songs on your iPhone that were partially downloaded or corrupted in some way. If that is the case, you can erase all of the music from your phone. Follow the instructions below and select the Music app under Usage:
iPhone, iPad, and iPod: Understanding capacity
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1867
If the issue still persists, try backing up your iPhone to iCloud, and then restore it:
iCloud: Restore your iOS device from iCloud
https://support.apple.com/kb/ph12521
I hope this information helps ....
- Judy

About a month ago a song randomly appeared in my songs list and when I tried swiping to the left to delete the song it wouldn't slide over to show the delete button. The delete slide appears with all of my other songs except that one. P.S. iCloud is off.

About a month ago a song randomly appeared in my songs list and when I tried swiping to the left to delete the song it wouldn't slide over to show the delete button. The delete slide appears with all of my other songs except that one. The ICloud songs are turned off and it wasn't iTunes Radio. 2 more songs like this have appeared and I can't delete them from both my iPhone or my computer (they don't even show up on my computer). If somebody knows how to fix this that would be amazing! Thank You.

Have you:
- Restore from backup. See:
iOS: Back up and restore your iOS device with iCloud or iTunes
- Restore to factory settings/new iOS device.
If a PC
Removing and Reinstalling iTunes, QuickTime, and other software components for Windows XP
or
Removing and reinstalling iTunes and other software components for Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8

I just upgraded to the 5S now I have random music on my phone, some stuff I've never head of, some stuff that is on my computer but I don't have it selected to sync onto my phone. How do I delete these songs?

I just upgraded to the 5S now I have random music on my phone, some stuff I've never head of, some stuff that is on my computer but I don't have it selected to sync onto my phone. How do I delete these songs? I haven't hooked it up to my computer. iTunes matches has never been turned on and I did turn off the Show all Music option. Some songs have the option to slide from right to left to bring up the delete button but not the ones I want to delete! I want them gone please help! I really don't want/need carni music from my daughters 4th bday party on my phone!! If anyone has a solution that does not involve me plugging into my computer that'd be awesome....
<Edited by Host>

It is working now. I no longer get the message about the item not being available in the US and I can access the store.

(ios5 ipad bugs)I can't get changes of album art, artist, album and other tags to show up in the iPad music player, but they show up correctly in the iTunes device view. Certain random songs do not sync correctly. Wifi sync hasn't worked yet.

(ios5 ipad bugs)I can't get changes of album art, artist, album and other tags to show up in the iPad music player, but they show up correctly in the iTunes device view. Certain random songs do not sync correctly. Wifi sync hasn't worked yet.
I mostly use technology for education and professional audiovisuals and lights.
I don't sync music because I use music from at least 4 different computers. (manually mange music)
I use my iPad to play performance tracks for church and a local gospel group out of our church, Won4Christ.
I chose to buy the iPad because the laptop of one of the group members (dellxps running iTunes) was randomly losing and mixing up music and I wanted a more stable option that was bigger than my iPod touch.
I tried to add some data to music libraries that I previously added to my iPad, but the data only shows up when looking at the device in iTunes.
Wifi sync has not worked on either my laptop or desktop ( both running windows 7 enterprise 64 and newest iTunes) not really a big issue, but very annoying
When browsing through library playlist albums on the iPad, random artwork shows up on playlists with no artwork that you touch while dragging, and it does not go away until you change to another navigation tab and back.
Random songs out of hundreds that I added showed up in iTunes grayed out with a sync circle beside them. Those songs would play back okay on the iPad but were unplayable through the iTunes device view. I had to delete the songs manually through the library along with the playlist and add them again.
These seem to be major stability bugs in the "new" music app and iTunes. My only option right now seems to be to delete the songs that I want to change and re-add them with the changes already applied rather than changing the id3 tags and artwork on the existing music. I hope apple will release updates to resolve these issues.
Thank you for actually making it to the end of this manuscript of annoyances.

Just wondered if anyone had any other suggestions.

ITunes deleted my songs from my HARD DRIVE!

iTunes not only has deleted a few files from my library, but it ALSO deleted songs off my hard drive!
I thought, "Well, maybe they just got moved around somehow." But, I thought about how much I go into my iTunes folder and then it dawned on me that I hadn't done that in about a month or so. The deleting thing started happening about a week ago. It's a few songs a day. Seriously. *?
I feel like if I'm spending several thousand dollars on Apple's products (computers, accessories, and music), Apple needs to be a little more appreciative.
If it's a bug in the new iTunes, then Apple needs to be sensitive to the fact that music is LOST permanently! It's frustrating to think about all the music that I've lost and PAID for. If I'm using the iTunes store and iTunes to buy/play music, then Apple needs to come out and apologize and reimburse for what was lost.
I can understand why some of you are frustrated that iTunes is deleting songs from your library, but is there anyone else who is having music deleted from their hard drive?
<Edited by Moderator>

I'm a bit upset, too. It's only deleted one song, but why did that random song go, and when will it happen to 100s of them?
I have the song on CD and can re-rip it, but that's not the point - it shouldn't go missing from the hard drive.
I've aleady resigned myself to backing up the ITL library file on a regular basis in case it gets mysteriously corrupted.
I'm not sure iTunes deleted this song, but it sure is suspicious.

When playing music through iTunes, it no longer starts at a random song.

I have it set to shuffle and it used to start with a random song. Now, it always starts with the first song in my library. I prefer the random start, but after the last update, it no longer does it. Can I change this in a setting or something??

If your country's iTunes Store allows you to redownload purchased tracks, I'd delete your current copy of the track and try redownloading a fresh one. See the following document for instructions:
Downloading past purchases from the App Store, iBookstore, and iTunes Store
Otherwise, I'd report the problem to the iTunes Store.
Log in to the Store. Click on "Account" in your Quick Links. When you're in your Account information screen, go down to Purchase History and click "See all".
Find the item that is not playing properly. If you can't see "Report a Problem" next to the item, click the "Report a problem" button. Now click the "Report a Problem" link next to the item.

Random songs won't play all the way through -- what's going on?

A really annoying problem has developed with my iTunes. Recently, and with increasing frequency, it seems, random song files will, when added to my library, quit before the end. iTunes behaves as if the end of the song is reached and goes on to the next tune. This usually happens in the first 20 seconds or so, though there have been cases where it happens later (and maybe more where it would have happened if I had happened to listen further) as well as instances where only a fraction of a second of the song will play.
These files will play perfectly well in the Finder or in a browser. It appears that something happens to them when they are added to the library. I have had some success with simply using xattr to edit the metadata (what is edited doesn't seem to matter -- I was just trying lots of things) before copying to the iTunes library, but that doesn't always work. Sometimes, deleting the song from iTunes and re-adding it will eventually work (after around seven or eight tries, when it does -- super annoying!) Doing things to the original file (i.e., before it is "added") can seem to affect this behavior, though in unpredictable ways; but once it is added, there doesn't appear to be anything you can do.
So, my speculation is that something happens to the files when they are copied. If the file has been copied and is in the iTunes library, "create AAC/mp3 version" from the Advanced menu fails and displays error # -50. I can't find a definition for that error, but maybe someone knows? (Speaking of which, why IS it so difficult to find out what the error codes refer to? Is there a list somewhere? Because that would be pretty useful.)
(Also, btw, I have looked around for other solutions to this problem, and though I haven't found an answer, there have been others who have asked the question. The first answer usually given in these situations is to make sure the start/stop time boxes in the options aren't checked. Well, they aren't.)
Has anyone else experienced this, or know what's going on? TIA.

Are those songs variable bit rate?
It kinda sounds like you might need the VBR fix, although why they worked OK on your old PC. I'm not sure.
Here is a previous discussion about it
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=5348462

Random songs keep appearing in my library that i did not buy. why?

random songs keep appearing in my library. i have never heard of them, nor did i buy them. they are not in my purchased folder though. does anyone know why this is happening? i am pretty sure they have been there since i set up my itunes account on this laptop.

No, I have not deleted them, although I am about to. Just wondering if anyone knew why they had appeared in the first place...? Does this happen sometimes? also they all happen to be in the "game" genre of songs. dont know if that means anything.

Random songs are stopping early when playing in iTunes 11.2.2, any ideas as to why?

I've never had this issue before now, and it's only doing it to random songs. I checked the stop time and it's set to the end of each one, but iTunes still ends it earlier than it should. Any ideas? Thanks...

Hey bgrsox,
Thanks for the question. I understand that random songs are not playing back fully in iTunes. The following resource may assist you:
Songs in iTunes may not play back completely
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS4357
Symptoms
Occasionally, if a song purchased from the iTunes Store on a Mac or PC was not downloaded completely, the song may not play back fully. The song may abruptly stop during playback, and iTunes may start playing the next song in your library or playlist.
Resolution
If iTunes in the Cloud is available in your country, try the following steps to resolve the issue:
1. Delete the purchased song that is exhibiting the problem from your iTunes library.
2. Click on the Purchased link in the iTunes Store to view your previously purchased music.
3. Download your previously purchased song from this list.
Note: iTunes in the Cloud, which allows you to download previously purchased songs from the iTunes Store, is not available in every country. Learn if iTunes in the Cloud is offered in your country.
Additional Information:
iTunes 11 for Mac: Delete songs, playlists, or other items
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH12159
Download past purchases
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2519
Thanks,
Matt M.

Music folder Erased after delete any song.

I use a MacBook Pro with Mac OS Snow Leopard 10.6.8, I always used a External HD to hold my iTunes files. But now, I dont know if this is because of iTunes 11, I use the organized files option checked and the iTunes organized it in artist names subfolder. This is ok.
But, when I try to edit a album name or delete any song and select DELETE FILE instead of KEEP FILE, the MUSIC folder disappear from ITUNES MUSIC folder.
Why is it happening? I try to copy any times and restart MACBOOK and the HD itself but it doesnt work.
I am using a External HD in Ethernet cable (crossover). The HD is a LACIE NETWORK SPACE 4 Tb.
Please I need some help.
Thank you!

Therefore, is there a way to mass delete all of these song names in iTunes?
Yes, you can simply highlight all the songs with the exclamation point at once and then RIGHT CLICK and choose DELETE. This will remove them from the iTunes list all at once.
(then I can copy and paste the actual files into the "Automatically Add to iTunes" folder and the path to the file should work? (THEORETICALLY OF COURSE)
Yes
What would cause such a random error?
Either the patch was disconnected somehow during the upgrade OR user changed the music's location (which in this case you did not).
Axel F.

IPod Synching random songs

Whenever I plug my iPod in to my Windows XP laptop, it beings synching about 291-293 random songs instead of simply the newest uploaded or altered tracks. I restored my iPod, and it synched correctly, until I changed its options regarding podcasts. After checking the option to upload ALL podcasts instead of all UNPLAYED, it began synching more than 200 songs unnecessarily again. What is going on?

see doing the following helps
For Mac computer
1. Open the disk utility, hope your iPod appears there (left hand side), highlight it
2. Go to Tab “Partition”, click either “Delete” or “Partition”, if fails, skip this step and go to 3
3. Go to Tab “Erase” , choose Volume Format as “MAC OS Extended (Journaled), and click Erase, again if fails, skip it and go to 4
4. Same as step 3, but open the “Security Options....” and choose “Zero Out Data” before click Erase. It will take 1 to 2 hours to complete.
5. Eject your iPod and do a Reset
6. Open the iTunes 7 and click “Restore”
For Window computer
Go to folder “My Computer”
Hope you can see your iPod there and right click on the iPod
Choose “Format”. Ensure the settings are at “Default” and that “Quick Format” is not checked
Now select “Format”
Eject your iPod and do a Reset
Open the iTunes 7 and click “Restore”

Ios 7 synced songs from my itunes library that I didnt want on my phone and I don't know how to delete them. On my phone, next to each of those songs, theres a cloud with an arrow going through it. How do I delete those songs?

ios 7 synced songs from my itunes library that I didnt want on my phone and I don't know how to delete them. On my phone, next to each of those songs, theres a cloud with an arrow going through it. How do I delete those songs? I can't delete the songs from my computer because they aren't in a specific playlist, they just got randomly added to my songs on my phone.

I just found out that I am having the same problem!! It is driving me nuts. Now I know why I am running out of space on my iPhone. It's ghosting the others songs, until you see them when you go to sync. Hopefully, someone has an answer. I have gone through every HELP subject and discussion board I could find on the situation.

Music on my iPhone has become very difficult to edit since upgrading to 5.0.1. If I simply want to delete some songs, it insists on a complete sync cycle after EACH one I delete. This is so annoying- (I have over 400 Christmas songs I won't need until n

Music on my iPhone has become very difficult to edit since upgrading to 5.0.1. If I simply want to delete some songs, it insists on a complete sync cycle after EACH one I delete. This is so annoying… (I have over 400 Christmas songs I won't need until next year) I have also noticed it randomly keeps updating album artwork…adding more time to each sync. Is there some way I can turn off the syncing until I have picked and deleted all the songs I want?

The cause was probably a USB glitch during a sync or when copying. The music resides on the phone in separate files. A master file contains a database with an index to the music, an entry for each track and a "pointer" to the file containing the track. Somehow the index got corrupted with duplicate entries. It's likely that the music itself wasn't duplicated, but some tracks had more than one entry in the database. I've seen this happen when syncing (rather than manually managing) also. In my case deleting the track from the Music tab in iTunes, syncing, then adding it back fixed it.
A related problem I've seen is an album may be split, with some tracks in each of 2 or more album entries in the listing. Fixed the same way.

ITunes Deleted My Songs w/o Me Telling it To!

I downloaded an album by Good Charlotte off of iTunes. While it was loading, I deleted a few playlists, then created a new one, into which I moved the album and some other songs. I realized that some of my songs and albums weren't there, so I closed out of iTunes and reopened it. This time those songs were there, but the Good Charlotte album wasn't, plus it had reset everthing to before I deleted the playlists! HELP! X0

I'm a bit upset, too. It's only deleted one song, but why did that random song go, and when will it happen to 100s of them?
I have the song on CD and can re-rip it, but that's not the point - it shouldn't go missing from the hard drive.
I've aleady resigned myself to backing up the ITL library file on a regular basis in case it gets mysteriously corrupted.
I'm not sure iTunes deleted this song, but it sure is suspicious.

Deleting random songs

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for