How to manage a itunes library bigger than 4TB? Help!

Hi,
We are a family big on homesharing and keep all our music/movies/tv shows on one apple id. Plus we are apple tv addicts and subscribe to lots of tv series and purchase a lot of movies. The itunes library is now more than 4 TB and has outgrown the external hard drive it is sitting on. The disk is full.
Any ideas as to how I should proceed? I do know how to transfer the library to an even bigger external hard drive - but I'm reluctant because they are hard to find and very expensive. Plus I'm wondering if there is a better idea. Is there anything else I can do that won't mess up the existing library.
Thanks

I've seen the terms "Drobo" and "NAS" mentioned here in connection with large libraries. Some issues do arise with them though, and you do have to be somewhat technically capable of setting up that kind of thing.

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How to manage an iTunes library larger than the capacity of my iPod?

I have a 40G iPOD and now my iTunes library is larger than that. When I last synched, iTunes automatically created an iPod list. I'm unclear on how the subset of songs was selected. When I add new music, do I have to manually move things in and out of this playlist, or is there some more clever trick?

If the library is larger than the iPod, it simply selects at random, enough songs to fit.
Here's a better way to do it yourself.
Create a new Smart Playlist.
Match rule My rating does not equal one star.
Limit to 37.5 GB (or whatever) of songs at random.
Songs you don't like rate them one star and they will not get put on the iPod or will get removed next time you sync.
Open iTunes prefs and set to Auto update only selected playlists and select this new playlist.
Also, any songs you do not want to go onto the iPod at all, uncheck them. I do this for podcasts, Christmas songs and such.
When you want to change the songs, simply select this playlist in iTunes, select all the songs and press delete.
It will empty and then fill up again based on the criteria above.
Then connect the iPod and resync it.
This is how I do it as I have ~12 GB of songs and 4 GB iPods.

Itunes library bigger than ipod

My itunes library has more songs than my ipod will hold. What is the best way for me to choose what actually goes on the ipod?

You can also let iTunes create a special playlist that is a subset of your entire library, but small enough to fit on the iPod. This option comes up if you choose to +Sync music+ and +All songs and playlists+ (on the Music tab of the iPod's pane in the iTunes window).
If there is not enough space, a message will pop up to say that there is not enough free space... +Would you like iTunes to choose a selection of songs to sync to this iPod?+ If you choose YES, an new playlist is created with a subset of songs from your main library that will fit on the iPod, and the iPod syncs to it. This playlist is like any playlist, so you can modify it going forward.

HOW TO MOVE YOUR ITUNES LIBRARY TO AN EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE

Read these directions before actually doing anything, just so you can do this right. I've messed things up before, it can get ugly...
That being said, here's what you've gotta do if you're running on a Mac:
Have all your music on the external hard drive. It should be organized in folders the way iTunes set it up
The folders should be organized something like this:iTunes Media (Top folder, everything is inside of this folder)
Audiobooks
Automatically Add To iTunes
Books
Downloads
iPod Games
iTunes U
Mobile Applications
Music
Podcasts
Ringtones
TV Shows
Voice Memos
Those folders are what I have in my 'iTunes Media' folder on my external hard drive. You don't necessarily need to have all of these folders. (I happen to just have a lot of things in my iTunes.)
Finding your iTunes Library Files
The way iTunes works is there are two parts to make what you see in iTunes work right. There's your media (songs, video, iPod games and Apps, etc) and there are your library files. They tell iTunes what your playlists are, where your 'iTunes Media' folder is located, and a lot of other important things. Here is how to find the iTunes Library files (there will probably be more than one!)
Look in (yourusername)/Music/iTunes
There will be a few things in here:
Album Artwork (It's a folder)
iTunes Library Extras.itdb
iTunes Library Genius.itdb
Itunes Library.itl
iTunes Media (a folder)
iTunes Music Library Backup.xml (this file might or might not be here. If there is no file with this name, it's okay.)
iTunes Music Library.xml
Some "temp" files (maybe, maybe not -- they are not important for this)
Anything in the list that is BOLDED needs to be placed in (yourusername)/Music/iTunesIf you copied these files to your external hard drive, you will need to copy them back onto your internal hard drive. These library files do not need to be in the same place as your iTunes Media folder.
Telling iTunes Where Your Music Is
Now that your iTunes Media folder is on your external drive, and your Library Files are in place in "(yourusername)/Music/iTunes", we need to open iTunes.
On the top bar of the screen, go to iTunes>Preferences.
In preferences, go to the farthest right tab, titled "Advanced" with a picture of a gear.
The top section says "iTunes Media Folder location" and underneath that you see a filepath ending in the 'iTunes Media" folder.
This path is probably wrong, not leading you through the external hard drive.
If it is incorrect:
Click "change" on the right and then locate the folder in the prompt that shows up. Once the "iTunes Media" folder on your external hard drive is highlighted blue, click "Open" in the bottom right corner of the window.
Give iTunes a moment or two (depending on the size of your library) to re-locate all of your songs. Voila!
If it is correct:Do nothing!
While you're in the advanced section, let's check to make sure you have a few important 'housekeeping' things checked off:
"Keep iTunes Media folder organized" (CHECK THIS BOX!)
"Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library" (CHECK THIS BOX!)
At this point, iTunes should be all ready to go. Before I get into any troubleshooting, note a few things:
If you ever unplug/disconnect the external hard drive from the computer, you must first make sure that iTunes is NOT running.
Also, if the hard drive is unplugged and you open up iTunes, all of your songs will have little symbols next to them. Until you plug/reconnect the hard drive, the songs will stay like this and will be missing.
TROUBLESHOOTING:
Not having permission to access the external hard drive:
In Finder (or on your desktop), right-click the external hard drive (if you don't have right-click, control-click will also work).
Click on "Get Info"
A thin, tall window will appear on the screen.
Part One:In the "General" section, make sure that "Locked" is unchecked. If it IS checked, uncheck it.
Part Two:
We are now focusing on the very bottom of the window, where it says "Sharing & Permissions"/
In the bottom right corner of the window there is a small padlock icon. Click it. When asked for an administrator password, type it in, and click "Ok".
You will now notice that the bottom section of the 'get info' window is not greyed out anymore. Make sure your user name (it says in parentheses "(Me)" so there is no going wrong here) has "Read & Write" privileges.If not, click on whichever privilege you currently have, and a drop-down menu will appear. Click on "Read & Write".
If you have any other issues, I will add them to the troubleshooting list to help you out. Hope this was helpful!

My iTunes library is set up the way I said in the top post and works totally fine.
Yes, and that is the default structure to which I was referring. iTunes will organize it that way automatically unless people do start changing settings (in which case they should know what they are doing and how iTunes works with library files and media structure.)
Both ways work, the advantages of mine would be that should iTunes try looking fo a library, it will always be in the default location.
It makes people think they have to change media location in preferences. They do not unless they want to relocate media only and leave other things on their internal drive (in which case there is no point in copying library files to the external, and you certainly wouldn't want to then delete them from your internal).
Downside is that then should someone move their iTunes library to anther computer they need to remember to get those library files on the external hard drive.
Just copy the whole iTunes folder and it will get the library files to the other drive in one step, along with all the other files.
Your post has good stuff but it makes a move appear intimidating and look like people have to do a lot of organizing to move the collection. It also throws in extra steps (namely altering preference settings) that could cause confusion or even make a mess of things. If people leave iTunes to default preference settings (which most people do) the move summarizes into a short line: Copy a folder and hold an extra button the next time you start iTunes.
Note that the instructions in the link I provided earlier do also include many steps, but those are to ensure that everybody does have it all organized correctly before simply copying the iTunes folder. In the end it is just a simple action.

Can I manage my iTunes Library from my iPhone?

I have a playlist in iTunes on my PC called 'iPhone', which is selected to sync with my iPhone 4.
I tend to sync via WiFi because I often don't have access to the computer used to manage my library (it is used for streaming films to the TV).
During these times, I'd like to be able to manage my iTunes library so that I can edit the tracks that are on the 'iPhone' playlist, and then sync via WiFi.. So I can manage what music is synced to my iPhone without ever touching the PC.
Is this feasible? If so how can it be achieved?
Any help appreciated
Cheers,
Jack

iTunes only supports transferring purchased items from iOS devices for copyright reasons. To learn how to do this, take a look at http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1848
For any music not purchased from iTunes, Apple does not support transferring that content and you can check with third-parties for more information.

How do I export itunes library onto an external hard drive so i can put the music on my new mac book?

How do I export itunes library onto an external hard drive so i can put the music on my new mac book?

iTunes: How to move your music to a new computer [or another drive] - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
do not confuse moving your whole folder and library with moving just media files as in
iTunes for Mac: Moving your iTunes Media folder - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1449
Quick answer if you let iTunes manage your music: Copy the entire iTunes folder (and in doing so all its subfolders and files) intact to the other drive. Start iTunes with the option key held down and guide it to the new location of the library.

I will soon be purchasing a new PC running Windows 7. I need to know how to migrate my iTunes Library and apple devices to the PC. Is there a previously published support document on this topic? Thank You.

I will soon be purchasing a new PC running Windows 7. I need to know how to migrate my iTunes Library and apple devices to the PC. Is there a previously published support document on this topic? Thank You.

Connect a blank powered external drive to the PC.
Right click on the Disk in the File manager and choose format: exFAT
(if it's a XP machine, first install exFAT from Microsoft and reboot)
navigate to your user account folders on the PC and drag and drop copy (or copy and paste) to the external drive.
(if a program has your files, then export them out first)
Hook up the drive to the Mac, and transfer files to the desktop or to their same appropritate folders.
Import photo's into iPhoto program, import music into iTunes etc and they will manage those files.
You can continue to use the external exFAT drive between Mac's and PC's
Do not format the drive NTFS or FAT, NTFS can't be written too by the Mac and FAT can't hold over 4GB sized files.
If you format exFAT on the Mac, it likely won't work correctly on the PC.
"Migration" type programs are a utter waste of time and effort between PC's and Mac's for the fact that only certain files (and no programs or anything else) will work between them, also it's a hassle and takes too long. So don't even bother with it.

I just need to know how you get an iTunes library off the original hard drive of a mac and onto an external hard drive and still have it work normally?

I just need to know how you get an iTunes library off the original hard drive of an imac and onto an external hard drive and still have it work as it normally would?

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1449

How to move my iTunes library to another laptop?

How to move my iTunes library to another laptop?
I used an external drive for my library so far and I just want to use this drive to organize my iTunes library on my Laptop.

See this migrate iTunes library post.
tt2

I just got a new pc running windows 7 and don't know how to transfer my itunes library from my old computer using windows xp

i just got a new pc running windows 7 and cannot get my i tunes library from my old windows xp i have an ipad,ipod nano .ipod touch ,will any of these do it? My library is one i downloaded from cds not purchased thanks'

Iv just got a macbook pro today, and I don't know how to transfer my itunes library from my imac..
the simplest way, assuming all your media files are in the default location, would be to connect the two Macs with a firewire cable, boot the source Mac in Target Disk Mode, and copy the entire iTunes folder (not just the iTunes music folder) from <MacintoshHD>/users/yourname/music on the source to <MacintoshHD>/users/yourname/music on the target (overwriting the iTunes folder in place there).
My sister is having my old imac, so I also need to then clear the itunes on the imac for her.
just a create a new admin user account for her on the iMac.

I accidentally synced my mum's brand new iPad to my mac book air. A few days later I realised that my iTune library on my mac is completely gone. So is my iPhone 4s after I synced it with my mac. How do I get my old iTunes library back? Please help!

I accidentally synced my mum's brand new iPad to my mac book air. A few days later I realised that my iTune library on my mac is completely gone. So is my iPhone 4s after I synced it with my mac. How do I get my old iTunes library back? I tried using icloud on my iphone but it stated that I have never back up my phone before. So I guess my iCloud data is gone too? But I have back up my mac in my harddrive using time machine. So how do I get my old itune library back? Please help! Thanks!

1) ensure iTunes is authorized for your iTunes store account(s)
2) connect your device and right-click or control-click it in the iTunes Source list, then choose transfer purchases from the shortcut menu that appears.
3) sync the device
iTunes will wipe the iPhone but, since you transferred your purchases in the previous step, your content will be in your library and you can re-populate the iPhone with it.
above works for purchases from the iTunes store. for everything else, check out this post by Zevoneer.

How do I restore iTunes library from Backup files on External Hard Drive?

How do I restore iTunes library from Backup files on External Hard Drive and keep the new iTunes library on the External Hard Drive. I have all the media and playlist and .xml .itl files, just want the iTunes to recognise the content.
I backedup my iTunes content by dragging to External Hard Drive. Formatted and reinstalled OS. My iTunes content is so large, that I wish for the Library and content to remain on the External Hard Drive. I have all the music files and playlists, I just cannot get the iTunes application to display all the content. Hoping to Not have to drag and drop all the content to be recopied into new iTunes organised files.
Troubleshooting this by researching other conversations on the web, I have come stuck for a solution. One Troubleshoot told me to hold down the Command key and then lauch iTunes and a dialogue box will appear to Choose a new library, however when I try this, no Dialogue box appear to give me the option!?

It sometimes has that funny switch symbol on it too.
tt2

Can anyone tell me how to restore my itunes library and playlists? After I downloaded mountain lion my library is missing and my devices can be synced to only one library ...the missing one

can anyone tell me how to restore my itunes library and playlists? After I downloaded mountain lion my library is missing and my devices can be synced to only one library ...the missing one

That .itl file actually is the library -- at least the critical part of it although the library is actually many files and folders.
Try starting iTunes and immediately hold down the option key. When it asks, guide it to the .itl file.
It's really hard to say without being able to poke around your computer. Upgrading should not delete the old library, but still it happens to the very, very few which is why we make backups before updating. If the old library file is gone then so are your playlists. You can always see if the following is of any use:
iTunes: How to re-create your iTunes library and playlists - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1451

How do I restore iTunes library from flash drive backup?

How do I restore iTunes library from flash drive backup?

brigdool wrote:
How do I restore iTunes library from flash drive backup?
HI Brigdool,
It depends how you made the backup.
If you copied your entire iTunes folder onto the flash drive, just copy it back to the appropriate place on the computer.
If you copied individual folders or files, add them back to iTunes by inserting the flash drive in your computer, and then dragging the files into your "Automatically Add to iTunes" folder.
The first method recreates your library as it was, with all playcounts, playlists, etc. The second method builds a new library with the same content.

How do I transfer iTunes library (music only) from PowerMac G4 FW800 to new iPad 4?

How do I transfer iTunes library (music only) from PowerMac G4 FW800 to new iPad 4?

You need to use a combination of iTunes Match and these instructions.
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How to manage a itunes library bigger than 4TB? Help!

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