ITunes Sharing between Accounts

I have 2 accounts on my iBook and would like to be able to combine the libraries (so that when I'm in my account I can access music in the other account's iTunes library). Basically, I don't want to have to import all music twice and take up twice the HD space.
Is this possible? I've talked to customer support five times and no one has been able to help me. It seems that this should be simple!

The easiest way to do what you want is to place the "master" iTunes Music folder at the root of your HD and set up iTunes for all the accounts on your computer to read and write to that directory. The one thing this won't do is automatically add any new music to iTunes from the "master" folder. But that could be accomplished with an Automator Workflow, I think.

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ITunes sharing between accounts on same Mac

Hello,
Is there a way to share iTunes content (music, movies, etc.) between different user accounts on the same Mac? We have a "family" iMac with different login accounts (me, my spouse and our kids). When my spouse or kids are logged on as themselves, is there a way for them to access the music on iTunes that I see when I'm logged in? Thank you in advance!
Best,
M

Hello M,
The article linked below details how to go about setting up a single iTunes Library for sharing across all user accounts on your system.
iTunes: How to share music between different user accounts on a single computer
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1203
Cheers,
Allen

I'm trying to use iTunes sharing between my windows computers. My computer playlist is showing up on the sidebar but there is no content with it. Why won't the music from my other computer show up?

I'm trying to use iTunes sharing between my windows computers. My computer playlist is showing up on the sidebar but there is no content with it. Why won't the music from my other computer show up?

The computer has to be authorized for the account that purcchased the media.
What error message are you getting when you try to lauthorize the computer for that account?
Is there a way to find my Apple ID Name if I can't remember it?
Yes. Visit My Apple ID and click Find your Apple ID. See Finding your Apple ID if you'd like more information.
How do I change or recover a forgotten Apple ID Password?
If you've forgotten your Apple ID Password or want to change it, go to My Apple ID and follow the instructions. SeeChanging your Apple ID password if you'd like more information.

Sharing between accounts problem

Sorry if this is basic Mac 101 stuff, I'm a recent convert from the PC world...
While trying to share my iTunes library between my self and my wife, I believe I found a bug and I am unsure how to best report it and/or find a solution for my problem.
I found an article online that describes how to share iTunes libraries between accounts (http://bmannconsulting.com/node/701). After following the steps, I realized my wife was able to play music from the shared iTunes library but when she tried to import a new CD it failed with an error stating she did not have write permissions.
So I used the "Get Info" to check the permissions of the Users/Shared/iTunes folder. In the "Sharings & Permissions" list, I see 3 entries:
- (Me) : Read & Write
- (unknown) : Read only
- everyone : Read & Write
Now I don't understand who/what the (unknown) user is, but I would think that b/c "everyone" has Read & Write access my wife should be able to import CDs and write to the folder.
I then decided to give her explicit access. I clicked on the lock to unlock this screen. However when I click on the "+" sign to add her in, the Get Info panel immediately disappears. So unfortunately I can't seem to give her access.
Any ideas on what the problem might be? Also, what is the correct procedure to report a possible bug to the Apple developers? Lastly, should I be worried about having an (unknown) user with Read Only permissions on my Shared folders?
Thanks.

iTunes libraries are folder hierarchies with potentially thousands of files inside. It's not enough to just change the permissions of the folder itself to make it writable by others, you need to change the permissions of everything inside. And even after doing that, once a user adds a new album, a new folder is created with the default OS X permissions set (read-only for all but the creator) and the permissions need to be changed again.
Fortunately, there's a way to get around all of this hassle with ACLs. See the article linked below on how to set it up for iPhoto, and use it for your iTunes library. It works great to share iMovie projects and iTunes and iPhoto libraries between my wife's and my user accounts.
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20050904072808460&lsrc=osxh

ITunes sharing between Mac and PC is not working

iTunes sharing between Mac and PC is not working. No shared music appears.
PC = Win XP SP3; 192.168.1.101
iTunes for Windows 6.0.4.2
Sharing enabled / Look for shared music enabled / Share entire library
Open and running on PC
Windows firewall has exceptions set to allow traffic on TCP 3689, UDP 5353
MAC = OS X 10.4.6; 192.168.1.100
iTunes for OS X 6.0.4(3)
Sharing enabled / Look for shared music enabled / Share entire library
Open and running on Mac
System Preferences | Sharing | Services
Personal file sharing - ON
Windows file sharing - ON
Printer sharing - ON
System Preferences | Sharing | Firewall
Personal file sharing - ON
Windows file sharing - ON
Printer sharing - ON
iTunes Music Sharing - ON (i.e., TCP 3689 open)
iPhoto Bonjour Sharing - ON
Network Time - ON
ROUTER = Linksys BEFSR41v4; Firmware 1.04.01; 192.168.1.1
Functioning as DHCP server
File sharing between Mac & PC works OK
BUT iTUNES MUSIC SHARING DOES NOT WORK IN EITHER DIRECTION
Shared music is not visible
Tried turning both firewalls OFF -- still nothing
Tried installing Bonjour for Windows -- still nothing
ANY suggestions? Please help. Thanks.
1.8 GHz PowerPC G5 Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Hi cbafiero,
It seems that the problem lies in your router. I'm not sure exactly what the issue is (I've just now discovered it myself), but after switching from a Linksys WRT54GX2 to a thrift store Netgear, my shared libraries appeared instantly. My gut is telling me that the Linksys routers are blocking the multicast traffic, which is stupid on Linksys's part, to filter traffic internally. I'll look more into the Netgear and see what it has that the Linksys doesn't (or vice versa).

Sharing itunes library between accounts

Hi my mom has just got an ipod for Christmas and wants to load up her songs. We share a computer but have separate accounts. She wants to have many (but not all) of the same songs that I have. Is it possible to share my itunes library with her so she doesn't have to reload all the CDs that we both like?

I did what the instructions said in the article "+Itunes:How to share music between accounts on a single computer"+ and I can see the music from my account but still cannot see it from my Mom's account.
Sorry about the double post, it was my first ever post and I thought I had it in the wrong place and could not see how to delete it.
Thanks for your help so far

Share itunes purchases between accounts

We are all getting new Apple products for Christmas. We want to split our existing iTunes accounts into 3 separate accounts and share some of the purchased content between accounts. Can we do that without having to share libraries or authorize account on each other's computers?

Purchases are tied to the Apple ID, you can't transfer

Sharing Itunes music between accounts on same computer

Hi
Is it possible to share Itunes music library between three accounts on same computer so if my wife logs into her account she can see my music library

This should help:
iTunes: How to share music between different accounts on a single computer
Note that when it says "publicly accessible location", it needs to be a place where everyone has read and write access. The most common such place is the Shared folder in the Users folder, but you can place the music elsewhere if you change the access permissions manually (don't start tinkering with permissions unless you're confident you know what you're doing and can reverse things if they get messed up).
Regards.

Sharing iTunes Music between accounts in Front Row

I have two accounts set on my computer. The primary account shares it's iTunes library with the secondary one. The shared music works fine inside of iTunes but when when I attempt to find the shared music on the secondary account via Front Row it states that it cannot find Shared Music. Does Front Row not have access to the shared music on other accounts on the same computer?
All my apps have the most resent updates.

I have the same problem. I think Cory made an assumption in his reply, that there is music in the library of the secondary accounts iTunes. My Secondary Account has no music at all in the iTunes library. In iTunes for the Secondary Account there are two sources of shared music available in the shared music folder, both play fine from iTunes. The first source is shared music from my primary accounts iTunes library, the second source is from the library of an XP based machine on my network.
When accessing shared music from Front Row logged in on the secondary account, the music shared from the XP machine is available as listed and named in iTunes, the music shared from the primary accounts iTunes library is not available.
Purchased the Mac Mini Dual Core yesterday, did all updates to software yesterday. Any ideas, anyone?
Mac Mini Dual Core Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Itunes sharing between user accounts

Hello-
My wife and I share the desktop. A few years ago, I created 2 user accounts to log in to the desktop. Apparently iTunes does not share the library between the accounts and thus we created 2 different libraries with purchased music from 2 iTunes accounts on the same desktop.
Is there anyway to merge the files or to share the library so that she does not have to login to her side to access her purchased music? I'm sure it's probably a simple move of files to a common directory, but i'm not sure how to proceed.
Thanks

Sorry, I think that this official Apple Post ought to do it.
iTunes: How to share music between different user accounts on a single computer
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1203
Chris CA is an expert, so if you don't understand Chris's expert advice and/or you don't understand the official post here, then simply take a break, relax, and come back and try again.
Best Regards,
~mm

ITunes sharing between two users on same computer

i've tried searching for this, but i guess i don't know how to search it properly. What i need to do is have the itunes library of a different user account show up as a shared library on my main account (and visa versa) without having the laptop connected to a network.
Right now i have a lot of recordings for work in an itunes library of a different user account that i will need from time to time when teaching. i'd like to be able to have that show up as a shared library, and have my main library shared in the other user account so that i don't have to switch back and forth all the time. Using Tiger this worked like a charm, but with Leopard they only seem to share when my powerbook is connected to a network. i don't have a network connect at work nor am i likely to get one. Is there a setting i am missing?

All the files are on the computer, right, not external drives? And all the accounts you want to share between can Share their Libraries AND Look for Shared Libraries? And iTunes is running in each user account?
I have to say I've never used this WITHOUT an internet connection as I have 'always on' broadband, but I cannot imagine why it would need a network when it's between users on the same computer.

Transfering iTunes library between accounts in the same computer??

Hi everyone
I use my MacBook both at home and in my office. I work in a small company, so everyone is very relaxed about security. I only have one account, but recently, while at the office I discovered someone browsing at some of my kids' pictures.
To avoid this,I decided to set up a "office" account. Everything went fine until I opened iTunes and found that I don't have any songs (they must have missed the memo about the new account!)
Is there an easy way to transfer those songs to my new account? I stress, this is the same computer we're talking about!!!
Thanks

I use my MacBook both at home and in my office. I work in a small company, so everyone is very relaxed about security. I only have one account, but recently, while at the office I discovered someone browsing at some of my kids' pictures.
Do you mean they were viewing the pix on your computer? iTunes does not have pix for anyone to view. (This is the iTunes forum)
To avoid this,I decided to set up a "office" account.
You created a new account on the computer?
If you are talking about the computer, open the first accounts - > System prefs - Sharing.
Under Services, turn OFF everything.
Under FireWall, turn it ON.
For further help, post over here -> http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=755

Transfer iTunes Library Between Accounts

I realize this should be simple, but...
I have an iMac; my wife has a Macbook Pro. Our iTunes library is on my iMac and was under my account with Home Share enabled. Since she couldn't create and maintain playlists from her Macbook, she would log onto my account to change them and update her iPhone. I grew tired of her changing things on my account, so I transferred all songs to a new account on my iMac by dragging the shared folder into "Music" in iTunes on the new account. All 11,000 + songs transferred, no problem. Then I created a .xml file from the old account (File ==> Library ==> Export Library) and imported that file into the new account (File ==> Library ==> Import Playlist). That recreated all of the playlists, but only imported a few of the play counts, date purchased, etc. Maybe 1% updated. I checked the .xml file in text edit - all of the information is present. Is there a way to make it work?
Many thanks!

People have high hopes for that XML file, and those hopes are almost always disappointed.
A better approach is to simply make a copy of your entire iTunes folder and put it on the computer she uses. (If your library is not already consolidated, run Consolidate before you do the copy.)
That folder contains the library data as well as the content. After you do the copy she will have an exact replica of the library, including playlists, playcounts, etc. From that point on, she can start making playlists or adding, deleting, and modifying as she wishes, without affecting yours.
As you acquire new content, if the other likes it too, put a copy there via home sharing or other convenient means.

How to share iTunes library between accounts

Lots of various ways have been sugested but none kinda work the easy way i was looking for. So, here's what i did and it works great... so far. (sorry if this is a repeat of something somebody has already said, if so I didn't find it):
1- moved the iTunes music folder to the shared folder (probably not neccessary anymore but it will stay there...)
2- changed the pref in iTunes under advance to find this new path. (in both accounts)
3- downloaded BatChmod
4- draged both user folders over the utility icone (one at a time) and checked marked all settings to give max permissions to both accounts. also checked both autor/owner and unlock then applied. (now all I have and all my wife has under each accounts are totaly accessible by both)
5- Since my account had the latest version of the iTunes library file I alt/command draged an alias into the other acount. Deleted the existing iTunes library file.
Tested and works great... if i make a change it's noticible in both accounts and vice versa.
Hope this helps
Regards,
Cubi
iMac G5 20" iSight Mac OS X (10.4.3)
iMac G5 20" iSight Mac OS X (10.4.3)
iMac G5 20" iSight Mac OS X (10.4.3)
iMac G5 20" iSight Mac OS X (10.4.3)

Cubi,
I apologize in advance for bothering you, but I am having problems. These are the steps I followed:
1. Moved Itunes Music Folder to shared folder and changed location of music folder in Itunes Preferences to point to the shared folder in both user accounts. My library is the only one currently on the system.
2. Downloaded and ran BatChmod on entire user (house icon) for both me (User 1) and then logged into User 2 and ran BatChmod on entire User 2 house icon. As suggested I checked every box on the BatChmod utility including auto/owner and unlock and then applied.
3. Created Alias of Itune Library file in User 1 (my) directory and copied it into User 2's ITunes Music Directory, removed Alias extension and deleted existing ITunes Library file in User 2's account.
The files are currently organized as:
- User 1 (seth) ITunes Account contains:
- ITunes Library data file
- ITunes Music Folder
- ITunes Music Library.xml
- Shared ITunes Folder contains:
- ITunes Music Folder
- User 2 ITunes Account contains:
- ITunes Library data file (former ALIAS - arrow indicates still alias)
- ITunes Music Library.xml
When I (User 1) open ITunes, everything works fine and I see my playlists and library. However, when I try to open Itunes logged in as User 2, I get the following error message: "ITunes music library file is locked, on a locked disk or you don't have permission to access it."
I already ran BatChmod so I followed your suggestion and went to Command-I and insured that all Ownership, Permissions and Details state that Owner, Group and Others all have "Read & Write" permissions. Its still not working.
Any suggestion what I am doing wrong? Did I make it overly complex? Sorry to bother but your instructions make it seem really easy.
Seth

Transferring iTunes Purchases Between Accounts

I have two Apple IDs, one iTunes ID and one Mobile Me ID. I don't want to have to move between the two. That is, use one for iTunes and another as my Mobile Me, but if I just use my Mobile Me one all my old purchases won't work or I'll have to constantly re-validate them with my old one. I want to delete my old one and transfer all my purchases to my Mobile Me account. Is this possible and if so how do I do it. Does it need to be done through Apple support?

Kyle Drager wrote:
Does it need to be done through Apple support?
yes. try here: iTunes Customer Support.

ITunes Sharing between Accounts

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