Large iTunes Library and iTunes Match

I have over 300 GBs of music in my iTunes library. It is accessed from an external hard drive. I would like to use iTunes Match, but hear it only allows 25,000 songs. Any hope of them expanding this? How do they determine the 25,000 that are used?

CP10934 wrote:
I find it interesting that the Apple allows you be purchase music fro them but after you reach the 25,000 tune limit which supposedly, Apple does not admit to this, is due to an agreement between Apple and the music industry.
Apple clearly states that there is a limit of 25K and that itunes store purchases do not count towards this limit.
My itunes library is substantially over 25K but only 24,980 tracks are uploaded or matched. I have a large number of tracks that have an Icloud Status of "Removed"
I achieved this by creating a second blank library - I signed into match and was able to view all tracks in iTunes Match.
I then deleted some tracks from this library - effectively deleting tracks in the cloud.
When I went back into my original library, those tracks were shown as "removed". iTunes Match will now ignore those tracks. You can now add new tracks provided you kept matched and uploaded less than 25k.
If you keep your total below 25k you should be able to contue using Itunes Radio ad free.\
Jim

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every time i try to start up itunes an error message comes up saying new itunes library and itunes wont start up. I have no idea why this has happened as I havent used itunes in ages and havent knowingly changed anything since. does anyone have any ideas what the problem is. the last software update i got was in december

Go into the Control Panel for progams and try to repair the iTunes installation, or remove it and then reinstall.
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Swipe between iTunes library and iTunes store

I don't know how I did it...but the other day I was swiping between my iTunes library and the store. I find a song, swipe to my library and see if I had it, swipe back to the store to buy or look at another song.
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Discrepancy between iTunes Library and iTunes music library in Finder

iTunes is reporting that I have 2313 files @ 13.96GB
but when im looking at the iTunes music folder within Finder(username/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music, Finder reports that I've got 4400 files @ 20.13GB
iTunes is set to control my library at that folder.
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<Titled edited by Host to reflect intent of original poster>
Message was edited by: Host

The stats at the bottom of the screen when you look at the Music section of your library are just for music, there are separate totals for Movies, TV Shows, Podcasts, iTunes U, Audiobooks, Applications & Ringtones. When you look at *iTunes\iTunes Music* in Finder this will contain all the files from all the sections. It is also possible that you have at some point deleted files from iTunes without deleting them from the hard disk or manually placed files within the iTunes Music folders and then neglected to import them into iTunes. If you have any *iTunes LPs* these will count as a single file in the iTunes library but typically contain 100s of individual files (html, artwork, scripts etc.). I don't know about Macs, but on a PC if the library is also accessed by Windows Media Player then there can be artwork placed in album folders adding to the file count shown in the operating system.
In short there is no reason to expect the numbers & sizes to match. That said, it is still possible that there are files in your folders that are not in your library, and vice versa. The following from Doug's AppleScripts for iTunes should help you check for any discpreancies:
Music Folder Files Not Added v2.0 - Lists files in your music folder that are not in your library.
List MIAs v1.2 - Lists files in your library that are not in your music folder.
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/itunes library and /itunes library.xml move

Is it possible to move these files into the location where the actual music resides? Or does itunes always need these on the local drive where it is running? If it must be on the local drive, can I backup these 2 files and restore them without corrupting the database?

This may be already implied but what I want to do is have some portions of my iTunes library in one location (on another drive) and other portions elsewhere. For example I want my music on my laptop for portability but I want my big space hog stuff like movies and tv shows and video podcasts on an external volume. Is it possible to locate TV Shows and Podcasts on another drive? how about a remote drive across a LAN? Does this method work for this?

Is it a MUST to have both itunes library and itunes music folder?

I just noticed I have 22 GB of music in itunes library (itunes application) and also 22GB of music in itunes music folder. Do I need to have both folders active? What would happen if I delete all the music in itunes music folder? Should that delete all the songs in my itunes application?
Thanks.

The iTunes Library is a database file, it contains references to songs you've added to the library, their location on your hard drive, playlists, ratings etc. The library does not contain the actual song files. The iTunes Music Folder is the folder that contains the song and other media files. Deleting the folder that contains the songs would mean the the library couldn't locate them (because they would no longer exist) and there would be nothing to play. The iTunes application (the actual program) resides in your Applications folder. You'll get more information including the Folder/File structure in this article: What are the iTunes library files?

HUGE size difference b/t iTunes library and iTunes Music folder

Why the huge disparity between the size iTunes reports for my music library and the size of the "iTunes Music Library" folder calculated by Finder?
I'm trying to figure out how much space I actually use to see if I can cram my digital life into a 256 mb MacBook Air. At first, I thought it must be including mobile apps and videos, but those are in separate folders. Where is that extra 57 GB coming from?!?

Right after I clicked "post," I noticed the "Movies" folder inside the iTunes Music Library folder. That accounts for 41.51 GB, but that still leaves another 15 or so that I'm still scratching my head over.

How do I find music that has been uploaded to iTunes from a purchased CD and iTunes is "unable to find the original file?" I no longer have the CD. I have tried all the usual methods of looking in my iTunes library and through Find. No Luck.

How do I find music that has been uploaded to iTunes from a purchased CD and iTunes is “unable to find the original file?” I no longer have the CD. I have tried all the usual methods of looking in my iTunes library and through Find. No Luck.

Backup drive?
Subscribe to iTunes Match?
If neither of the above and you don't have the CD and can't find your tracks on the computer then they you're stuck. A file recovery utility will cost $100, plus another $100 for an external drive to which to resue the files, and may not even work. You can buy a lot of CDs for $200.

A recent convert from PC: External Hard drive, iTunes library, and NTFS

So I recently picked up an iBook and am using it in addition to my Toshiba laptop. My entire collection of mp3's is about 13,000 songs, occupies over 40 gig and is stored on an external hard drive. All tags are complete and accurate (That was a long, hard month!).
I would like to have my iTunes library "import" my collection, but it is far too large for the iBook HDD. If I understand correctly, I can't import it to my external HDD because being NTFS, my Mac can't write to it (and I assume "importing" involves some altering of the files or their tags). Mainly I want to take advantage of iTunes' search function.
Currently, when I want to add to my collection, I rip the CD in iTunes, Transfer it to my Creative Zen Touch, plug that into the Toshiba, then transer to the external HDD. whew.
So--what do you all recommend?
Bonus section:
Soon I will be getting an iPOd 60 Gig. Will I have any problems transferring tune to it without being able to write from the iBook to the external HDD?
ibook g4 Mac OS X (10.4.3)

Just a thought:
So if I were to install iTunes for windows on the PC, then let it do the importing onto a separate folder on the external HDD would iTunes on the Mac recognize it as an iTunes library and let me search?
To quote Spinal Tap: "There is a fine line between clever and supid."
What side of the line is this idea on?
ibook g4 Mac OS X (10.4.3)
ibook g4 Mac OS X (10.4.3)

My iTunes library no longer matches the music on my iPhone.

My iTunes library no longer matches the music on my iPhone. How can I sync the music and playlists from my phone onto iTunes without iTunes completely wiping all the music on my iPhone? I'm also afraid I'll lose any newer music.

Plug the device into your computer, open iTunes and sync it.
Why would you be afraid you will lose your new music?
Ideally you should be connecting your device to your computer to transfer purchases made on the device to the computer and the iTunes library on a regular basis. Failure to do this puts you at risk of losing those purchases (and the money you spent on them) in the event your device fails, is lost, or stolen.

How do i back-up my whole itunes library and settings

i have a rather extensive library and i wanted to know an efficient way of backing up my itunes library and the settings/playlists so that if i transfer over to another computer i won't have to waste hours trying to re-organize it! thank you!!

Well....You can Use iTunes for Backing up your Music, but I do not favor this mehtod.
It works fine for music files BUT: I prefer more control and completeness over my backup process. It is also very important to note that a large limitation of using iTunes to manage the backup is that the iTunes method does not create or maintain backups of the two meta-data files (iTunes Library.itl & iTunes Music Library.xml) where your Playlists, Ratings, Play Counts, etc. are stored. See: What are the iTunes Library files?
If you are heavily invested in your Library data (Playlists, Play Counts, Ratings, Last Played, Date Added, etc.), it is crucial that you also make and archive multiple backups of your ‘iTunes Library.itl’ file.
If your music is located under one common Folder (e.g.-‘iTunes’), then it is easiest to physically copy that folder and all its sub-folders in one simple process. It can be done quickly, and incrementally – several times a day, when necessary. In the case of any data loss, just re-copy your entire (or partial) music library back to wherever it was, placing it in the main Folder that the previous iTunes expected. Along with the ‘iTunes Library.itl’ metadata file, this completes a full ‘restore’ of your music to the time of your last backup.
Use of a backup software program will greatly help. It will allow you to easily perform incremental backups of only the files that have changed. WinXP has such a facility built-in. I use a free program called FileSync ( http://www.fileware.com ). There are many out there. Some use Zipped files or proprietary formats, others use standard file formats. I like FileSync as it uses normal file formats that can be viewed/managed via any Windows program or utility.
iTunes Files to Backup
1) All music files in their current folder structure (usually located in and under the ‘iTunes Music’ folder)
2) The Library database file: ‘iTunes Library.itl’ located in the ‘iTunes’ folder
3) The Library XML file: ‘iTunes Music Library.xml’ located in the ‘iTunes’ folder
4) Any XML playlist files you created for Playlist retention
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-- C:\Documents and Settings\<your username>\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes\iTunes.pref
-- C:\Documents and Settings\<your username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Apple Computer Inc\iTunes.pref
Here's a list of possible ways to copy your music files from your main iTunes computer to another storage medium for backup purposes.
1) Use an External Hard Drive to store the complete iTunes meta-data files and underlying Music Folder structure and songs from your main computer. They are quite cheap now, for their storage volume. This is my preferred main medium.
2) If you have Two Computers:
2a) Connect them through a router
2b) Connect them using a Direct (w/Mac) or Crossover (PC/PC) Ethernet cable (See: http://www.ifelix.co.uk/tech/3001.html)
2c) Connect them via a USB-to-USB Network Bridge. See: here as an example.
Copy the files and folders from one computer to the other. Use the second PC as your backup repository.
3) Burn several DVDs (at 4.7+ GBs each) with the music data files and store them safely. Re-writable ones are good for backup purposes (if your DVD drive can manage these).
4) Burn 6x more on CDs (at 700MB each) than in #3 above and store them safely in more space Re-writable ones are good for backup purposes (if your CD drive can manage these).
5) Use a larger USB Flash drive (1GB – 4+GBs) to store the files only if you have a small amount ripped music or have multiple and/or jumbo USB drives at your disposal that will fit your music library.
6) Use the Second Internal Hard Drive (if available) of your PC -- not optimum, as you really want to physically separate the storage of backups from the originals, but good as a tertiary storage device.
By keeping only one copy of your music (other than on the iPod), you are not truly 'backed-up' and are running a high risk of losing your music. Music files on just the iPod and the computer is not considered having any backup. If you cannot store your complete music files on the computer’s internal HD, then create and maintain at least two external sets (any multiple combinations of ExHDs, DVDs, CDs).
You need at least two full sets of your music, not including what is on the iPod:
-- One full set on the PC within iTunes (on internal HD or ExHD)
-- One full set on an separate external backup medium (CD/DVD/ExHD/other)
-- One (full or partial) set on the iPod
It is a good policy to backup all your important data. It is a very smart policy to back it up on more than one medium.
External hard drives now run less than $100 for 200-250GBs of storage. Very cheap backup insurance, indeed. See This Link

Having trouble restoring iTunes library and media

I have a large audio library. I was storing the library itself in my home folder (as per default) but the media fies were on an external drive. As the drive was getting older, and I had recently had another drive fail, I started duplicating the drive holding the media to a newer one. All good so far.
Yesterday however, that older drive failed and it seems that I cannot resuscitate it. So I tried to redirect my library to the duplicate drive.
To do this I simply went into iTunes preferences and redirected the media files directory to the one on the newer drive.
The something a bit confusing happened. iTunes asked me if I would like to organize this new media folder. I figure it already was organized, but iTunes might only believe it was if I asked it to go ahead and organize it. I did. iTunes then buzzed through a lot of files over several minutes before completing this process. I have no idea if it actually moved anything or not.
I tried to play a music file. iTunes told me it didn't know where the file was - would I like to locate it? I said yes, and it was easy to locate because it was in fact organized by artist, then by album and the file name was the same as the song.
iTunes then asked me if it should use the location of this file to locate other files it could not find. I said yes. It then busied it selves for a long time again before coming back with the very discouraging message that it was about to locate 1973 of the 22350 lost files using this information.
I then selected the whole list of music files moved them a couple millimeters and dropped them again. This will make all those little exclamation points that indicate that a file has been misplaced excplicit. I played the next song. I repeated the above, said yes it shoud try to find other lost files with this information.
iTunes has been unresponsive since I did that - about 15 minutes before I started typing this post.
Have I done irreperable harm to my music library with any of the above steps?
Anybody else faced similar problems? I thought backing up was enough, but apparently not.
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks in advance.
Will

Yes, that might have been a very good idea. Unfortunately, I have to deal with my current situation.
Seeing a possible simplificaion in your observations though, I used Time Machine to roll back the library to before I redirected the media file directory and then renamed the copy of the old drive with the same name as the old one.
Then I opened iTunes again, but this actually made things worse. It hung after relocating the first song (while trying to locate the other missing files based on me locating that file for it).
Does anyone have any idea of what I can do NOW to get my library and iTunes back in working order?

Purchased songs keep showing up after being unchecked and deleted on iTunes library and iPhone, please help

Like the question says, I have about 6 or 7 songs that I want to permanently delete from my iTunes library and iPhone. They keep showing up even after I've unchecked/deleted them. I've used the manual option and selected the artists, genres, etc. that I still want, but the deleted songs keep appearing. I bought these songs off of the iTunes store I didn't use my iPhone. I don't have the iTunes Match option turned on my phone, nor do I use iCloud. I don't know what else to do besides manually selecting all of my songs and putting them into a folder, deleting the blasphemous songs that I don't want anymore, deleting my iTunes library and resetting my iPhone and copying the songs from the folder back into my iTunes library. But has anyone else had this happen to them? I've had an iPod for years now and I've never had this issue before. I'd really like an easier solution here, so does anyone have any ideas?

The solution is Simple.
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Delete the broken links in iTunes then look at your purchased list to redownload.
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There is no playlist for iBooks, butther eis nothing to preent you from choosing to download specific titles from itunes, or syncing just specific titles to an individual device.

Large iTunes Library and iTunes Match

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