Sigh. I just don't understand iTunes Match.

Question

Forgive me.  I'm an idiot.  I'll just list questions below for anyone to answer.  Thank you in advance for any help.
I've got a 160gb ipod (my music device 99% of time) and an iphone (rarely use for music).
I've got a library of about 16,000+ songs, 60% ripped, 25% from emusic, 10% bootlegs, 5% from misc places like Amazon downloads.
So I understand that only songs not in Apple's library get uploaded.  Pretty much all the bootlegs had to be uploaded.  I think I've completed that process.
My main interest was having a cloud backup should my hard drives fail.  I'm pretty sure that's what iTunes Match is.  If I lost everything I could just download it from the cloud right?
What about tracks that have errors in them?  I've got a couple ripped tracks that skip.  Is there a way to download a clean 256kbs version from the cloud into my itunes library?
My wife has an iTunes library with approximately 2000 tracks.  Is there a way to get hers backed up into the cloud?
I now have a ton of random crap in my iTunes library.  Single tracks by one artist I never downloaded, misc videos, etc.  No idea where those came from.
On the iPhone I notice it's showing my whole library with a cloud icon next to the song.  I suppose it lets me stream the track or download it if I want but I never need to use the iphone for music so whatever.
Any thoughts?  Particularly on the skipping tracks?  THANK YOU.

Answer 1

My main interest was having a cloud backup should my hard drives fail.  I'm pretty sure that's what iTunes Match is.  If I lost everything I could just download it from the cloud right?
Wrong.  Because what you have in the cloud is a mix of uploads (actual copies of your tracks) and "matches" (an attempt to find a copy of your song in the iTunes store), you do NOT have a true backup of your music in the cloud.  Examples abound of explict tracks being matched to clean versions, long tracks being matched to short versions, mono Beatles tracks being matched to stereo (mono isn't even for sale in the store), and on and on.
Nothing takes the place of a true local backup, and with the cost of an external drive so lo, there's really no reason not to get one.
What about tracks that have errors in them?  I've got a couple ripped tracks that skip.  Is there a way to download a clean 256kbs version from the cloud into my itunes library?
If you have a situation where you were lucky enough to get a damaged track to match, then yes, you can download a clean copy.  If it is only a few songs and you are sure they are damaged and sure they did match, the easiest way to get the Match track will be to delete the original from your library (and be sure not to delete from the cloud).  ZFrom there, you should get the track name with a download icon next to it.
However, if the track was damaged and marked as ineligible, then Match just skipped it.  You'll want to get a clean copy fromthe CD in that case.
My wife has an iTunes library with approximately 2000 tracks.  Is there a way to get hers backed up into the cloud?
Yes.  You should be able to turn on iTunes Match in her copy of iTunes.  You will be asked if you want to add the computer.  Say yes and use the same ID you used to sign up to iTunes Match.
I now have a ton of random crap in my iTunes library.  Single tracks by one artist I never downloaded, misc videos, etc.  No idea where those came from.
Chances are that at some point you or someone in your family either purchased them or got them for free through some promotion like Free Music Tuesdays.  Even if they were deleted from your iTunes library, they'd still be in your purchase history.
On the iPhone I notice it's showing my whole library with a cloud icon next to the song.  I suppose it lets me stream the track or download it if I want but I never need to use the iphone for music so whatever.
Yes, by default with iTunes Match turned on, your Music app is set to show y ou all the music available in the cloud, plus all that is stored on your iPhone.  iTunes Match does not "stream" music to your phone.  even if you just decide to play one track that isn't already on your phone, it is downloaded in the background.
Given the number of questions you have, it sounds like a little reading would help you a lot.  Here's a good place to start. If you get an error, just hit the reload button.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3619849
Message was edited by: JiminMissouri