Six Tips for Organizing iTunes Music
The coming of macOS Catalina in 2019 spelled the demise of iTunes. Apple Music replaced the beloved app, but it still lives on in older versions of the operating system.
Don’t worry since your songs aren’t going anywhere. All your iTunes download files are still intact, and you can play them through the new Music app.
However, it also means your disorganized music library stays the same. The duplicates and broken songs are still there. It’s time to organize your tracks for a more seamless listening experience.
Do you want to know how to organize your iTunes Music app? Keep on reading to learn some tips and tricks.
1. Delete the Duplicates
If you have a vast music library, chances are you have duplicates somewhere. It can be due to repeatedly adding songs from outside the media folder. You don’t have to check the music one by one to find them, though.
The iTunes Music app can weed out the duplicates for you. Choose View from the menu bar and click Show Duplicate Items.
The app returns a list of redundant songs, disregarding the album they come in. To further filter them, click the Same Album option at the top to show only the same songs in the same album.
You can go ahead and delete the duplicates. You might want to listen to all the songs, though, in case one is better than the other. Check the bit rate, as well; remove the lesser ones.
While these steps are easy enough, some third-party programs make them more convenient. All you have to do is fire your chosen app. It will then delete the duplicates for you in Music app.
2. Remove Missing Songs
When you delete songs on the computer, it doesn’t automatically reflect on your iTunes app. You’ll still see them on your list, although they won’t play. These tracks appear with an exclamation point next to them.
Unfortunately, there’s no way to list all the songs with missing files. You have to scroll through your music library to find each one.
However, you can use apps to scan your tracks for you. They will display all the songs with missing files and delete them if you want to.
The next time you delete a song from your computer, make sure to update your iTunes library right away. If you didn’t remove a file, look for it or download a new one.
3. Complete the Metadata
The music metadata contains all the information about the song, such as:
- Artist
- Publisher
- Songwriter
- Producer names
- Album
It’s a complex yet vital aspect of a song. Often, missing metadata causes musicians to lose out on royalties. Fixing it is crucial in organizing your iTunes account library. After all, missing details are an eyesore.
The accuracy of the metadata of your songs depends on how you uploaded them. The information should be complete via official sources like the iTunes store. Otherwise, some tracks may not even have anything other than the title.
To edit a music file’s metadata, right-click on a track or album and select Get Info. You’ll see various fields you can edit, such as the year, track number, genre, and so on.
Unfortunately, you have to do this to every song with missing details. You have to look up the information yourself, too. Third-party apps claim to do these for you, but they may come with a price.
4. Fix the Album Art
Do you often see those generic music notes instead of the album artwork? It’s a part of the file’s metadata, which means it can often go missing.
It also means you have to find the artwork yourself. Then, you upload it to fix the issue. However, you may want to let Apple iTunes try to do that first.
Find a track with missing album art, right-click on it, and select Get Album Artwork. The app automatically scours the internet for it and updates the songs.
It’s better at finding artwork for mainstream releases. If you have more obscure albums, the chances are lower.
It only takes a few seconds for iTunes to finish searching, so it’s worth a try. If it doesn’t give you any results, it’s up to you to search.
5. Use iTunes Genius Feature
Do you know about the iTunes Genius feature? You can let the app organize your music files into playlists for you. The software groups music that it thinks sounds good together. You select a song before it decides based on your choice.
There’s also a Genius Shuffle feature. The iTunes app chooses a song and then plays subsequent songs going well with it.
It provides personalized recommendations for you. As such, it may collect data it needs, like your play history and playlists.
6. Backup Your Library
You don’t want all that hard work to go down the drain. Always keep a recent backup of your library. In case an accident happens, you’ll still have a copy of your organized music files.
It’s as easy as dragging the iTunes folder to an external hard drive. You can then restore your files by copying the folder from your HDD. Depending on the size, backing up may take a while.
If your files are in different places, make sure they’re in the same folder. Open the iTunes app and choose File.
On the drop-down menu, choose the Library option and select Organize Library. On the pop-up window, check the box next to Consolidate Files. Click OK.
Doing these steps, you’ll get a copy of all your music files in one location. You can then easily create a backup of the folder.
Organize Your iTunes Music Files Now
Organizing your iTunes Music library can be daunting, especially if your list is extensive. Doing it can give you a better listening experience. You need not worry about duplicates and broken songs. You can also group similar music when you update their genres.
Do you want more helpful guides? To learn more, check out our other posts today.
