iTunes Library Manager FAQ
I hope this answers some of your questions about iTunes Library Manager. If you have specific issues, please email me.
iTunes Match Issues
I have received a handful of disparate reports regarding issues running iTunes Library Manager with iTunes 10.5.x. In short, iTLM will not display backed-up libraries correctly and in one scenario crashes when attempting to Save or Load.
I am currently investigating these issues. However, under the circumstance, I cannot recommend using iTunes Library Manager if you intend on also using iTunes Match.
iTunes 9 Problems
iTunes Library Manager v5.2.1 and earlier will not work with iTunes 9 (released September 9, 2009). The problem is that iTunes 9 no longer provides a node in the XML file for "Master" library which is one of the ways iTLM identifies and keeps track of your libraries.
After upgrading to iTunes 9, the currently loaded library will be updated to the new format, effectively making your last iTunes-Library-Manager-loaded library the only one you can access. This unfortunately leaves your back-up libraries stranded.
iTunes Library Manager v5.3 works with iTunes 9. To insure future compatibility, all users should update (the update is free for registered users of v5.x.x).
There is no complicated process involved in upgrading your backed-up libraries. When you first run the new version of iTunes Library Manager it will detect whether or not your current library has been updated to iTunes 9 and ask you to Save it. Later, when a backed-up library is Loaded, iTunes Library Manager will allow iTunes 9 to update the necessary files. You should then Save the library in iTunes Library Manager right away.
Current registered users: How do I get iTunes Library Manager to work correctly with iTunes 8?
If you have updated to iTunes 8 then each of your backed-up libraries must be converted/updated by iTunes. iTunes will update each backed-up library the first time each is Loaded by iTunes Library Manager--the same way that iTunes 8 updated your current library when you first installed it. In such cases, please be patient while iTunes goes through the update process.
If you have run a version of iTLM previous to version 5.2 with iTunes 8 you may have had errors after attempting to Load a backed-up library. Here's why:
When you upgraded to iTunes 8, iTunes updated your currently loaded library (let's call this The Original library) and created two additional files based on that library named "iTunes Library Extras.itdb" and "iTunes Library Genius.itdb".
When you used iTLM's Load command to swap in a backed up library, The Original library was automatically backed-up. However, its "iTunes Library Extras.itdb" and "iTunes Library Genius.itdb" files were not because the older version of iTLM didn't "know" about them. They were left behind, so to speak. When a new selected library was swapped in, iTunes could not correlate the "iTunes Library Extras.itdb" and "iTunes Library Genius.itdb" files left behind with the backed-up library files that had been swapped in.
You must now perform some simple fixes in order to use iTunes 8 with this version of iTunes Library Manager:
1) Quit iTunes and make sure iTunes Library Manager is not running.
2) Navigate to your [username]/Music/iTunes/ folder.
3) Trash the "iTunes Library Extras.itdb" and "iTunes Library Genius.itdb" files. If you'd feel safer, you can merely remove these files from your [username]/Music/iTunes/ folder to the Desktop or other folder. But, in any case, it is important that these files not be in your [username]/Music/iTunes/ folder.
4) Restart iTunes. iTunes will re-build the "iTunes Library Extras.itdb" and "iTunes Library Genius.itdb" files. Allow it to do so.
5) When iTunes has completely finished the update/rebuild, run iTunes Library Manager. Save the current library immediately. You can either Replace its current backup, or create a new backup with a different name.
6) For good measure, Load each of your backed-up libraries one at a time and allow each one to be updated. Save each one as soon as the update is completed.
Is iTunes Library Manager compatible with the iTunes "multiple library" feature?
In a way.
iTunes will allow you to create and use additional libraries by holding the Option button while starting iTunes. This feature creates a new library database file and accompanying support files and folders in a new location of your choosing.
iTunes Library Manager cannot "manage" these additional "Option-start" libraries; there is no list of them maintained and iTunes is only aware of the one loaded Option-start library at a time. However, iTunes Library Manager can create and manage its own libraries using the currently loaded Option-start library as a basis.
For example, the default location for iTunes' library files is your [username]/Music/iTunes folder. iTunes Library Manager stores its backups in this folder as well. When you create/load another library using the iTunes Option-start method, iTunes Library Manager will then use this new location to store its backups, each of which will be based on the new iTunes library location and configuration. Thus, each of your iTunes Option-start libraries can have its own set of iTunes Library Manager libraries. Any iTunes Library Manager libraries created while a specific Option-start library is loaded will be associated with that iTunes library; you cannot Load a backed-up library between Option-start libraries.
Caution: Do not use the Option-start method while iTunes Library Manager is running. Quit iTunes Library Manager before quitting and re-starting iTunes.
I have installed iTunes Library Manger v5.x.x in my home/Library/iTunes/Scripts folder, but I cannot get it to run from the iTunes Scripts menu.
Unlike previous versions of iTunes Library Manager, version 5.0 and better of iTunes Library Manger is not an AppleScript. It cannot be run from the iTunes Scripts menu. To activate iTunes Library Manager v5.x, double click its icon in the Finder.
However, you can download the script Launch iTunes Library Manager. This will allow you to run iTunes Library Manager from the iTunes Script menu. iTunes Library Manager must first be placed in your "Applications" folder and the script in iTunes "Scripts" folder. The Read Me has all the details.
In either case, you should remove older versions of iTunes Library Manager from your iTunes "Scripts" folder.
iTunes Library Manager v5.x.x does not include the "Export" and "Import" scripts from previous versions. Do they no longer work with the latest version of iTunes Library Manager?
The AppleScripts contained in the "AppleScript Extras" folder from previous versions of iTunes Library Manager do continue to work. However, they will only preserve your ratings and play counts. iTunes now sports more robust tags which these scripts do not account for (skipped date and skip count, for example, and an array of new podcast, movie and TV show tags). I hope to upgrade these scripts soon. However, if you don't mind taking a few extra steps, you can acomplish the same effect manually:
- Select some tracks you wish to export from one library to import into another.
- Create a new temporary playlist for these tracks in iTunes by clicking "New Playlist From Selection" in the iTunes File menu, or by pressing Shift-Command-N.
- Select this new playlist and click "Export..." in the iTunes File menu. Choose a location for the export file--the Desktop is convenient--and click the OK button.
- Use iTunes Library Manager to load the library you wish to import the tracks to.
- Click "Import..." in the iTunes File menu and navigate to the ".txt" file you just exported, select it, and click the OK button.
- In a few moments, the list of exported tracks will be imported into iTunes.
- Optionally, re-load the original library with iTunes Library Manager and remove the tracks you just exported and/or delete the temporary playlist. DO NOT delete the files! You can remove tracks entirely from iTunes from the playlist they reside in by selecting them all in the playlist and pressing Option-Delete. DO NOT delete the files! (There may be cases where you know that files have been copied from one location to another--eg, you have separate iTunes Music folders for each library--so that you are certain that you may delete the original files; but I cannot recommend deleting files so off-handedly. Only you know what files you can safely delete.)
Why is iTunes Library Manager making back ups of the "Album Artwork" folder (iTunes 7 or better) for each library?
Album art in iTunes 7 is handled differently than in past versions. If you use the CoverFlow feature, or download artwork from iTunes Store, iTunes creates an "Album Artwork" folder in which to store artwork files. These artwork files are coordinated using, among other things, the Persistent Library ID of your iTunes library. Since you can have multiple libraries, each library could have different Persistent Library IDs (or, copies of libraries with the same Persistent Library ID may have different tracks), and thus the artwork can not be coordinated effectively. By making sure that each library is backed up with its associated "Album Artwork" folder, your artwork will be coordinated correctly.
I accidentally deleted a backed up library. Is there any way to get it back?
Deleting a backed up library from iTunes Library Manager is a permanent procedure. Unless you have made your own back up by other means, there is no way to restore a deleted library.