Access iCloud musing on MBP when travelling?

[carrollf]

I have my physical iTunes library stored at home on my NAS. I recently signed up to iTunes Match and have now matched/uploaded all my songs to the cloud. Question is...when I am travelling, how to I access this cloud music on my Macbook PRO when my iTunes library is not accessible (is home on my NAS)? Do I need to create and open a new local library on the MBP?

Thanks

 

[davids8477]

I have my physical iTunes library stored at home on my NAS. I recently signed up to iTunes Match and have now matched/uploaded all my songs to the cloud. Question is...when I am travelling, how to I access this cloud music on my Macbook PRO when my iTunes library is not accessible (is home on my NAS)? Do I need to create and open a new local library on the MBP?

Thanks

Just log on to your iTunes account from the road and your Cloud music will show up and you can stream it to your MBP - just like one can to an Iphone etc.

 

[carrollf]

Thanks - do you mean log into iTunes? When I try that it says it cannot find my library and prompts me to create a new one. No music is showing up!

Do I need to change a setting to tell iTunes to look in the cloud and not my Mac?

 

[davids8477]

Thanks - do you mean log into iTunes? When I try that it says it cannot find my library and prompts me to create a new one. No music is showing up!

Do I need to change a setting to tell iTunes to look in the cloud and not my Mac?

Settting/MUSIC/ITUNES MATCH - on. SHOW ALL MUSIC - on.

That should do it.

 

[carrollf]

You mean in iTunes? I am only using my Macbook PRO now

 

[PNutts]

IIRC, if the song is not available to iTunes then you also cannot download it from the cloud so your current and new empty libraries won't have access to your songs (someone correct me if I'm wrong).

 

[AlanShutko]

Do I need to create and open a new local library on the MBP?

Yes.

Holding Alt when starting iTunes will let you choose the library, so you can switch back to the network one when you get home.

 

[PNutts]

Yes.

Holding Alt when starting iTunes will let you choose the library, so you can switch back to the network one when you get home.

Good advice, and then then he'll need to import all of his music into it from his NAS (with iTunes set to copy files into it's library). I assumed there was a reason it was on NAS (more music than could fit on his MBP). I was going to suggest that as workaround but his question was pretty straightforward (and one of my kids started screaming). I was noodling some way to use home sharing to duplicate his library but not knowing his setup the low tech solution is to import the top level folder on his NAS.

 

[AlanShutko]

Good advice, and then then he'll need to import all of his music into it from his NAS (with iTunes set to copy files into it's library). I assumed there was a reason it was on NAS (more music than could fit on his MBP).

If carrollf wants all the music in the library, you're absolutely right. If a selection of it is OK, then iTunes Match should manage it ok.

The idea would be that all the music is available (assuming you have a network connection) and that it will download the music as it plays through it. For instance, I've got a MacBook Air with not a lot of storage space. If I want to listen to Bing Crosby, I can either start playing it (in which case it will start downloading as I listen to each song) or I can select the whole playlist and ask it to download. Since I'm in hardcore Christmas music time right now, it won't need to download my collected works of Billy Joel. But if I get in the mood for some Stormfront, I can select that and iTunes Match will bring it down.

 

[davids8477]

You mean in iTunes? I am only using my Macbook PRO now

Opps - sorry the instructions were for the IPHONE