How to import a large music library into Music application from Root folder?

[Glenny2lappies]

For the past 15 years I've stored my 350Gb of music in my /Sounds directory. Now have a new MBP which only runs Catalina. Old machine was on Mojave. Catalina hates root directories and so Music now uses the ~/Music/Music directory.

I've tried copying the entire /Sounds directory to ~/Music/Music, but to no avail; Music doesn't see it.

Have tried to run the Music "import" from the source directory, it copies in the tracks but it clears out the track counts. Yes, I do want to keep those.

How can I get this library in to Music and retain all the settings?

 

[mikzn]

Have you tried moving / copying the whole folder into the music folder and then using Option Key while opening Music?

Also - you can manually set the media folder in preferences - Music < preferences < files

 

[Glenny2lappies]

Have you tried moving / copying the whole folder into the music folder and then using Option Key while opening Music?

Also - you can manually set the media folder in preferences - Music < preferences < files

Thanks.

• I've duplicated the Sounds folder and moved that into ~/Music as ~/Music/Sounds
• Opened Music using the option key (didn't know about that) which then brings up a dialog "Create Library..." and "Choose Library...".
• Selected "Choose Library..."
• Selected ~/Music/Sounds. Clicked "Choose", but this then just goes down a level, showing the folders in there.
• Looking at it, (unless hidden) there's no config / xml / data file in that entire directory.

Any idea where the database file's held (which, I assume, contains the track play counts, etc.)?

 

[mikzn]

If you also moved the "iTunes Library.itl" file when you opened Music with "Choose library" it should have imported all the playlists, play counts etc from the "iTunes Library.itl" and converted to the new "Music Library.musiclibrary" file - this is the new library file and is stored in the Music folder just like the iTunes library was in iTunes

In my case I have all music files on an external drive and after using the "Option" and "choose file" to select the old Mojave file Music created a new library and it pretty well match exactly what I had in iTunes before

When I imported the library everything was exactly like it was in iTunes except for some missing artwork.

if music cannot find the actual files after converting the data base - check in the Music preferences to see where the music app is epecting the find the files - perhaps still the "Sounds" directory from the itunes preferences? I.E. < Music < Preferences < Files

There is no automatic XML file but you can manually gernerate an XML file in Music by choosing File < "Export Library" and it will generate the XML file - useful if you have a 3rd party app that was using the XML file like Sonos etc.

hope that helps

 

[Glenny2lappies]

Have pretty much done this. It's loaded the metadata (descriptions, counts, artwork, etc.) but is pointing at the wrong file location /Sounds, as opposed to the new location /Users/myname/Music/Sounds.

Every time I try to play a file it says it can't be found, locate. I locate it, it finds it, then offers to use that location to find everything else.

Then Music crashes every time.

Maybe I'm going to have to work on a way of FORCING the damn OS to use the old root directory /Sounds and it'll then work.

Really frustrating and very annoying. It's not as if iTunes is any good in the first place; it's amazing how poor the music playing applications are on a Mac.
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Is there any way of editing the iTunes Library.itl file? This is a binary file but it probably contains the file locations which need to be edited.

 

[mikzn]

Have pretty much done this. It's loaded the metadata (descriptions, counts, artwork, etc.) but is pointing at the wrong file location /Sounds, as opposed to the new location /Users/myname/Music/Sounds.

This can be changed in music preferences - must be done manually in preferences by selecting the ‘files tab‘ and then browse to the proper location

 

[Glenny2lappies]

Seems that changing this location has no affect. It still says "The song blah could not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it?"

Then you can find that item in the tree. It then shows the "Would you like to use the location of blah to find other missing files in your library". Click find files and Music crashes.

Probably the 32,000 files and folders organised in a nice hierarchy of genre/artist/album...