Restoring iTunes Match content

[MoonGoddess]

I signed up for iTunes Match yesterday and it automatically added all my purchased content from iTunes to it (iTunes was a newly installed copy with no local data).

I spent some time playing with it to understand how it works and then deleted the data from the cloud. I assumed (probably stupidly) that due to the data in the cloud all being purchases via iTunes everything would be restorable without redownloading, which doesn't seem to be the case.

Is it possible to get my purchased data imported back into iTunes Match without having to go to the store and downloading my entire library and rematching it?

 

[PNutts]

I haven't heard of this before so this is a completely wild guess. I would try turning iTunes Match off in iTunes, then turn it back on and update it from the menu.

If that doesn't work, do the same thing except uninstall/reinstall iTunes.

Again, my apologies if this doesn't work. Because all my songs were in iTunes when I signed up, I didn't know that it automatically matched purchases.

 

[MoonGoddess]

Thank you for the reply.

I've tried turning it off and back on a few times a few times but when I update it the library is still empty.

I've also tried doing it via another copy of iTunes and it is still the same.

I find it really silly if it is not possible to rematch your purchases without redownloading/importing them into iTunes first.

 

[fabian9]

Thank you for the reply.

I've tried turning it off and back on a few times a few times but when I update it the library is still empty.

I've also tried doing it via another copy of iTunes and it is still the same.

I find it really silly if it is not possible to rematch your purchases without redownloading/importing them into iTunes first.

There are two stages to deleting content:

1. Deleting locally stored content - items will remain in your library as they're in iCloud for you to recover.
2. Deleting content stored in icloud - this will delete content for good with no trivial way to restore it.

I'd get in touch with apple if I were you to see if they can recover it for you. Failing that, if you have a backup of the song, then you can add it to iTunes again from your backup and get iTunes to add it to iCloud again.

 

[MoonGoddess]

I've been in touch with Apple but the person who responded to me obviously never read my message as their response bore no relation to the problem at hand.

Thankfully I do have a backup of my music and obviously I can redownload it from iTunes anyway. I just personally find it strange if you can wipe your purchases from the cloud and the only way to restore it is via rematching the original content. If Apple can add my purchases instantly on sign up why can I not readd them so easily?

 

[fabian9]

I've been in touch with Apple but the person who responded to me obviously never read my message as their response bore no relation to the problem at hand.

Thankfully I do have a backup of my music and obviously I can redownload it from iTunes anyway. I just personally find it strange if you can wipe your purchases from the cloud and the only way to restore it is via rematching the original content. If Apple can add my purchases instantly on sign up why can I not readd them so easily?

Content stored on iCloud is "the truth", if you delete something from "the truth", apple assumes that you don't want it anymore - much like moving a file into the trash that you don't want on your computer anymore.

They had to draw the line somewhere, otherwise people would be complaining that there is no way to delete things they don't want anymore.

 

[MoonGoddess]

I'm fine with that as it is how it should work. My issue is that they added my purchased content to the cloud by checking my account without the need for me to locally have any files.

I just don't see why it is not possible for this process to happen again and for the content to be restored in the same way it was initially created. Surely being able to include or exclude iTunes store purchases from the cloud (either by removal or hiding) should be a feature. I mean they allow you to hide purchases from your download list so why is it missing from here?