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Q: Apple Music plays wrong version of a song when playing an album

When I play certain albums – e.g. The White Stripes – “Elephant” or U2 – “The Joshua Tree” - certain songs are played in incorrect version (i.e. live, bootlegs etc). Other albums are played correctly. The versions played are taken from "My Music" which is connected to iTunes Match. It is only when I use Apple Music the problem occurs. When playing from My Music the songs are played correctly. Any idea what to do?

iPhone 6, iOS 8.4

Posted on Jul 6, 2015 11:23 PM

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Q: Apple Music plays wrong version of a song when playing an album

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  • by swandy,

    swandy swandy Aug 15, 2015 7:11 AM in response to KGriff
    Level 4 (1,542 points)
    Apple Music
    Aug 15, 2015 7:11 AM in response to KGriff

    KGriff - No, No, No!

    If you read my response I also turned on ICLOUD MUSIC LIBRARY. That is the portion of Apple Music that does basically the same as iTunes Match - it scans your library, matches what it can to Apple's inventory and then uploads whatever it can't match. And from there - iCloud Music Library - you can then listen/stream all your music on your other devices that don't physically have the particular songs/albums actually downloaded or synced on them. I know this because I have turned on Apple Music on several of my other iOS devices and NOT turned on iCloud Music Library and while I can see all the Apple Music stations/playlists/For You suggestions, but I cannot see MY music and I can't add music from Apple Music to My Music unless I turn on that part of the service on that particular device. There was no necessity to be an iTunes Match member BEFORE Apple Music/iCloud Music Library was started to have that type of service. And it has the same 25,000 song limit - also not including whatever songs I purchased from iTunes directly.

    So why this matching/uploading of songs seems like it worked better with iTunes Match than it seems to be working for many people through iCloud Music Library - your guess is as good as anybodies. The issue is still there and it is related to Apple Music and/or iCloud Music Library.

    Matter of fact, I did a chat late last night with someone from Apple Support (actually waiting for a senior advisor to call me back this morning) and after I explained what I was seeing (and expressed my concern that we get it right before I have to pay for the Apple Music service and attempt doing it with my entire library), he said it looks like the issue is with their (meaning Apple's) servers. Now, whether the "senior" advisor will agree - that is an entirely different question.

     

    Like I said earlier, I am sure that everyone reading this thread appreciates your assistance and advice, but referring back to iTunes Match - at least in my case - does not apply. It is not necessary to do the biggest part of the Apple Music program - seeing and listening to all MY music on all MY devices.

     

    As far as your suggestion of an example - The group The Who have several Live and Studio Albums that have the songs "1921" (from Tommy") and "5:15" (from I believe Quadrophenia). When I attempt to play those songs on my wife's iMac that had the original library that I used to set up iCloud Music Library - all the versions play properly according to the album selected. If I attempt to play those same tracks on my iMac (where I set up a separate library with NO music, just access to iCloud Music Library/Apple Music), while the albums "look" correct, they will all play the same version of the particular song. And, if I try on my iPhone 6 - not only will all the albums play the same version, but if I try to select one of those tracks from the Songs view of My Music, they will all look (showing first the PLAY button and then the PAUSE button when playing) like they are playing the track.

  • by KGriff,

    KGriff KGriff Aug 15, 2015 7:32 AM in response to Tech198
    Level 2 (280 points)
    Aug 15, 2015 7:32 AM in response to Tech198

    I give up! ... Apple Music does not Match your music ... It never did so before ...and it still doesn't match anything now. See this apple document as a starter https://manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/1000/MA1595/en_US/ipad_user_guide.pdf#pag e66

     

    Only iTunes Match is responsible for matching Music ... If you don't use iTunes Match then the only way to get your 'non-iTunes Store purchased' music from your iTunes library on your PC/Mac to your device, is via copying it direct, using cable or wifi or perhaps through home or family sharing... You will never get it through iCloud. That's why to transfer music from the PC to your device you have to switch off your iCloud.

     

    ITunes Match and the $24.99 allows you to use your iCloud for viewing/transferring non-iTunes store purchased music.

     

    Itunes Match and Apple Music are two completely different things ... and they do compliment each other. They are nowhere near the same animal and their services, via subscription, are entirely different.

     

    i can't explain it any simpler than I have already, (see my previous posts too), but clearly there are many people who are confused by the capabilities of the subscription services.

  • by swandy,

    swandy swandy Aug 15, 2015 7:41 AM in response to KGriff
    Level 4 (1,542 points)
    Apple Music
    Aug 15, 2015 7:41 AM in response to KGriff

    You can "give up" all you wish but that is part of the Apple Music/iCloud Music combo service NOT only iTunes Match. Now perhaps the iCloud Music Library is a "rebranded" version of iTunes Match, but you certainly do not have to pay for and/or setup iTunes Match to (1) upload your own personal music library and (2) listen it to it on all your devices and computers.

    Perhaps instead of quoting a manual that has nothing to do with Apple Music, you should read Apple's support pages for Apple Music

    Try reading THIS PAGE:Add music from your own collection to your Apple Music library - Apple Support

  • by KGriff,

    KGriff KGriff Aug 15, 2015 8:02 AM in response to swandy
    Level 2 (280 points)
    Aug 15, 2015 8:02 AM in response to swandy

    Swandy,

     

    I have not come here to argue I assure you. We will just have to agree to disagree as to how the Apple Music service and ITunes Match service works...

     

    The whole point of iTunes Match  (Matching and Uploading to iCloud) was to do away with having to copy the non-iTunes purchased tracks to each and every device .. Instead the tracks are held in the iCloud and not just on your PC or MAC... If your songs were purchased from iTunes on any device whether that be a device like an iPhone or a PC or MAC ... Apple automatically add that to your icloud anyway.

     

    I will repeat again Apple Music does not match a thing ... Read the technical documents. If you want your ripped CD's or music purchased elsewhere to be available on your devices you need iTunes Match ... Otherwise you have to copy the music over using the cable linked to your PC. (Or use wifi or home or family sharing is another route on home networks)

     

    I accept you don't agree, but we will have to agree to disagree like I said... All I can say is everything seems to be working just fine here and I'm still yet to encounter a 'wrong' version of a track being played.

     

    I have Quadraphenia by the Who, so I am off to get Tommy and to test ”5.15” and "1921” to see if those cause me any problems. If you can give me step by step instructions I will try to replicate them exactly... I will use my iPad device if that's okay?

  • by KGriff,

    KGriff KGriff Aug 15, 2015 8:09 AM in response to KGriff
    Level 2 (280 points)
    Aug 15, 2015 8:09 AM in response to KGriff

    Swandy,

     

    I am in the process of downloading 98 songs of Tommy and Quadraphenia ... See screenshot.. Let me know the steps to take next:

     

    image.jpg

  • by KGriff,

    KGriff KGriff Aug 15, 2015 9:05 AM in response to KGriff
    Level 2 (280 points)
    Aug 15, 2015 9:05 AM in response to KGriff

    Some quick screen shots with three different versions of 1921 from Tommy, Music files stored in my library (hence available offline icon is shown) and all three are different and play fine...

     

    I logged off the Music App and slid 'up-screen' to close it completely and reopened it and still the tracks have played ok so far .. The 1921 demo version is 'tinny' compared to the studio version and the 'live' in Canada is stronger and raw in sound ... I don't know the song personally but each time I have played it so far it seems to be the original and correct version. I should add that I have only played the first 30 seconds or so of each song, enough to identify it, at least.

     

    I went off and tried other music from a different artist and returned to the three tracks again and so far no problems.

     

    My Quadraphenia album is just a standard version and only has one version of 5.15 so I downloaded The Who's Greatest Hits Live Album to get 5.15 live at capital centre ... Again that version and the quadrophenia studio version are not getting mixed up either ... I know this track quite well but in any event the live version is obvious ... So I'm certain the correct version is playing each time.

     

    I don't know what else to add other than to say it works fine here, but I will continue to play with these tracks and see if I can make the app play the wrong version.

     

    My iPad needs charging so I will try things again later.

     

     

    image.jpg

    image.jpg

    image.jpg

  • by KGriff,

    KGriff KGriff Aug 15, 2015 10:52 AM in response to Tech198
    Level 2 (280 points)
    Aug 15, 2015 10:52 AM in response to Tech198

    Tech198 and Swandy

     

    Here is a viewpoint of iTunes Match and Apple Music subscription services that seems to be an explanation as to how it all is supposed to work and I thought I would post it for all to see ... It may help everyone see how each service works, which I admit is different to what I had in mind, but it also is different to what others have said here too.

     

    I hope the below paragraphs prove to be of some use. I cannot vouch for this viewpoint being entirely correct, but the author appears to have researched the topic well.

     

    I just hope this helps others here.

     

    ..................

     

    Confused about what you get with Apple Music versus what you get with iTunes Match?

     

    With the arrival of Apple Music—and its wide claim to make your library's songs streamable alongside its primary streaming catalogue—those with iTunes Match accounts might be a bit confused as to whether they still need the service. Here's what you need to know!

     

    What Apple Music offers:

     

    For $9.99/month (or $14.99/month, for a family plan), Apple Music gives you access to its streaming catalog and a whole other host of cool music features.

     

    In addition, Apple Music subscribers can stream any song in the Apple Music catalog, whether they own it or not; they can also upload up to 25,000 songs from their PC/Mac's iTunes library. (Purchased iTunes content doesn't count toward that 25,000 song limit.)

     

    That limit will be raised to 100,000 songs with the release of iOS 9 later this year, according to Apple senior vice president Eddy Cue.

     

    Apple Music on first setup scans those 25,000 songs to see which, if any, can be matched with the Apple Music catalog. If they can, when you re-download that song on another device, you'll get a 256kbps Apple Music AAC file—which also happens to have DRM on it.

     

    Any songs not matched with the Apple Music catalog are uploaded as-is, during the initial setup, where they can be redownloaded in their original format.

     

    All of these tracks sit alongside any streamed Apple Music catalog tracks you add into your personal iCloud Music Library; you can stream or download tracks for 'offline listening' from that, at any time, from any of your devices (up to 10 devices at this moment in time).

     

    Unlike iTunes Match, any offerings from Apple Music's catalog that match up with your library truly are streaming—no local cache issues to be found here. Non-matched music though will still have to be downloaded locally automatically to your device beforehand as it may not be in a format suitable or ideal for streaming in some circumstances.

     

    All tracks from Apple Music's catalog—including tracks that the service has matched from your Mac's iTunes library—that you download on another device (i.e. your iPhone or iPad) are DRM-encrypted. This means that if you cancel your Apple Music subscription, they'll disappear.

     

    Any tracks you've uploaded to iCloud Music Library from your PC/Macs will stay where they are on their original device, in their original format—your source tracks won't be DRM-encoded (thankfully).

     

    What iTunes Match offers:

     

    For $25/year, Apple will let you stream up to 25,000 songs from your iTunes Music library to your devices connected with your Apple ID. If you purchased any of these tracks from Apple's iTunes Store, they won't be used toward your 25,000 limit, nor do they need to be uploaded because Apple has the track on its servers already; only songs Apple uploads from your iTunes Library count. i.e.: Owning Taylor Swift's 1989 will let you access it from any device, with no uploading separately.

     

    iTunes Match scans those 25,000 songs to see which, if any, can be matched with the iTunes Store catalog. If they can, when you re-download that song on another device, you'll get a 256kbps Matched DRM-free AAC file. Any songs not matched with the iTunes Store catalog are uploaded as-is, where they can be redownloaded in their original format. You can then stream or download these tracks for offline listening from that at any time from any of your devices (up to 10).

     

    Match's "streaming" is entirely download-based: As such, when you "stream" a song from iTunes Match, you're downloading to a cache to your device and filling its space. You can also, of course, download songs locally and store them.

     

    All iTunes Match tracks you download on another device (i.e. your iPhone or iPad) are DRM-free: If you cancel your Match subscription, they'll stay on your device if they've been downloaded, but you won't be able to stream anything further. (Any tracks you've uploaded to iTunes Match from your Macs will stay where they are.)

     

    Do you need both?

     

    If you care about DRM-free matched music on your other devices, yes, you need both. Otherwise, nope. If you have Apple Music, you don't need iTunes Match.

     

    One note on that: If you ever decide to cancel Apple Music and want to keep your purchased and uploaded content available on other devices, you'll want to re-activate your iTunes Match subscription. (You won't carry over any songs you've added from the Apple Music streaming library, of course.)

     

    When you first open iTunes on your PC/Mac, you'll have the option to sign in to either Apple Music or iTunes Match from the Account menu; once you choose Apple Music, the iTunes Match option disappears—Apple Music overrides it.

     

    If you're subscribed to both, you'll be able to turn off or cancel your Match subscription by going to Account > View Account > Settings > Subscriptions > Manage, but otherwise, Apple Music and iCloud Music Library are the primary option for controlling your cloud library.

     

    If Apple Music duplicates iTunes Match's feature-set, why is Apple keeping Match as an option?

     

    If you don't want DRM-locked streaming music, iTunes Match makes sense as a complimentary option to Apple Music. And if you don't want Apple Music streaming at all, iTunes Match gives you access to your purchased and uploaded music on all your devices.

     

    Why would you choose iTunes Match rather than just subscribe to Apple Music? Cost and DRM, perhaps: iTunes Match is just $24.99/year, while an Apple Music subscription costs $119.88/year. If streaming all of Apple's music collection doesn't appeal to you, but having on-the-go DRM-free access to your full music library does, iTunes Match appears to be a good alternate option.

     

    What happens when you cancel?

     

    Cancelling Apple Music

    Here's where there's a difference: When you cancel an Apple Music subscription, you lose access to your iCloud Music Library along with any streaming songs you may have added to it that you didn't own, and also any re-downloaded 'matched’ songs from your PC/Mac's library. They all get deleted. You can manually add tracks to your devices' libraries again via iTunes or re-download your purchased content, but that's it.

     

    Cancelling iTunes Match

    When you cancel an iTunes Match subscription, however, you'll keep any 'matched' or uploaded songs that you've downloaded locally to your device—but you won't be able to download any new songs from the cloud.

     

    Your iTunes Match library continues to be stored for 30 days; if you activate Apple Music or re-activate Match, you'll regain access to it. Otherwise, after 30 days, it gets removed from Apple's servers.

     

    If you activate iTunes Match before canceling Apple Music, your iCloud library should transfer over (save for any songs from the Apple Music you saved, but don't own), but this needs to be tested to confirm this.

     

    Unfortunately, based on user reports it doesn't sound like you'll be able to get a refund for your iTunes Match subscription if you already paid up for this year and want to cancel it in favor of Apple Music.

  • by swandy,

    swandy swandy Aug 15, 2015 10:53 AM in response to KGriff
    Level 4 (1,542 points)
    Apple Music
    Aug 15, 2015 10:53 AM in response to KGriff

    KGriff - I agree about aggreing to disagree but have you actualky read either the Apple Music pages or the support pages I referenced to because they clearly indicate the ability to upload and share my music library in all my computers and iOS devices WITHOUT needing iTunes Match.

    Anyway, I am not near my computer now so I can't easily check what you are trying to duplicate right now.

     

    BTW seen about 90 minutes on the phone with an Apple senior advisor and not once did he say "you can't do what you want with only Apple Music and iCloud Music Libray - you also need to sign up for iTunes Match". That would seem to indicate that what I want to do - upload/match my library and listen on other devices is indeed part of Apple Music assuming you have also turned on iCloud Music Library. He thinks - as do I - that something went wrong with the initial upload and match for some songs. His suggestion (as opposed to my idea of starting all over again) was to set up a second Apple ID and set up a new library with some of the albums/songs that did not match properly and see if they play properly on my other iMac and iPhone. Might determine if something did indeed go wrong with the initial setup of my iCloud ,used library or if there is something actualily wrong with the actual files. We shall see.

  • by swandy,

    swandy swandy Aug 15, 2015 10:58 AM in response to KGriff
    Level 4 (1,542 points)
    Apple Music
    Aug 15, 2015 10:58 AM in response to KGriff

    IInteresting reading but he does state that you don't need iTunes Match to either have my music matched or uploaded to my Apple Music/iCloud music library and be able to listen to those songs on another device. Since DRM is not an issue for me - as I still have my original Libray to access and backup, I have no need for iTunes Match

  • by KGriff,

    KGriff KGriff Aug 15, 2015 11:38 AM in response to swandy
    Level 2 (280 points)
    Aug 15, 2015 11:38 AM in response to swandy

    No indeed, if what the author of that viewpoint says is true.

     

    I'm still not in a position though to see what has gone wrong, other than has been suggested that the initial setup process with Apple Music went wrong, but that doesn't explain why turning 'off' and 'on' Apple Music on your Mac/PC didn't fix the issue by rematching your PC/Mac library again to your iCloud.

     

    I still can't get my device to play the wrong version of any track.

     

    Oh well, I don't know what else to suggest.

     

    My wife and kids (in their late 20’s) haven't come across the problem either, they say, but they are not such avid users like myself.

     

    I just hope you all find a solution to this, as it maybe months before any further updates to the app. I'm sorry I have not been able to help here.

  • by swandy,

    swandy swandy Aug 15, 2015 12:21 PM in response to KGriff
    Level 4 (1,542 points)
    Apple Music
    Aug 15, 2015 12:21 PM in response to KGriff

    kGriff - back home and I see what you did. But what I was pointing out - that happened to me - is that I have 4 different versions from 4 different albums (not two or three version from the same album) of some songs. Like "1921" I have the original from the Tommy CD (single CD version), two from the Deluxe edition of "Live at Leeds" and one from the Join Together Live CD set. No matter which one I click on to play, they all play the same original studio song. (I even just downloaded all 4 tracks and the same result - same version playing.)

    Perhaps the reason your attempt worked properly - playing the correct versions - is that either (1) the tracks you uploaded initially - lets not get into whether you uploaded/matched them through iTunes Match or iCloud Music Library please - were read and matched properly or (2) If you downloaded them through Apple Music we can assume they were the correct versions.

    That is why the supervisor from Apple suggested that I do a test library with a new Apple ID BEFORE wiping out the 22,000 songs I initially uploaded/matched and starting again. Like I said, if I go to my wife's iMac, the songs (which are stored locally) all play properly. But not on either my iPhone or my other iMac where they are being streamed.

    But thanks for trying to understand what is going on. From what I have read in some other forums, when Apple was just dealing with iTunes Match - and those people who started with iTunes Match like yourself - seemed to have less of this wrong track playing issue. That is why I feel - and the Apple tech supervisor seemed to agree - it has something to with Apple Music/iCloud Music Library and the way their software tried to "match" what people had in their library. He did agree that in addition to using the metadata for song title and artist (because my library does not get the Roger Daltrey version of 5:15 confused with the Who version) they should also have at least used the time stamp also.

    Steve

  • by KGriff,

    KGriff KGriff Aug 15, 2015 1:10 PM in response to swandy
    Level 2 (280 points)
    Aug 15, 2015 1:10 PM in response to swandy

    Okay Steve, I will get those songs tomorrow, when I have a bit more time, from the albums you have mentioned and just see what happens with them in my own library. Sadly though I don't know the albums or the song that well to know the differences etc. But I'm sure I can play them and soon see if there are any differences.

     

    I'm happy to keep trying.. It's always useful to solve these type of issues I think.

  • by KGriff,

    KGriff KGriff Aug 16, 2015 10:09 AM in response to swandy
    Level 2 (280 points)
    Aug 16, 2015 10:09 AM in response to swandy

    OK I have the Who's Tommy (Super Deluxe) this has:

    1921 (Disc 1 track 3)

    1921 demo (Disc 2 track 3)

    1921 Live in Canada (Disc 3 track 3

     

    Then I have the Who Live at Leeds (Deluxe) this has:

    1921 Live (Disc 1 track 12)

     

    Then I have the Who Live (it doesn't say where?) 2011 this has

    1921 Live (Disc 1 track 3)

     

    Finally I have the Who live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 this has

    1921 (Disc 1 track 8)

     

    That's at all I have been able to lay my hands on so far ... Can you advise if this is good enough and what tracks out of the above I should test and look for...

     

    Thanks

  • by swandy,

    swandy swandy Aug 16, 2015 11:42 AM in response to KGriff
    Level 4 (1,542 points)
    Apple Music
    Aug 16, 2015 11:42 AM in response to KGriff

    #1 - Thanks for trying. The versions of 1921 that I find are being misplayed are from Tommy (it is from a remastered single disk version that came out in 2013 - might be the same as the first disk in the Deluxe version, not sure), from the first disk of Join Together - a live album from 1990 and from disks 1 and 3 of the Live at Leeds (40th Anniversary Edition). They all play the studio version from Tommy, no matter which I select to play. Since you are getting them from different albums, you would just have to listen to see if they are different. What made it obvious to me that there was an issue, is if I set my iPhone to show the songs in my Library listed by Song and then scrolled to "1921", when I tapped on one of the songs I mentioned, the iPhone display looked like it was playing them all simultaneously - all three had the Play/Pause indication where the album artwork appeared. And no matter which one I tapped, they all looked like they were playing and all resulted in playing the studio version.

     

    #2 - Did you have these previously in your own library (whether iCloud Music Library or iTunes Match)? Because when I went to play the Live at Leeds (same 40th Anniversary Edition) but from Apple Music - instead of from my iCloud Music Library - both disks 1 and 3 played their proper live versions. So unless you are re-downloading them from tracks that you yourself actually uploaded or matched, it really does not illustrate my (and other's) issues with the way Apple Music matches our tracks.

     

    What I guess I can do is delete the tracks from my Library and probably add them from Apple Music - where they exist - but I would not want to do that when I use my full library in the fall when Apple increases the number of tracks to 100,000.

  • by KGriff,

    KGriff KGriff Aug 16, 2015 2:42 PM in response to swandy
    Level 2 (280 points)
    Aug 16, 2015 2:42 PM in response to swandy

    Steve,

     

    I have tried playing the 1921 song every way I can think of, but they are all different. I went to the songs view to see if the play button appeared like you described on more than one song, but that didn't happen either... See screenshots below (These are just samples):

     

    image.jpg

    image.jpg

     

    image.jpg

     

    I will add the songs/albums from the Who, were not in my library before today and I have got the albums via Apple Music... The inference therefore is that there must have been some problem with the initial setup of Apple Music I think, perhaps it did not identify the correct tracks like you have suggested, whereas all my tracks were already in my iCloud and matched previously using a paid subscription of iTunes Match ...

     

    It might pay to switch off Apple Music completely on your devices and iTunes on your MAC and then re-sign in again and upload your Music ... The only issue is I think from reading the article I published earlier, is that Apple do not destroy/alter your iCloud for upto 30 days after your subscription ends ... So I can't say if the issue will return...

     

    Better still, perhaps try deleting all your MAC iTunes music after backing it up and re-importing it all again .. That's another option to consider, and it will then destroy and rebuild your iCloud, but I appreciate with a library of the size you have, that may take a while to do.

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