Songs Disappearing from iTunes

Just discovered that my recent upgrade to iTunes 11.0.2.26 has changed at least one of my albums from what I had imported to what it THOUGHT it should be and since the songs didn't match it deleted two of them. I had imported a CD of "The New Broadway Cast Recording" of Grease from 1994. The one with Rosie O'Donnell in it. iTunes decided I really meant the movie soundtrack with Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta so it changed the album art to that AND deleted two songs that were not in the movie. Any idea why and how do I fix this? And how do I stop it from doing it again? Sometimes Apple is as frustrating as Microsoft!!!!! Don't they test this stuff?

I have iTunes 11.02.26. When I turned off my PC last night, everything appeared to be fine. When I turned it on this morning, it was checking the library. When the program booted up, all of my Playlists (dozens) were gone. It appears that my downloaded music is there, but the 3,000 or so songs I ripped from CDs are all missing from the music library listing. When I check the actual folders on my PC, all of the music files appear to be there...they're just not appearing in the iTunes library missing and, again, all of the Playlists I spent hours creating are gone. Thoughts?

Maybe it's time I looked for an alternative to iTunes. Any suggestions, along with suggestions for converting the files? I currently have about 6,000 songs.

QuoteNotes wrote:

IMaybe it's time I looked for an alternative to iTunes. Any suggestions, along with suggestions for converting the files? I currently have about 6,000 songs.

Convert to what? They should work fine as they are.

I thought Apple's music file format was proprietary.

It is not.

It's March 2013. Has anyone figured out what to do? I just logged on to my iTunes account (which was working fine a week ago when I checked)....and all of my music ripped from my personal CDs is gone. All I have left on my MacBook Air iTunes is recently purchased albums. I have the music on my iPod. Simple advice, please? Not a techie.

I too am getting the ! next to a few songs. About 20 songs. I wouldn't know until I started editing the artwork. Someone mentioned that the size has to be 600x600 or less. There were a few I was using upward of 1000x1000 so am going to use smaller sizes. The folders the songs came from on the hard drive would still be there but the song would be gone. So when they were imported maybe the program deleted from the original location? I know i never touched anything. Just imported from the music folder. I am five weeks into working on a 5800+ list and these types of setbacks only make the work that much more frustrating.

Has anyone gotten an answer from Apple - this is ridiculous. My itunes purchases disappeared from last week. And no, simply downloading them again won't do. I don't have the time or inclination to download all my purchases again. I am not buying any music from Itunes until they have this sorted. Sounds way too convenient for them not to answer this one.

Just noticed today that all my music had disappeared from the purchased section.

Took about an hour to figure that somehow all my previous purchases had been hidden although I do not recall doing this.

On the top left click on your email and select account from the drop down menu. Now see the second section "Itunes in the Cloud"? Now click view hidden purchases in the middle of that section.

This will bring you to a window identical to the one you get when you visit the purchased section except now it will be called Hidden Purchases. You can unhidden anything you wish to appear in the purchased section.

Hope this helps anyone.

Same Problem These are some of the things that I have observed in my system with my limited libary

Have only purched ITunes music and have Match with a few CD uploaded , do not sync my I pad and Ipod with IMac, Use my IPad and IPod to purchase and listen, But have IMac to get automatic downloads.

➤ On IMac 27"10.8.3 This issue appears in Itunes>Library>Music

Random songs within Albums have ! (explanation point) beside name of song in first colume

Some entire albums others just a few songs

will not play song when a ! appears

Some songs have a checked box without a ! point but get a ! expanation point when I try and play

Songs without ICloud icon will not play and when clicked on, Pinwheel starts then a server issue box appears that server 10..0.0.14 cannot be found, click on OK then a warning box appears the origanal file cannot be found, click locate and no reference with what appears to be a finder window system.

When playing music from main songs list it will skip songs, or albums without a cloud then a ! point next to them appears

Same problem appears on the store section of Itunes Purchased . Store> Purchased (appears on left side)

From Store on left of Itunes window Store section >ITunes Store>then right side of window store link to purchase shows music purchased> albums and songs showed downloaded on right side but will only let you preview, If click on "show in store it has songs and artist in store but shows the price and not purchased.

➤Mac Air Book 4gb i5 OS X10.8.3

Nothing is on the hard drive of this mac book

everthing is in the cloud and has the cloud with the download arrow

Everthing plays fine when I have internet connection, is not downloaded to hard drive

Talked to Apple Support several hours with no solution, have got One on One scheduled for Sat

Am considering removing everthing in ITunes and removing then reinstall ITunes and re download everthing from cloud Everthing shoud be backed up on my external through Time Machine plus the Cloud.

Sorry this is rambling on but did not know anyother way to discribe

More of the same but... on searching via explorer for some of the missing files, I've discovered that the ones that are there are all 0kb! So the name is the only thing that's left. How can I get my music back. I know you can always reload purchases, but I've lost or stored most of the original CD's that my music came from. I HATE the new iTunes format. Please Apple - help!

Hi all,

Like you I am having a similar problem. I cannot offer a complete solution but I can at least offer a solution to protect your music files (or at least the majority of them e.g. the ones you've ripped from your CDs).

My Solution: -

Either create a partition on your hard drive or add another hard drive [whichever suits/is easier for you]. Next create a new folder in this partition [this will have a different drive letter to your boot drive where iTunes has been installed]. Name this folder "My Music" then copy ALL of your music; videos; ebooks; and anything else of value to you that you access via iTunes into this folder.

Once you have completed this you should then open iTunes and click on Edit | Preferences | Advanced.

In the Advanced tab: -

• Click on Change
• Set iTunes Media folder location to x:/My Music [where x represents the drive letter of your new partition or drive that you created above].
• Make sure to tick both "Copy files to iTunes media folder when adding to library" and "Keep iTunes media folder organized".
• After it is finished, quit iTunes.
• Wait a few moments then open iTunes again.

From here onwards your valuable files will remain safe as they are on a different drive.

My problem: -

I have always done the above but recently upgraded one of my hard drives and reinstalled Windows etc. etc. etc, including iTunes. However since installing iTunes 11.0.2.26 each time I open iTunes the opening screen is like you've just installed iTunes where it offers to "Scan For Media". When I go into Preferences and Advanced the Media Folder Location has defaulted by to a Windows\User location as opposed to the drive/folder that I previously set it.

Does anyone know why, iTunes keeps defaulting to standrard settings??? It's driving me nuts. The ONLY saving grace is because of what I have shared above I don't actually LOSE any music etc.

23/3/13

just gone on to my i tunes & the format seems to have changed

doesnt start sync etc & virtually all music has disappeared

it was fine on sunday evening

does anyone know whats going on ?

Hi

right, Ive posted before and I dont know what happening and how to solve it. I have just this minute gone to my itunes library, clicked on a couple of items by the band Dream Theater, and on investigation I find that the whole folder within my library has gone; this is a combination of iTunes purchases, and ripped CDs that I NO LONGER OWN, AND CAN NO LONGER PURCHASE.

SOMEONE AT APPLE PLEASE TAKE NOTE, AND IF YOUR AT ALL DECENT REPLY TO ME EITHER HERE OR YOU MUST HAVE SOME MEANS TO DO SO VIA MY APPLE ID. I HAVE LOST MUSIC FROM RIPPED CDS TO A VALUE IN EXCESS OF 500 EUROS, I CANNOT PROVE THIS AND I CANNOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.

APPLE I PUT MY TRUST IN YOU AND THE ITUNES LIBRARY, AND YOU HAVE LOST MY MUSIC.

IS THERE ANYBODY ON HERE WHO KNOWS HOW TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS?

I HAVE JUST SENT THE ABOVE MESSAGE TO APPLE SUPPORT TO SEE WHAT THEY SAY, I WILL POST THEIR REPLY