How can I import my iTunes folders into Music?

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How can I import my iTunes folders into Music?

I want to import my iTunes music from a Mojave backup on HD into the new Music application in Big Sur, starting from an empty library. The more I research about this the more confused I get.

Part of the problem is that my music tracks don’t fit Apple's Music format of Artists, Albums and Songs – my iTunes collection was organised into folders such as Jazz, Pop, World music, Classical composers and so on, all with subfolders for specific albums or artists/composers.

A couple of fumbled attempts at importing have resulted in tracks uselessly labelled Track 1, Track 2 etc. I managed to delete those, but I would really appreciate some advice about how to do this successfully, please!

iMac 21.5″ 4K, macOS 11.5

Posted on Aug 15, 2021 11:30 AM

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Answer 1

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turingtest2

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274,564 points

Aug 16, 2021 11:52 AM in response to Tanavino

You shouldn't need to make playlists for individual albums in most cases. The albums and recently added views already group these together. You will find the View > Show Filter Field tool useful for locating content. Also try the Column Browser in the Songs view.

tt2

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Answer 2

turingtest2

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Aug 15, 2021 4:17 PM in response to Tanavino

Restore the backup of the iTunes folder from Mojave into the Music folder of the Big Sur system, or the root of an external drive, then press and hold down option as you launch Music and keep holding until asked to choose or create a library. Click choose and select the iTunes Library.itl file in the restored folder, after which you will be prompted for a location to save the converted library.

tt2

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Answer 3

Tanavino Author

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Aug 16, 2021 12:54 AM in response to turingtest2

Thanks for this brief and clear advice! It worked, up to a point - all my tracks are now in Music. However, they are organised in the standard folders of Artists, Albums and Songs, which doesn't make a lot of sense for classical symphonies, for example. Is there no way to replace these folders with categories of my own? Or would playlists be the only way to do it?

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Answer 4

turingtest2

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274,564 points

Aug 16, 2021 3:15 AM in response to Tanavino

As far as iTunes or Music are concerned the physical layout of the tracks on the drive isn't relevant. What matters is the metadata in the tracks and any playlists that you create. That said if you want to try again you could turn off the options Keep... and Copy... under Music > Preferences > Files, restore the backup of the iTunes folder once again and try the conversion to a Music Library again. With luck it will preserve the layout this time, which you could then use to help you build playlists in the library.

tt2

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Answer 5

Tanavino Author

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Aug 16, 2021 9:55 AM in response to turingtest2

This didn't make any difference, unfortunately. I think I'm trying to swim against the tide here.

I investigated using Playlists to do the same job but I can't find a way to create a playlist, or playlist folder, that will contain named albums. Playlists seem to be intended for playing a series of 'songs', not for selecting a particular album.

I'm very unfamiliar with this new Music application and I never used playlists in the old iTunes, as is patently obvious...!

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Answer 6

turingtest2

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274,564 points

Aug 16, 2021 10:57 AM in response to Tanavino

Playlists are ordered lists of any number of songs. You can drag whole albums to a playlist to add all the tracks at once. You can organize playlists in playlists folders, within which they sort by their title, but smart lists group first. A playlist folder will show the combination of all its child playlists. You can create smart playlists based on rules. E.g. matching one of a number of genres, or based on keywords that you can put in the Comments or Grouping fields. Experiment a little. I'm not sure exactly what you want to achieve but there is probably a way.

tt2

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Answer 7

Tanavino Author

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Aug 16, 2021 1:42 PM in response to turingtest2

That's it, you've cracked it! The Column Browser in the Songs views lists Genres in the first column, which is the word I was looking for all the time - this is how I've always organised my music. And my original genres are listed, complete with their albums and artists in the next two columns. Brilliant, problem solved. Thanks again.

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Answer 8

Tanavino Author

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Aug 16, 2021 11:52 PM in response to turingtest2

...and a final note - with the word 'Genres' obviously key to what I wanted, I investigated the sidebar more closely and found that if you hover over the Library heading an Edit option appears. Click that and you can choose to display Genres as well as (or instead of) Artists, Albums and Songs.

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Answer 9

Tanavino Author

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Aug 16, 2021 11:03 AM in response to turingtest2

Yes, I think playlists are the key. Maybe each album will be a playlist in its own right... As you suggest, I'll experiment. Many thanks for your prompt and helpful replies.

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Answer 10

turingtest2

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Aug 16, 2021 2:08 PM in response to Tanavino

You're welcome. 🙂

tt2

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How can I import my iTunes folders into Music?

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