Music Application Library Issues
Ever since upgrading to Big Sur (from High Sierra), both my Macbook Pro (2018) and new Macbook Air (M1, 2020) refuse to eject the external drive that stores my Music application library, claiming it is in use despite all applications being closed. And more recently, the "Saving Music Library" function has begun to take insufferably long to process after closing the application, oftentimes timing out altogether, after even the slightest modifications to the library. There are additional bugs as well that hinder workflow, though to smaller degrees. I have tried nearly everything I can think of to isolate the issue, and countless consultations with Apple support and Genius Bar have yielded zero solutions.
Actions taken:
- Turned off Spotlight/Indexing
- Zapped SMC and NVRAM
- reinstalled OS
- upgraded OS to latest
- tried multiple brand new drives, both disk and SSD
- purchased brand new computer
- rebuilt library manually, dragging in files and re-importing library xml
Notables:
- the issue has haunted me across multiple (brand new) storage devices and computers
- problem persists with a pristine erase/OS re-install, with zero added files or applications
- it occurs with all of my libraries, having no files in common
- my primary library is large (90,000 songs, hundreds of playlists), though volume is not a widely reported issue, plus my subsidiary libraries are far, far smaller
- currently running Monterey 12.0.1 on both Macbooks
Suspicions:
- perhaps Carbon Copy Cloner presence is at fault, however the source device exhibits the issue too. (anyone?)
- I often implement custom artwork (not just stock Apple Store images), perhaps this rubs with OS? (anyone?)
I am apprehensive to continue routine backups, so as to avoid continual inheritance of potential corruption. Music curation is my livelihood, and these issues have brought my work to a standstill. It feels as though the complications are escalating, and I fear more considerable consequences could come to pass. Any help or suggestions welcome and appreciated. Thank you.
