What are people with large libraries of imported music using to manage content … do I need to migrate to Linux to be able to do what I used to be able to do with iTunes?
MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 10.14
Music is part of the recent versions of macOS. It is free and it will do for your music exactly what iTunes used to do.
As Barney said, this does not require a subscription to Apple Music service.
It is a free application that replaces iTunes pretty much seamlessly.
Everything came through seamlessly. The Music application recognizes the iTunes library and it all works.
Similarly, TV application saw the videos, and the Podcasts application saw tge podcasts.
Management of files has been taken over by Finder.
These changes happened a while ago in Catalina (if I remember correctly), and they make a lot of sense.
Natively on my iMac, I do it the old fashioned way with a hierarchical file system approach with appropriate naming.
I've also used, and still do for very large datasets, a relational database ...MS Access. Currently I'm doing that via Windows running under VMWare Fusion. Just as soon as I find a suitable database for Mac I'll be moving all the AV data over to it. But Access, once mastered, is extremely powerful and versatile. Honestly, more power than's needed but still it works very well.
My experience with Linux is I'd rather use a chisel and stone tablet.
To be proactive and constructive with this computer issue it is suggested the User ( you ) send your Feedback directly to Apple
VLC Media Player - have not used it in years but from I heard on these Forums as a possible Alternative
Well, I've spent years importing literally thousands of cds … audiobooks … etc into my library and I’m comfortable using iTunes. I added missing art and spent quite a bit of time creating my collection. I’ve been actively avoiding migrating to Music because at first glance I fail to see any advantages for me. Apple clearly just wants everyone to subscribe which may be great for their bottom line but doesn't offer me any real benefits that I can see. I just tried opening my library via Music and it seems to have lost a fair amount of the art … how is this an improvement? For the record, I listen to all sorts of music, a lot of it would be considered “old” and that’s what I enjoy, I really don’t want to be forced to abandon my preferences so that Apple can further monetize my experience with their products. What am I missing here?
I want to thank everyone for their time but my question remains unanswered. We either accept what Apple has decided is the solution for the problem or don’t but it’s a dead end for me. I was hoping someone would have suggestions of an actual iTunes alternative (I’m fine paying for an app if it does what I need it to do) … Apple lists Music as a service not an app which should show you where they’re headed. I’ve been using Apple products for 30+ years (and don’t even want to think about how much money I’ve invested in their technology) and am in the process of looking for a new MacBook Pro but frankly I’m not thrilled with my options as far as music are concerned. I don’t really think Apple cares about users such as myself so I don’t see much coming from addressing this to Support. Apparently we’re all supposed to want the same thing and queue up to pay for a host of cloud based services because the corporations know best what we need. I’ve seen the future an it’s not nearly as cool as they say it is …
You seem convinced that you have to subscribe to Apple Music. You don’t.
You won’t likely find advice for alternatives since there isn’t much need for something else.
If you search back at the time Music was released, you may find some suggestions as the diehards hated the new app.
What is it that you used to do? The Apple Music app should work just fine.
What happened to iTunes? - Apple Support (CA)
Stating in Catalina macOS 10.15 and above - iTunes as we once knew it became three Separate Applications
Would suggest following the suggestion of Contributor @ Luis S above , for a potentially permanent solution.
iTunes alternatives
