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My Music App playlists are missing. They are not Apple Music playlists.

I'm so frustrated. I've spent all day trying to retrieve missing playlists from my desktop iMac. When I open the Music App on the desktop, Playlists is not an option under Library, and down under All Playlists, each connected device shows nothing.


When I search the web and Apple Discussions, for info, everything I've found so far relates to Apple Music or iTunes so the screens for fixes aren't the same. We have two users logged in to one iCloud account. This is for 6 devices (1 iMac desktop running Monterey 12.6, 2 iPhones 13, 1 Apple Laptop Pro, One iPod Air, One Mac Laptop) all logged in. The iOS devices are all running 15.6 or 7.

On 4 of the devices, all of the music except one small album, disappeared. On the Laptop Pro, the albums for the second iCloud user are there but the playlists are missing. All settings on all devices are logged in to the same iCloud account, all are on the same wifi connection, all Music App settings are the same on the joint desktop. I managed to retrieve the albums for one iCloud user; I have my albums on my iPhone only but no playlists..


I've tried retrieving from Time Machine-no luck; the backups for the phones is too recent and is only duplicating. I'ver tried copying from a Backup, also too recent. The one iPod Air have a backup over a month old but, right now, doesn't have enough space to copy the backup that probably has the right settings.


We did have an Apple Music account but ended it in July. However, I can't believe Apple holds playlists hostage that were once a part of Apple Music. All of these playlists were created from within the Music App a long time ago. None were created in Apple Music.


Can someone please advise on how to retrieve what I assume is still buried somewhere on the desktop? Can I retrieve via ~/Library/???...?


I would very much appreciate help with this. We're each missing playlists important to us.


Thanks.


iMac

Posted on Oct 27, 2022 7:29 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Oct 31, 2022 2:37 PM

Not really my area, but I think Photo Library makes a large self contained package with the database and images all wrapped up inside. If you lose the Photo Library you lose everything in one go. With Music the media folder lives in a separate location, so if the database is damaged it should still be possible to reimport the media into a new library, provided whatever happened doesn't erase the media folder too.


tt2

Similar questions

24 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Oct 31, 2022 2:37 PM in response to Dedo

Not really my area, but I think Photo Library makes a large self contained package with the database and images all wrapped up inside. If you lose the Photo Library you lose everything in one go. With Music the media folder lives in a separate location, so if the database is damaged it should still be possible to reimport the media into a new library, provided whatever happened doesn't erase the media folder too.


tt2

Oct 28, 2022 1:10 PM in response to Dedo

Ordinarily you would make sure that all content that hasn't come directly from the Apple Music subscription is downloaded to your computer, then turn off Sync Library, before allowing an Apple Music subscription to expire. That way nothing changes when you do so. Turn off Sync Library now if it is still enabled. You may possibly see more of your local content when you do so. Otherwise see Empty/corrupt iTunes/Music library after upgrade/crash - Apple Community and try to restore a version of your Music Library.musiclibrary database from before your subscription ended. Go offline, open the library, turn off sync library, go online again. Your local library should hold.


tt2


Oct 30, 2022 12:13 PM in response to Dedo

Wth Apple Music or iTunes Match you are able to remove local downloads to free up space on the local hard drive. Were you making use of that feature? If so then the library and playlists could have been referencing items in the cloud, so there would be no local tracks to locate now, or in the Time Machine backup.


For content that still exists on any of your device see Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device - Apple Community.


tt2

Nov 2, 2022 2:25 PM in response to Dedo

If the files are in your computer, or your backup, or another computer or device that you own, then you should be able to use them again. If all you have is an old library database that was an index of what you once had then you have that information, but not any way to use it to reconstruct a library other than manually. You're supposed to backup your data, and part of that means making sure those backups really are being made. If you just assume everything works the way you'd like it too sooner or later you're going to get a rude awakening. I'm sorry you've lost your files. If I could think of a way to help you restore them I would, but everything you've told me so far suggests that they're gone, and it is too late to help. Were your files stored locally, or only in the cloud? Did you switch computers some time back and because everything appeared to be there while you still had Apple Music you assumed that it was?


If you still have working copies of any of your songs on any of your devices see Recover your iTunes/Music library from your iPod or iOS device - Apple Community.


tt2

Oct 29, 2022 6:02 PM in response to turingtest2

tt2-

I still have a major problem. So, here is what I know. I'd welcome your help.


All devices are signed into Jan’s iCloud account.  I have used her account because the Notes App is important and it seemed the easiest way to sync and share Notes, Contacts and Calendar.

 

Jan’s iCloud account is the sole account for our iMac desktop.

The desktop Music app shows 30 Albums: 28 are Jan’s; 2 are mine; 45 songs; no Playlists..

 

Jan’s iPad Air2 has 95 Album Covers of Jan’s; 1 Untitled Playlist w/15 songs; 241 songs under Songs category

Jan’s iPad had 186 Album Covers (180 of Jan’s, 6 of mine); 406 songs in Playlist; 365 songs in Jan’s playlist; 44 songs under Purchased.

 

I’m User 2, Dedo:

My iPad Pro has 30 Album Covers, (28 are Jan’s, 2 are mine); 1 Playlist with 45 of her Songs (this one is not called Untitled Playlist).

My iPhone 13 has my 17 Albums Covers; no Playlists; no Songs category.  If I search Library, it shows 3 Album Covers and 4 songs.

 

I don’t have access to Jan’s iPhone 13 Pro right now but I know it doesn’t have any Playlists.

 

I have rebooted each device many times after any change.

 

I have no Music Folder in ~Library.  ~Library/Containers has only com.apple.Music.MPMusicPlayerApplicationControllerInternal

~Library/Containers/Music/Data/Music/Music/Media/Music/Music Library.musiclibrary. (the Media Folder w/in this Music Folder lists only17 of Jan’s Albums.

 

I also have my own iCloud acct. so I signed out of Jan’s and into mine to see what changes that would make.

 

On my iPhone I have 17 Album covers, (15 are mine, 2 are Jan’s); no Songs category; no Playlists but songs w/in the Albums play.

On My iPad Pro I have 30 Album Covers (28 of Jan’s, 2 of mine; 45 Songs (2 are mine)

 

This is such a mess. I’ve started to answer you several times but such a mess.

 

Does any of this help or is it just TMI?

Oct 30, 2022 6:19 AM in response to Dedo

What version of macOS are you running?

Was the computer previously running Mojave or earlier with iTunes instead of Music?

If so would that old iTunes library contain the playlists you're looking for, or were they created more recently?


The normal location for the library in Catalina or later is ~/Music/Music/Music Library.musiclibrary where ~ is your user's home folder. The standard location for the media folder is ~/Music/Music/Media, unless the library is an upgrade from iTunes in which case it is likely to be ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media. You should find your artists and album folders within your media folder, or a Music subfolder inside it.


If you open ~/Music/Music/ in Finder, and then open Time Machine, do you have entries for July from before you cancelled Apple Music?


tt2

Oct 30, 2022 8:00 AM in response to turingtest2

Good morning, tt2, and thank you again.

The desktop is on Monterey 12.6.1.


We were previously on Catalina's latest; I keep it up to date so we've run Music ever since the change from iTunes was made in the System Updates. And I assume the major fix here should be the desktop Music app. Unfortunately, I try to keep the phones and iPads updated, so Sync Updates won't help. I thought we'd have several previous backups but it's only keeping two. I have a HD backup but that only mimics the desktop. I do have TM and tried that unsuccessfully. Don't know why but can certainly try again with instructions. Perhaps, I was trying to restore from the wrong place.


~Library/iTunes folder shows only folders for iPad Software Updates and iPhone Carrier Support.


And perhaps I'm misunderstanding which Library I should be in.

-In the Users on my HD, I have Music/Music/Media/Music Library.musiclibrary. Within Media/Music Folder are 17 of Jan's Albums.

In Finder-Option/Go/Library, which I've been assuming, is ~Library, there is no Music Folder. There is only one in Library/Containers/Music/Data/Music/Music/Media and Music Library.musiclibrary/Music/Music has 17 of Jan's Albums.


When I first started this search, I was always opening the Music icon on the Dock. Sometime during the many searches, I realized there was no Music App in Applications. The desktop icon was accessing it from somewhere else. This most likely started with the latest OS update. I don't use my Music too often; Jan did not use it all of Sept. and half of Oct. so it went unnoticed until this past week. When I accessed a song recently on my phone, it was there because my Albums have been there.


June 06, 20222 appears to be the farthest I can go back in ™ and there was no Music Folder in ~Library then!



Oct 30, 2022 8:57 AM in response to Dedo

Device backups don't include media, so no help there.


~/Library is the wrong place to look. ~/Music should be more fruitful. Is there a ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media folder? Older content might be down inside that.


It shouldn't really be possible for you to delete the Music app from the Applications folder. You can right/ctrl click the icon in the dock then use Options > Show In Finder to reveal its location.


Start in ~/Music/Music and then enter Time Machine to see what is available.


tt2

Oct 30, 2022 10:56 AM in response to turingtest2

I have been all over, with ~, including ~/Music/Music Time Machine. No change in folder contents back to June 06, 2022 which is as far as I can go in Time Machine. And well past the closing of Apple Music in mid-July when the Playlists already existed.


Is there anything to be done with a .plists file or Music Library.musiclibrary to force a different look? Unless, an update to OS can actually delete the app and a good portion of the content, the files have to be here,


Is there a different approach if trying to access from iOS? The last backup wouldn't have anything different.

Oct 30, 2022 1:51 PM in response to turingtest2

Thank you for your patience. I’m certain you understand how important these things are so I really appreciate your hanging in there with me. I’m one of the ‘a little knowledge is a dangerous thing’ people.


Truthfully, I don’t know. Jan’s iPad Air2 is pretty full and unable to load the most recent update. I have occasionally tried to unload unused apps but I wouldn’t have done anything with her Music or Photos because they’re important to her. And why aren’t they backed up in iCloud?

We have iCloud Backup and iCloud Drive toggled, if that means anything. iCloud is a total mystery to me.

Also, if it did happen that I deleted something related to the Music, and I seriously doubt it, wouldn’t it normally sync across all devices? Except we’re not in sync on all devices. We have different albums and songs on different devices. ‘Tis a puzzlement.


I’ll read your iOS link and see if I can find something that way but I just can’t help but believe the files are somewhere. I’ve not done anything to remove files or downsize the desktop HD. It has 1.5 TB available. I still feel that’s my best hope for a link.

Oct 30, 2022 3:38 PM in response to Dedo

Media.localized will normally look like Media for you when you drill down through ~/Music/Music, but could display differently with different language settings. You should find other artist folders in ~/Music/Music/Media/Music. Anything you might still have in ~/Music/Music/Media/Apple Music would be Apple Music content that is now broken and should be discarded. You may also have content within ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media or ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music.


tt2

Oct 31, 2022 11:20 AM in response to turingtest2

Still nothing. Now running Data Rescue, which I had good fortune with a long time ago re: lost photos. Ran Disk Drill and EaseUS. Nothing there that I recognized. Just a long list of single files. When I searched playlist, all I got were 5 or 6 .docx files. Notes on this loss of playlists.


Here's hoping Data Rescue comes through again. It's cloning a Recovery Drive right now, so it'll be awhile. I will let you know how it turns out.


Thanks again so much for your patience and suggestions,

Nov 2, 2022 7:56 AM in response to turingtest2

Good morning from CA. You were right. None of them helped. Working on a computer is the definition of insanity. You do the same thing over and over, expecting a different result. BUT, sometimes you get one.

I highlighted Music, went to Go/Library, opened Music.Music.Data (I think) and went back on Time Machine to June 06, 2022. That's the furthest I could go.


Most of the missing playlists appear (oddly, enough, except mine). However, only a few songs within each are highlighted and accessible to play. I've read other of your posts and deleted the Genius.itlb files wherever I found them because I don't have Apple Music or iTunes Connect, or whatever they are.


Apparently, we had an Apple Music subscription and which apparently ended in June or July 2022.


In one of my efforts to get the greyed-out songs and playlists downloaded, one screen displayed in the upper left corner, Not Signed. I searched and it related to Apple Music, which I assume means the greyed out songs are there.


All that being said, I've also read that resubscribing to Apple Music allows me to upload what I currently have, but I will not have access to what was in the previous Apple Music account.


So, I have new question, if you're willing:

-Is it true that to join and then end the Apple Music subscription, allows Apple to deny me access to Music files that are mine, created in iTunes or Music, long before Apple Music existed?

-Do I understand that correctly? Once in, pay or lose it all?

-Because I can see the greyed-out Albums and Playlists, and because I got the 'Not Signed' alert, does that mean those music files are still accessible, if I renew Apple Music?


One last thing: Ever since I restored Music to the earlier files, Updating Cloud Music Library runs constantly; can't turn it off. If I quit Music, or reboot, it starts up immediately. I've read the posts so restarted in Safe Mode but then didn't have access to iCloud. Restarted and Updating Cloud Music Library started spinning immediately.

Nov 2, 2022 10:35 AM in response to Dedo

iTunes Match and Apple Music are both library syncing and streaming services. They allow you to have the same content in a local iTunes library and any device signed into into the same Apple ID. iTunes Match covers your personal music only, Apple Music lets you add in other tracks from the Apple Music catalogue while your subscription remains active. When you close your subscription your locally stored content that doesn't come from an Apple Music subscription should remain in your library. Content that was only stored in the cloud is lost to you. For this reason you should download any content that is in the cloud before you close a subscription. Best practice would also be to keep all of your own media stored on at least one computer and backed up. I believe though not tested personally, that if you cancel Apple Music or iTunes Match and resume the subscription within 30 days you get the cloud library back. After that it has gone and you start from scratch. Compare with leaving things in storage and not paying the rent. Eventually they dispose of everything. While you might be able to review an old copy of your library database using Time Machine you cannot use that to rebuild a current iCloud Music Library automatically, best you can do is take notes.


If you don't have an active subscription to either Apple Music or iTunes Match you should turn off iCloud Music Library AKA Sync Library.


tt2

My Music App playlists are missing. They are not Apple Music playlists.

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