How to import music to iPod classic 7.gen

I believe that you have misunderstood me.

dubblin wrote:

I only have some music in CD form but the problem is I'm trying to add current music (from 2024) and do not own any CDs.

I said "including CDs". You stated that you already have a large collection of music and so I mentioned CDs to cover the possibility that you had some CDs that were not yet copied onto your computer. If you do not have any CDs, that's fine. But let's take a step back.

You cannot add Apple Music, which is a monthly subscription service (effectively a streaming service), to an iPod Classic. You also cannot convert Apple Music in any way. Any attempt to do so would be an infringement of copyright law (that is, it's illegal).

To add music to an iPod Classic, then as Phil0124 mentioned, you need to use Finder (on a Mac with OS Sonoma), or iTunes on older Macs* and Windows. In theory, there should be no issue doing this with an iPod Classic that has had the the flash memory conversion. If there is an issue, that will need to be addressed separately to adding your existing music to your Library or buying new music. If you have turned on Apple Music, that will be why you are having issues, so turn it off.

You stated that you have a large collection of music and that you want to add "current music" (i.e. newly purchased music). Have you managed to add that existing music to your library, ready to be synchronised to your iPod Classic by using Finder? Regarding new (current music):

Im guessing that I'm going to have to buy the CDs and add them to the iPod right? If that is the case I could just click on the three dots of a song on Apple Music and click "show in iTunes Store" where I could then buy the digital version and have it synced with my iPod with no trouble.

No, that is not correct:

• • all current music (as you term it) should be available in digital form. Apple sell this music in their own .m4a (or AAC) format, while Amazon sell it in the universally accepted .mp3 format. Other stores may offer other (high quality) formats in addition to mp3. Any artist that makes their music available in CD or vinyl only is being foolish as that would limit the audience that could, or would, buy the music
  • Apple Music is not what you want; you're not buying it via that service and you cannot add it to an iPod Classic
  • you can buy albums and individual songs from the iTunes Store (in .m4a format) which will then be added to your Library and can then be added to your iPod. If you look in the store you will see everything available for a price. To buy a digital version, this is what you need to choose. Alternatively, you can buy digital versions from Amazon, Bandcamp, Beatport, to name but three. Note that as far as I am aware, you cannot add music in the high quality .flac format to an iPod Classic

* MacOS Mojave (10:14) or earlier can still use iTunes I believe. On MacOS Catalina (10:15) or later, you use the built in Finder as there is no iTunes for these versions of Mac.

To sync content to the iPod on Sonoma you need to use the Finder.

click here ➜ Sync content between your Mac and iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch over Wi-Fi - Apple Support

Your iPod should show up on the Finder's side bar.

The instructions apply to all iPods, not just iPod Touch.

Make sure the "CDs, DVDs and iOS devices" option is checked in the Finder Settings under Side Bar.

scha264 wrote:

On my old windows laptop i used a ripper program to read and convert the CD directly to MP3 (i don‘t know which format also was possible).

These MP3 are easy to be added to the library in apple music.

sync the ipod then and it will load the new music onto the ipod.

With mac i have no experience, since i‘m quite new to the ecosystem.

It works exactly the same way on a Mac as it does on Windows except you use the Finder instead of iTunes.

You need to add music to Music just like you had to add your music to iTunes on Windows to sync it to the iPod.

There's a en entire page devoted to syncing an iPod:

Sync iPod touch with your computer - Apple Support

Apple Music is DRM protected. You cannot sync those tracks to the iPod because they are tied to the Apple Music subscription and require an active subscription.

Not sure how you converted protected tracks to MP3, but if your broke the copyright protection, that is piracy and obviously not supported by Apple or these forums.

However, once broken, those tracks should have been copied successfully to the iPod, whether they play or not would depend on how they were converted.

If you still get the error, then you are still trying to sync some songs that are part of the Apple Music subscription service. Make sure no songs you sync come from the Apple Music subscription service.

There is no way to add the songs to the iPod outside of the Finder's interface. You cannot simply drag songs to it like it was a USB drive. It is not.

You must use the Sync option in the Finder as explained, and you must be syncing non-Apple Music subscription services tracks to it.

I have an iPod Classic and syncing works as explained with it.

I've been having the same issue, but cannot seem to convert or even get the mp3 files for music.

did you use any 3rd party apps to convert them? or how did you even get the mp3 files in the first place? I've tried using 3rd party apps to convert them but with no success.

all I found was that if you open apple music and click on the 3 dots of any song and click "open in iTunes Store" it takes you to a similar like version of the iTunes Store on your iPhone where you can buy the music then sync it with your iPod with little to no problem, cover art and everything.

issue is you have to buy it, gets a bit pricey and I have a pretty big library. how'd you make it work?

dubblin wrote:

I've been having the same issue, but cannot seem to convert or even get the mp3 files for music.

It's far from clear what you are doing. Where are you trying to get music from?

If you mean that you are using Apple Music (the subscription service), that music is protected against copying and cannot be added to any iPod except the iPod Touch.

issue is you have to buy it, gets a bit pricey and I have a pretty big library.

Ah! If you already have music, in digital form, you do not need Apple Music, nor do you need to pay.

So my question is; do you already have music, from previous purchases, including from CDs? If so, to add it to an iPod, you need to use either iTunes (on PCs and older Macs) or Finder on a newer Mac. In both cases, you can use digital copies of the music in any one of several formats, not just MP3.

Please provide more information on what you are trying to do, so that we can work out the best course of action.

I only have some music in CD form but the problem is I'm trying to add current music (from 2024) and do not own any CDs.

Im guessing that I'm going to have to buy the CDs and add them to the iPod right? If that is the case I could just click on the three dots of a song on Apple Music and click "show in iTunes Store" where I could then buy the digital version and have it synced with my iPod with no trouble. (this is also my first iPod and have no currently saved songs anywhere nor do I have an iTunes account)

My question is; how did you convert the music and add it to your iPod without paying. Or did you already have the music saved from previous iPods in the past or do you just add music with CDs?

Ive tried using some software that says it could take off the DRM protection but it says you have to pay a yearly fee and was not able to find any reviews on it so do not want to risk it and install it.