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I cannot import m3u playlists

When I try to import a m3u playlist into iTunes using File/Library/Import Playlist, the playlist is imported but his empty. It seems to be related to the update to 10.4. Does anybody know if there's an issue with this? Is Apple working on a fix?

iTunes-OTHER, Windows XP Pro

Posted on Jul 24, 2011 12:12 PM

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Aug 6, 2011 2:45 AM in response to Nova 3 GT

I noticed this change when I updated to iTunes 10.4.0.80 also. I discovered it's because iTunes now wants PC users to Mac-ify the file paths in m3u playlists. E.g. \Users\brooke\music\ needs to be C:/Users/brooke/music/


I fixed it by opening my Winamp m3u playlist in Notepad, then doing a replace all for:

\Users to C:/Users

AND

\ to /


Of course, PCs won't recognise these paths, so you'll need to save the resulting playlist as a copy, instead of writing over your normal Winamp playlist.


Not sure why this change was made or was even necessary - I've been importing my m3u playlists for years with few hassles. Guess we have Apple to thank for making our lives more difficult in yet another way!

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Aug 9, 2011 2:47 PM in response to bschaldon

Did you convert all the filenames, including any on drives other than C? It will probably still be blank until every single filename is Mac-ified. If you've already done this, your next bet is to search for the previous version of iTunes (whatever that was). Someone might have uploaded it to a software indexing site.

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Aug 11, 2011 8:08 AM in response to bschaldon

Ok, I think I have figured it out the Mac-ified version only works if your music is on the C: hard drive. If you store your music on another hard drive the path in the m3u must look something like this:


file://localhost/<Drive Letter>:/<Path>/<Song Name>


ie. file://localhost/D:/Music/Song.mp3


Hope that helps, it seemed to work for me.

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Aug 11, 2011 8:36 AM in response to Mar16

I'm sure your solution works, but I find it a bit ridiculous that they would break this process and then make us jump through these kinds of hoops just to make it work. They should just remove the import function from the menu if they aren't going to make it functional.


As it is, you can only import m3u playlists that have been created in iTunes. If you're trying to import INTO iTunes, why would anyone need that functionality.

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Aug 11, 2011 10:00 AM in response to auldguy

If you Export a playlist it is still saved in the original format, which is understood by many programs. In my case, all my music is on Y:\Artist\Album.. and that's how they appear in the Exported m3u file.

So this bug with Import breaks all possible modes of usefulness!

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Aug 21, 2011 7:33 AM in response to Nova 3 GT

When I synced my iPhone with itunes, all the music got pulled off the iPhone because all my imported playlists were "empty" after the 10.4 update. I only sync with playlists....


My music is on a samba share, and I can't figure out a playlist path that iTunes will recognize.


So I am dead in the water until Apple fixes this bug, or unless someone has an idea how to modify playlists that point to a network share....


:<

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Aug 30, 2011 2:43 AM in response to auldguy

I'm struggling with this problem as well. The "file://locahost/m:" prefix works for me. (All my music is on Linux machines and is made available by Samba to my last Windoze PC (which I must keep for iTunes).)


I noticed something else:


While testing, I used a playlist that was already in iTunes. That existing iTunes playlist is kept in a directory (Music) within the playlist area. Whenever I import a unchanged M3U playlist, the imported M3U playlist will silently be ignored and the existing iTunes list is 'used' instead. The imported M3U playlist will show up as an empty list...


This threw me off - I was thinking there was something wrong with the pathnames I tried.


It's actually OK - now I can just drag my 60 Music and 20 Speech playlists and iTunes will 'compare' them. The ones that turn out to be different will show up outside the existing directories (Music, Speech).


It would be nice(r) if the normal DOS style pathnames would be accepted again (m:\genre\artist\album\track.mp3).

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Aug 30, 2011 6:20 AM in response to AdriaanInBelgium

I'm really not sure what all that means...iTunes will "compare" your imported playlists? Compare to what? And when you imported a M3U playlist it showed up as an EMPTY list? And that's OK? Well...that's the reason I started this thread.


The average user isn't going to change the pathnames of every playlist they have just to get them to work in iTunes. And they shouldn't have to. I know how to do it...I just choose not to have to update 30 or so playlists. And I shouldn't have to either. I don't understand why they would change it...it was working fine. If it ain't broke...let's break it!!

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I cannot import m3u playlists

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