Copy music to USB drive and/or compact flash?

Yes. Select song(s) and drag to desired destination.

You can actually drag from either, but it will likely be more convenient to do so from iTunes.

If you do drag from your iTiunes Library folder just be sure you drag to another device. Dragging to another device will copy the file (the result you expect, usually.) If you drag to another folder (location) on the same device then the file is "moved" rather than copied. When a file is "moved" it's equivalent to first copying the file to the destination location, then deleting the file from the source location. If you actually want to copy the dragged file on the same device, then hold down the OPTION key while dragging.

See Mac OS X keyboard shortcuts

I am trying to copy music onto a usb memory stick and when i drag the items (from itunes, and by dragging the file from finder - ive tried both) they come out as blank files on the usb stick and therefore are unplayable. why is this happening and how can i avoid it and just put music on the memory stick? it should be so simple i don't understand why it's not working for me!

Did you prep the stick first:

Drive Preparation

1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.

2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.

3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.

4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.

5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Security button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.

6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.

Kappy! Noticed this post is a couple years old, but it never hurts to try. I saw your instruction for drive preparation and am wondering if that will cure the problem I am having. I moved about 1000 songs from iTunes to my USB in batches of about 250. When I play the songs on my car stereo, only the first 250 will play. The only file that appears on the car's media screen is the Root Directory or Root file, no other files will pop up…it seems that the first 250 songs are individual files within the Root Directory (?) I can see ALL the songs on the flashdrive when I access it back on my Mac. Or should I have created individual files or playlists BEFORE transferring to the flashdrive?