Why does iTunes match keep re matching my collection?

Are you signing out of your itunes store account and changing accounts on your itunes store for anything?

If you are then it will rematch everytime that you resign into the account that you purchased itunes match with.

When you sign out it will remove match from your libary and when you sign back in it will rescan but will not reupload unless you've added new music.

It is also normal for iTM to do a quick scan, running through the 3 steps, if you restart our quit and launch iTunes for any reason. There's really nothing to be alarmed about.

The problem isn't that iTunes is doing a quick check, it (in my case and I assume the original poster) it is re-scanning (part) of my library as if it has never done it (starts at 14000 of 18000 Songs checked ever time). This takes HOURS in my case and essentially never gets to the upload part (which also takes several hours).

I suppose if I had 13 hours in a row that I could let the process run, it might be ok, but that's not practical.

Very frustrating.

Why isn't it practical to let it run? It happens in the background so shouldn't be too much of a problem. If it is because you dont want to leave the computer on then I would still suggest that you do it at least once.

If you are saying that it never gets to the upload part then this may well be your problem. If you are continually starting and stopping it then it will not get itself sorted out properly. I suspect that if you let it complete then next time it will be quicker.

My library (about 30,000 songs) takes about 5 minutes to complete the process.

I agree with Keith. If you haven't let the process finish at least once this will keep happening and it will never finish. You should leave you computer on and iTunes running just this once to iTunes Match can finish the initial scan, match and upload process.

I have let it finish several times. It gets to the upload stalls on the first track and never uploads a full song. This has happened more than once. The stall is not a few minutes it hours on a song that is a couple of megabytes. The impracticality come because I have to take my laptop with me when I leave. I have tried the process overnight, early morning, afternoon and evening. When I start iTunes it moves quickly through step 1, starts step 2 at exactly the same number of unchecked songs even if it has previously matched the entire library and started to upload. That's the shady part. It just acts like it never did the last 4000 or songs even if it has before.

I'm excited for this to work because I have a majority of my library matched and in use but the last bit won't finish and I can't seem to get any closer to getting it done.

A quick update:

So i was able to let the process run for about a day straight. Step 1 is all good (as usual). Step 2 re-matches the last 4000 or so of the 18000+ songs in my library. (more on this later) Step 3 Uploads songs (slowly) as it should.

The problem is not the slow upload. I understand that uploads take time…a long time. I'm more than prepared for that. The problem is Step 2. iTunes re-matches the last 4K or so songs EVERY TIME it needs to start over. This takes 1-2 hours on top of the long upload times. Its like one step forward two steps back. If iTunes can remember that it has scanned/matched 14000 songs why not the last 4000? Just seems odd and is very frustrating.

I guess in 6 months when all is done I'll be able to access my entire library!! (that was me being snotty and sarcastic)

I guess the slow process is just going to be slower because of the extra re-matching of those songs.

meh.

Right, I have to disagree with Keith and Michael. The point of using Apple's products is that they're supposed to "just work." In my case, I signed up for iTunes Match immediately upon launch, let it run the full cycle overnight, checked to make sure my songs were synced and fully functional across all devices (they were), proceeded to add album art and ensured that all was syncing well (it was), and then I thought I was done. Wrong. About a month later, iTunes decided to start trying the Match process every single time I launched. Not just any old quick, perfunctory Match process either, but a full-fledged, hours-long process that wouldn't finish despite my leaving my laptop on and "matching" for an entire workday. Keep in mind, I've already completed the process in its entirety once. There's absolutely no reason why I should have to do it again. And no, I've never logged out of iTunes on my computer, so that doesn't explain anything. Yet again, Apple bungles a cloud-based service. When will they get it right? Thank God for Spotify.

Interesting. I just synced my iPhone with iTunes for the first time in a while (actually, to take advantage of Albums in iPhoto for iOS), and miraculously the iTunes Match process seems to have completed itself (again). I just got the "Your songs are available in the cloud" page (or something to that effect), clicked "Done," and now we're fine. Sounds like syncing the device might be related, as I did nothing else today any differently than I normally do.

phrozted wrote:

Right, I have to disagree with Keith and Michael.

Although as far as I can tell you don't seem to say anything that we would disagree with

In the case of the OP, he didn't seem to be letting the original match finish, and we pointed out that unless he let that happen then it would probably keep happening.

You have a completely different issue by the looks of it. I can't see why it would start running a full match again, and my suspicion is that for some reason it got stuck on a track that it had a problem with. It's also strange that syncing your phone cured it.

I would agree that that shouldn't happen.

In the case of the OP, he didn't seem to be letting the original match finish, and we pointed out that unless he let that happen then it would probably keep happening.

I'm assuming "the OP" means "the original poster." Very neat acronym. Unfortunately, it doesn't make anything you said more useful. For instance, what do you mean he didn't "seem" to be letting it finish? His post explicitly states that he completed the process entirely. In fact, the entire first sentence explains how he completed it.

You blatantly ignored the poster and presented unhelpful advice. On principle, I take issue with that.

However, more to the point, the part where I directly "disagreed" with you is where you said, and I quote:

Why isn't it practical to let it run? It happens in the background so shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Remember that part about Apple products "just working"? Right, well, you absolutely should not have to do this Match crap twice. Redundant processes are obviously impractical because they're annoying as ****.

Whatever.

I'll just carry on trying to help people. You carry on criticising if you want.

Actually, I will reply.

Obviously, yesterday I incorrectly referred to the original poster, as my post was actually directed at Derrick Phillips who had stated that it is not practical to let it run.

I fail to see how you can disagree with the statement that you quoted there. It was a question. I asked why it wasn't practical to let it run, because it happens in the background. I wasn't stating an opinion (unless you are disagreeing that it runs in the background, which it plainly does).

Your final paragraph is irrelevant to this discussion. I have never suggested that you should have to run the match process twice. In fact, I clearly stated yesterday that it shouldn't happen.

I posted yesterday to try to clarify that I don't believe that it should have to run twice. Perhaps there was something in my tone that made it come across badly, but if so it was unintentional, and I apologise. It's a problem with internet boards I'm afraid.

KeithJenner wrote:

I'll just carry on trying to help people. You carry on criticising if you want.

Actually, given the abuse that has been dished out lately to people who regularly help out on here, I think it's fair to say that I won't be carrying on helping people on this forum.

That's too bad, Keith. We'll miss your common sense advise. Too bad an immature, over-caffinated monkey-brain has caused you to give up.