Q: I gave my iMac to a recycler and bought a new iPad.  Did I lose all my iTunes songs?

Your music will only be where you put it.

It has always been very basic to always maintain a backup copy of your computer.  Did you fail to do this?

The ipad is not a replacement for a computer.  It is simply a large ipod touch.

If for some reason you have failed to keep a copy of your music, not good, you can redownload some itunes purchases in some countries:

Downloading past purchases from the App Store, iBookstore, and iTunes Store