Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Cannot change media kind in iTunes 11

Just upgraded to iTunes 11, and it seems the ability to change the media kind is broken. Specifically, I want to change some Music files into Podcast files. Normally, I would do this by going Get Info > Options > Media Kind = Podcast.


Anybody else having the same problem?

MacBook Air, Mac OS X (10.7.5)

Posted on Nov 29, 2012 1:45 PM

Reply
70 replies

Aug 28, 2017 9:59 AM in response to xTorabu

Well the reason I myself need it is iTunes fault with putting stuff in the wrong category. For example, I bought a movie called summer wars. iTunes wants to put this in tv shows and has. Why? I have no freakin clue, it's a movie but they want to call it one episode of a show and not let you change it to the right category. Super annoying and it's so like apple to take settings away from the user.

Nov 30, 2012 6:48 AM in response to jonwilliamcarr

Thanks for your responces.


Like others I can confirm that this problem only seems to affect converting from Music file to Podcast file.


I had heard that turning iTunes Match off might help, however, it was already off for me, and I didn't have this problem in iTunes 10.


While I can convert them to Audiobook files, this is not really ideal. The files in question were Podcasts in the first place, but they're no longer available on iTunes. I would like them treated as Podcasts on my iPhone so that it'll remember where I left off, and allow me to mark them as played. Neither of these things seems to work if I convert them to Audiobooks.


I have found that if you convert a Podcast file (downloaded from iTunes) into a Music file, it will allow you to convert it back to a Podcast file. Thus, it seems that the files downloaded from iTunes must be tagged in some way (perhaps with the RSS info or similar) to mark them as Podcasts. Perhaps we can figure out a way to trick iTunes into accepting our files as podcasts?

Nov 30, 2012 10:37 AM in response to jonwilliamcarr

For anyone looking for a solution to this, I have been able to get iTunes to treat .mp3s as Podcasts by changing the ID3 metadata in the mp3 files.


I used ID3 Editior to set the Podcast tag, and add an identifier and feed location to the mp3 files. When importing the files into iTunes they are immediately categorized as podcasts. Kinda annoying, but hopefully this solution should work for you for the time being.

Dec 1, 2012 2:56 AM in response to jonwilliamcarr

Sorry – I didn't mean to suggest that my solution was a good solution, just that it might be a temporary fix for some of you until Apple fixes the bug (if indeed they consider it a bug).


skirsman: I'm not sure why you say ID3 Editor needs to be compiled. Go to http://www.pa-software.com/downloads.php and look for the download options under ID3 Editor. However, you're right about it being trial software. For me this wasn't a problem, because I'm not looking for a long-term solution, and I was able to change the metadata for 140 MP3s. If you're interested in this approach, it'd be worth searching for other apps that do this – ID3 Editor was simply the first thing I found, and its trial period was sufficient for my needs. I believe it's also possible to write AppleScripts or Python code (or whatever) to do this automatically, and I might attempt something like that if this problem sticks around.


7smcb: Sorry I didn't give more detailed instructions. Here are instructions for the Mac version (Windows version is probably similar):


  1. Run ID3 Editor.
  2. It will ask you to open a file. Choose the MP3 you want to modify.
  3. Go to the Podcast tab (see screenshot).
  4. Enable the "podcast tag" by checking the box (see screenshot).
  5. Give an identifier, feed location (optional), and description (optional). See info further below.
  6. Click Update.
  7. Import the file into iTunes.


User uploaded file


As far as I can tell, you don't need to give both an identifier and a feed (just one is sufficient), but I gave both. I also added a description as well, but this seems to be optional. If you leave all the fields blank iTunes will not accept the file as a podcast.


If you want to do this with a whole bunch of files at once, go to File > Open Group in ID3 Editor, which allows you to modify the metadata for many files at once.


As far as I know, the identifier should be set to something unique for each file, so that iTunes can treat it as a separate episode or whatever. I didn't experiment with giving loads of files the same identifier – not sure what iTunes will do in this case.


The location should point to the RSS feed where new episodes can be downloaded. For many of you, you won't need to bother setting this.


Hope this helps.

Dec 1, 2012 5:29 AM in response to jonwilliamcarr

It was stated in this thread that this problem only seems to affect Podcasts and Audiobook. I am not sure that that is the case. I upgraded to iTunes 11 as well, and I've noticed that the Media Kind field is grayed out on all TV shows, movies and music that I had previously purchased from the iTunes Store. I sometimes change the Media Kind from Movie to TV show, or vice versa, so I know that the field was not grayed out prior to iTunes 11. I hope this is a bug and not a new feature!

Cannot change media kind in iTunes 11

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple ID.