Merging two libraries (1 is iTunes match)

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Level 1

4 points

Merging two libraries (1 is iTunes match)

Background:

My MBP crashed a week ago and the vast majority of my stuff is on iTunes match. I'm going to have to wait for a few weeks before I pick up a new Mac and in the meanwhile I'd like to add my music to my girlfriend's iTunes.

Problem:

She has a 64GB Macbook Air so there's no space to add even my music alone, much less my movies and TV shows.

1. How can we have my iTunes Match files appear on her computer without crushing her small hard drive?

2. Are the libraries going to be able to merge into one single library if the vast majority are cloud based?

Thanks for taking the time to read this and I appreciate any help I can get with this.

MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2)

Posted on Feb 21, 2013 12:01 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

ejpre

Level 3

810 points

Feb 21, 2013 11:37 PM in response to Matador275

You can run Match on her computer, provided she does NOT

- run Match herself

- re-download purchases

- use autodownload for purchases made elsewhere

Those things can only be done for one AppleID per computer (NOT per user account) and that can only change every 90 days. That is, if you run Match, you will lock her out of doing any of those things for three months.

Streaming music through Match does down use any disk space; you will only use disk space if you download music.

In principle, you can "merge" your libraries, in the sense that you will log in with your AppleID, see your Match cloud content, but still be able to see and play the stuff that is in her library on disk (might ask you to authorize it again, I'm not sure).

Hope this helps

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Answer 2

Feb 22, 2013 1:16 AM in response to ejpre

By logging into his iTunes Store account and activating iTunes Match on his girlfriends computer she will be locked out of her iTunes Store account for 90 days.

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Answer 3

ejpre

Level 3

810 points

Feb 22, 2013 1:25 AM in response to Michael Allbritton

No, that's not true. You can access the store to buy new stuff or authorize existing content. You only need to "associate" the computer to re-download, auto-download, or Match stuff (see association rules:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4627)

My kids use their iTunes store accounts on the same same computer on which I run Match with no problem. I did, however, get locked out when one of my sons *re*-downloaded something he bought on another computer.

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