jlinaschke
Level 1 (29 points)
Video

Q: iTunes radio goes silent when playing to AirPlay from Mac

Hi all,

 

This problem came up when iTunes Radio first launched, and hasn't been fixed by Mavericks / iTunes 11.1.2.

 

In brief, iTunes Radio, when played from iTunes on the dektop to my Airplay connected speakers, only plays for a five to 15 minutes before going silent. It isn't paused (playhead still moving), and it hasn't dropped the connection to the speaker; it just goes silent. If I pause and play the music again, it immediately continues playing. This does NOT happen when playing iTunes Radio from the iPhone or iPad to the same Airplay speakers, NOR does it happen when playing from iTunes to the computer's own speakers.

 

In detail…

 

I have speakers connected to an older Airport Express (model "Airport Express 802.11g") and can play music, podcasts, etc. to those speakers — from iTunes on the desktop, or from the iPhone or iPad, no problem.

 

FYI: I can no longer configure the 802.11g unit as it's only supported by Airport Express 5.6, which itself is no longer supported under Mavericks (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5022), but again this iTunes Radio issue pre-dates Mavericks. The Airport Express is configured as an AirPlay only device on an existing Airport Extreme network, and the Express is connected wirelessly, not wired, to the network. Since I can no longer configure the Express, I'm reluctant to plug it in wired to the network, as I have no idea if it'll suddenly try to be a repeater, which I don't want.

 

When playing iTunes Radio from iTunes on the desktop, after an inconsistent amount of time (usually in the range of five to fifteen minutes), the music will stop playing. The playhead is still moving, and the connection to Airplay is still active. The music simply goes quiet, as if it were muted. If I pause and play iTunes, it will immediately resume playing through the speakers, for another 5 to 15 minutes.

 

I can play iTunes Radio from my iPhone or iPad to the same AirPlay speakers, on the same network, all day long. I guess the only difference there is that the iOS devices are obviusly wireless, whereas the iMac I'm playing iTunes from is on ethernet — however I've tested from a Wi-Fi only Mac and the same thing happens. I've also tested both with Wi-Fi turned on and off on the Mac, and from multiple Macs on the same network.

 

The only consistent item seems to be the Airport Express, so I have to assume that it's the culprit somehow, but can't find any other reports of this.

 

Any insight or ideas would be appreciated!

 

-Joseph

Posted on Oct 29, 2013 12:21 PM

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jlinaschke

Q: iTunes radio goes silent when playing to AirPlay from Mac

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Sprules,

    Sprules Sprules Nov 11, 2013 4:17 PM in response to jlinaschke
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 11, 2013 4:17 PM in response to jlinaschke

    I have this exact same issue, and can not articulate it any better than that. I have scoured for solutions since iTunes Radio was released, but haven't found anything that describes my problem. I'm glad I'm not the only one with this issue. I hope it gets resolved soon!

  • by mikeindc,

    mikeindc mikeindc Dec 8, 2013 11:03 AM in response to Sprules
    Level 1 (15 points)
    iTunes
    Dec 8, 2013 11:03 AM in response to Sprules

    Its not an air play issue for me but an iTunes radio issue.  It happens even when I am just playing on the computer.  Very aggravating.  What is it with Apple and apps in the cloud?  I never have this problem with Pandora.

  • by jlinaschke,

    jlinaschke jlinaschke Dec 10, 2013 9:10 AM in response to mikeindc
    Level 1 (29 points)
    Video
    Dec 10, 2013 9:10 AM in response to mikeindc

    Mike,

     

    That's interesting… exact same issue as described; playhead is sitll moving, but music goes quiet as if a mute button has been pushed, and if you pause/play it immediately picks up again?

     

    I ask that because I have no problem playing iTunes Radio to my computer speakers, only to AirPlay. Plus, I can play from an iOS device to the same AirPlay speakers all day long. It will stutter occasionally – i.e. buffer runs out, it needs to catch up, and that's annoying (and no that never happened on Spotify – Apple seems to be rubbish at streaming no matter what; Apple TV is pretty awful for Apple content, yet the Apple TV works flawlessly for HBO, YouTube, Netflix, etc… not so much for movie trailers or Apple rented movies). But anyway, the actual full-on "mute" problem I've only ever seen on desktop iTunes palying to AirPlay speakers.

     

    -Joseph