Is there any way to import music in a wma format?

If any of the WMAs are protected (this applies to purchased WMA music and even music you rip yourself if you don't disable copy protection in your settings for Windows Media Player for Windows), you can't play it on a Mac. Period. For non-protected WMAs, you should be able to copy the files to your hard disk and play them with QuickTime as long as you have Flip4Mac installed.

You can also use the shareware program EasyWMA to convert non-protected wma files to another format, such as mp3 or aac.

Older Microsoft protected files may play in Windows Media Player or in Quicktime using Microsoft version of Flip4Mac which is not available on the Flip4Mac site but is availabe from Microsoft as Windows Media Components for Quicktime (Flip4Mac does have a link to the Microsoft download site).

Newer protected files using the WMP 10 codecs will not play on a Mac. Microsoft has stated publicly that these protected files will never play in anything other than Windows.

If you still have access to Windows, iTunes for Windows can convert WMA files into files iTunes can play (whatever format you have selected in you importing preferences). I would suggest using Apple Lossless so as not to degrade the sound quality further. Have a look at:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107958

As Marty said, iTunes/Win will convert non-protected files, so that is an easy option if available. Converting these files before moving them seems to be the way to go.

I have heard of no problems caused by either EasyWMA or Flip4Mac. There maybe files that these two programs stumble over, but that is usually because of corrupted files, copy protection, or DRM, and not the programs themselves.

I have seen very few 3rd party programs that actually cause problems in OS X or with other programs. I have installed many so that I can explore and test them and I have many that I use on a daily basis. Two good places to find out what is available for OS X are VersionTracker and Macupdate. Both allow user reviews and ratings and often the user reviews are bitterly honest. In comparing the OS X side of VersionTracker with the Windows side, I also find that the Mac community is more interested in making reviews and giving ratings.

Although these discussion forums were specifically formed around Apple's products, if you do find you are having problems non-Apple programs, you can usually get help in a related forum (such as help with WMP or Flip4Mac here, for example).

How to transfer the files? The easiest would be if you could network the computers together and then just copy from one to the other. If you have an external hard drive you could use that as a means of transfer (as well as the all essential means of backup). Then comes copying the files onto dvd or a cd and moving them over that way (these would also serve as a backup for you).

I would let iTunes do all of the housekeeping involved with setting up directories and folders. There will be fewer problems and you will have less work. Just drag the music files or folders onto itunes and they will be copied over into the iTunes music folder. You can use iTunes itself to manage your music library and there will be few times (if any) you will actually need to go into the music directories themselves.

As far as step-by-step instructions, let us know what you have done and what you are about to do or what you would like to do (what stage you are at) so someone can be more specific in advising you what to do.

I hope you get it sorted. A firewire cable might be your best bet for transferring them (or you could always just burn them to disk on you PC). Windows Media Player for Mac should take care of playing Windows Media content on the net.

I am indeed a musician, and I can't tell you how jealous I am that you live in Nashville. I hope one day soon to get over there; preferably in a professional capacity...:)

Flip4Mac and WMP/Mac will work on your Mac, but they will not work with Intel Mac programs natively. To get WMP media to play in Safari, for example, you would need to have Safari run under Rosetta rather then natively and it will then be able to see either WMP or Flip4Mac. To use Rosetta, control-click on Safari's icon and choose Get Info. In the Get Info box, choose the Rosetta option and close the window. Restart Safari.

Both WMP/Mac (which is no longer being developed) and Microsoft's free version of Flip4Mac, called Windows Components for Quicktime, can be downloaded from the Microsoft Download site.

It was my understanding that Flip4Mac would run on an Intel mac, just not natively. I don't have an Intel mac so I don't have first-hand experience.

Did you click on the Safari icon or did you control(right)-click on the icon? Another way of getting the Get Info box is to highlight the icon (click on it once) and then press Command-I.

If you have been letting iTunes do everything, then you are in good shape. Troubles arise when users start trying to pay around directly in the iTunes Music folder to create their own directory structure and organization. It is possible to take such direct control, but it is also very easy to move things around so that iTunes can't find things, or duplicates things, or has other problems. If you have been doing all your music and music file management from with iTunes, you should have no problems.

The default preferences for iTunes should be fine, but you might want to explore them to see what options there are. You might want to look at Advanced > Importing and see what importing formats are available. You can choose a default format and bit rate to get your own compromise between quality and file size. Under Advanced > Burning you have the choice between data and audio cds. Data cds will get more files on a disk and is great for backup which audio cds are normal cds you can play in any computer.

You are very welcome, glad i could help. Be sure to post back if you have more questions.

I should have been clearer. To get to an app's contextual menu, you need to control-click on the app's icon in the Applications folder. The icon in the Dock is more of an alias/pointer (although they have their own contextual menu which is different than the contextual menu available one the icon in the Applications folder). I didn't catch the first time through you saying you tried the Dock icon in your earlier post.

The Apple and Command keys are the same. The convention has arisen to refer to it as the Command key in key combos, however, Command-Click and Apple-Click mean exactly the same thing.