iTunes Match exceeded 25k limit question

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Level 1

4 points

iTunes Match exceeded 25k limit question

Hi,

My iTunes library exceeded 25k songs, and so I went through and deleted quite a lot of albums - when you right-click an album though, it doesn't ask you if you also want to delete the songs from iCloud - I think from experimenting that I should have selected the individual songs instead - however, I've taken my local library down to 24k now but it's still saying my iCloud exceeds the 25k limit.

Any ideas on what I should do next - is there an option to manually manage my iCloud collection for instance?

Thanks

I'm on OS X 10.9.5, and the latest version of iTunes FWIW.

iMac, OS X Mavericks (10.9.5)

Posted on Oct 11, 2014 6:01 AM

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Answer 1

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Jimzgoldfinch

Level 7

28,165 points

Oct 11, 2014 6:51 AM in response to virtuosity

Hi,

This is a draft of a user tip I intend posting. Does it help?

"iTunes match has a limit of 25k tracks for tracks matched or uploaded. iTunes purchases do not count towards this limit.

Can you have iTunes match and an iTunes library with more than 25K?

Yes but you need to manage your library so that you keep matched and uploaded tracks below 25k. With iCloud status column added to song view (go to menu > view > view options and tick appropriate box), you can tell what has been matched, uploaded, purchased, ineligible, duplicate or waiting. You can also have a "Removed" status. Such files are ignored when match scans your library.

I achieved this by creating a second blank library - I signed into match and was able to view all tracks in iTunes Match. iTunes: How to open an alternate iTunes Library file or create a new one

I then deleted some tracks from this library - effectively deleting tracks in the cloud. They were not deleted from you hard drive and will still appear in your original library. This method works well if you have a second computer on which your library only shows tracks in the cloud.

When I went back into my original library, the iCloud status for those tracks were shown as "removed". iTunes Match will now ignore those tracks. You can now add new tracks provided you kept matched and uploaded to less than 25k. I keep a smart playlist any track with iCloud status = matched and any track with iCloud status.

If you have exceeded the limit, the iCloud status will tell you so but even after you have deleted the excess tracks, you might still get this message. You may find that using the above method will fix the problem BUT i can not verify this. If you back up your library regularly to may be able to restore the iTunes library.itl from a time immediately before you first had exceeded limit problem."

Jim

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Answer 2

virtuosity Author

Level 1

4 points

Oct 13, 2014 2:30 PM in response to Jimzgoldfinch

Thanks Jim, really appreciate that.

I used your answer in conjunction with another thread I found. The only issue with your suggestion (not wishing to sound ungrateful!) was when I added the iCloud status column, all songs were set to "Limit Exceeded", and I realised that effectively my entire Cloud account is frozen at this point. This means that my library is essentially useless - you cannot delete songs from the iCloud, you cannot upload anything anymore, you cannot do anything!

So I used your suggestion of creating a second blank library, and used this with another excellent post of how to execute, step-by-step, removing items in the cloud, found in this link:

All the songs in my Library have an iCloud status of "Exceeded Limit." But deleting them does not offer the option to re…

Anyway, I know you stated that this was a 'draft' of a tip, so I thought I would come back to you on what worked for me.

Thanks again Jim for your help

Andy

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Answer 3

Oct 15, 2014 9:05 AM in response to virtuosity

Thanks for the note on your iMatch attempt. That's exactly why I asked the question to start with. I don't want to experiment with my music files and mess them up. When you have more than ten thousand songs maintaining them begins to be tricky at times. Major Apple updates have been a problem for my music files more than once. Sometime minor issues and other times I have spent hours over several days with Apple Support fixing the mess that they created. I spent three and a half hours on the phone with an Apple tech after the iOS8 update. They have always been very helpful. Thanks again.

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