Apple Music replacing my private music with downloads from iTunes store

I am confused as to why anybody would delete or "replace" their originals with DRM copies after integrating with iCloud Music Library/Apple Music.

Your personal offline library is your personal offline library...

I'll say that these services are confusing though, but I would never compromise my originals. Is iCloud Music Library or iTunes somehow forcing this on users?

I have read a lot of horror stories and fear spreading posts in various forums over a number of years going back to iTunes Match (which may or may not still exist as a separate service not even sure *confusing, yes*).

I have just started my Apple Music trial and put my 22,400+ track library at risk here. Painstakingly overcame all the duplicates, errors, and incompatible files so that everything in iTunes reads Matched or Uploaded. I realize when I enable this feature on my iPhone, there will very likely be many mismatched songs. We shall see. I can live with this provided my local files in my iTunes Library are not revised in any way by ID tags or album art. So far that seems to be the case and I would never knowingly delete the originals becasue they are now "in the cloud." If anything, I would make extra backup(s) of my iTunes folder to a separate drive. Am I missing something?

I have the same problem. Songs that I ripped from CD's have randomly been replaced with different versions. Worse - I stupidly sold and gave away a lot of my old CD's and can no longer find the original version. In a few cases - the replaced song is completed different - different artist - one has even been replaced by a foreign singer in a foreign language.

Apple has damaged my own personal library of music, perhaps irreparably.

The other problem is that I have an Ipod Classic for my car and when I try to synch it, it will not synch songs that I own but that Apple mistakenly thinks is part of Apple Music. So I cannot transfer songs that I own (and in many cases purchased on iTunes) because Apple has matched this song to something in Apple Music (which will not synch to an older device).

So once again, Apple has basically seized my property and will not allow me to access it.

Not only is this frustrating (and I am a long-time and continuing customer of Apple), I wonder how this can even be legal? How can Apple commandeer MY music and deny me access to property I have rightfully purchased?

I did this as well and had the same results HOWEVER:

I subscribed to Apple Music as a replacement to Spotify Premium - where I was able to offline download content. I hoped to recreate the music library I had downloaded from Spotify on Apple Music but turning on this requires turning on the iCloud Music Library.

THAT is where everything goes awry. iCloud Music Library employs what used to be called iTunes Match wherein it sifts through your entire library and "matches" any track/artist combination with a track/artist from iTunes/Apple Music.

I have tons of albums that are the same track title and artist as an album available on iTunes however my live ones will say "Live" or a date/location in the album title which is evidently not strong enough a differentiator to not be matched and replaced for streaming purposes across your devices.

Hi,

Apple music like iTunes Match doesn't change or alter your original file:

iCloud Music Library: Understanding differences between Apple Music and iTunes Match - Apple Support

Extract:

"When Apple Music adds these matched songs to your iCloud Music Library, Apple Music doesn’t change or alter your original music files that reside in iTunes for Mac or PC or on your iOS devices from which they were added. We make these matched songs available to your other computers or devices in high quality 256 Kbps AAC, and they can be played on them only while your Apple Music membership is active."

When you subscribe to match, you can delete and replace the original file with the matched version. If you plan to only stream, you will be able to download prior to expiry. You will keep upgraded/ downloaded tracks after your annual subscription expires.

When you subscribe to Apple Music, you can delete and replace the original file with the matched version but this will have DRM. If you plan to only stream, you will not be able to download after expiry of Apple subscription. It would seem that DRM is applied to uploaded tracks as well.

What happened to your original library on your computer? Do you have a back up?

Jim

What do you mean they aren't linked to iTunes anymore? Aren't they the foundation of your PERSONAL iTunes library?

I am digging deeper now and I too have many albums where half is "matched" and half is "uploaded." I'm even seeing this on studio albums. I am thinking this is becasue I have probably standardized song names for featured artists as well as the Artist tag to suit my own preferences. Do not know how I can change that as I would like to have those albums 'matched' that should be so I can listen to higher quality copies.

Much of my music collection is also lower bitrate encodings and I would like to have better quality PERSONAL tracks for those that are. Am I missing something about Apple Music with iCloud Music Library? Does it work like iTunes Match did for the "matched" tracks and enable you to replace them with DRM free high-quality AAC versions?

For those that are 'matched' I am under the impression that you will get a higher quality version on other devices such as iPhone. I thought those were the DRM protected copies and if you cancel they go away (leaving you only with your lower quality originals).

I am more questioning those that are saying that Apple Music and iCloud Music Library have modified tags and album art on their ORIGINAL FILES. I cannot understand how the system could possibly do that as designed if my above understandings are all correct.

I could not have this all straight as I said earlier, it is awfully confusing!

Hi,

I actually found that it DOES change the private songs that you add to your library. I ripped the Adele 25 cd(which isn't even on apple music btw) and added it to my library. Once I decided to merge the icloud with my itunes library, the album was replaced with one full of piano covers by Victoria Adelene. So frustrating...

Is there any solution to this?

Hello all.

I had the same problem. All of a sudden, my entire list of music was deleted from my iPhone and all the music was only available by wifi connection. I tried to download all of the songs again, but then some songs were replaced by different versions that I didn't want. For instance a live version would be swapped for a studio version. Bad Apple...

But this worked for me and could work for you if you have a backup of your songs on your pc/mac:

Step 1: I deleted all of the music from my iPhone.

Step 2: I switched off the iCloud music library.

Step 3: I made a playlist "All Music" in iTunes and put all my songs that I have in iTunes in it.

Step 4: Connected my iPhone to iTunes.

Step 5: I dragged this playlist to my iPhone. All of the songs started transferring to my iPhone.

Step 6: (optional) I turned my iCloud music library back on.

Now, again, I have all of my precious songs back on my device. Including live versions and all of those songs that I had on my iPhone before. Hallelujah!

I hope this works for you too.

Now please get me an update in which I can get rid of those stupid album art like soundtrack or greatest hits nonsense. I want Original album art!!!

Please let me know if it works for you too.

Jim,

iTunes definitely replaced tracks from my library with DRM-protected Apple Music files. The original files are gone. I have about 20 albums with random tracks that have been replaced with protected AAC files. These were all from CDs that I ripped over 10 years ago. The tracks that I listened to while I still had the Apple Music trial are now gone.

See the attached screen shot. The missing file is An Tull. It is greyed out in my library, and the Get Info dialog box says it is in iCloud. The Finder shows all of the tracks except this one. I added it back in 2003, but it was "updated" in 2015 shortly after I joined the Apple Music trial.

I definitely did not delete them. Clearly this is a real problem because it's happening to so many people.

-Steve

I did the exact thing earlier. Canceled Apple Music after all that and switched back to Spotify. I used to like iTunes for its simplicity but it has become increasingly mediocre since the addition of Apple Music. I had over 100GB of my own music to download after canceling. Music that I added to playlists would dissappear as well. Amongst other dumb setbacks that I never would've expected from Apple based on years passed. Couldn't stand it. Wont' go back or recommend it to anyone that likes music until Apple rectifies this musical aberration.

This ***** so much. I sold a closet of CDs only to find some of my songs replaced and DRM'd. This is not obvious and not what I want at all. Essentially I can lose access to my own music:

1. Match with Apple Music

2. Deleted originals

3. Apple slave for life

*** AF

I have years and years worth of tracks on my phone, and they are being replaced with versions that I don't like. If I update my personal library with apple ones, I'll lose them when I cancel subscription. I think this may be a nail in the coffin for my long term choice of apple as preferred tech. It is too controlling and faceless