Song playback cut off early

Hi guys,

I think I have eventually found a solution that's working. For me the problem is only happening on mp3s that I added to my library since updating iTunes around August 2015. For those songs I do the following:

1. Delete from the iTunes library but keep the files.

2. Using a good id3 tag editor (e.g. Kid3) open the file

3. Delete the id3 v1 tag

4. Convert any id3 v2.4 tag to id3 v2.3

5. Convert all id3 v2.3 tags to id3 v2.4 (note: this forces all id3 tags to be rewritten)

6. Add the files to the iTunes library

I've tested so far with about 100 songs and this has resolved the issue for them all. My interpretation of the cause of this bug: something in some id3 tags causes iTunes to improperly calculate gapless playback information about mp3s (maybe it is mp3s encoded on a windows/linux machine being added to OS x iTunes... hard to say without actually seeing iTunes source code). To fix you need to force the id3 tag to be regenerated (steps 2-5) and also force iTunes to recalculate gapless playback info (steps 1 and 6).

Re the above comments: I think it's incredible Apple has left this bug unfixed for as long as they have. Personally it affects a large part of my iTunes library -- everything added in the last 9 months. I think it will be possible to find a program or script to automate the id3 tag fix on the files (if anyone knows one I am all ears!) but since Apple 'automated' calculation of gapless information recently there is currently no way to automate that, you have to delete and re-add.

Let me know if this works for any of you all.

Thanks,

Alex

When I was just reimporting the song I'd say it would work 50 or 75 percent of the time.

If I delete the song from the library, fully remove all id3 tags and then add back to the library so far all the files I've tested have worked.

I said above converting the ID3 tags works but it's complicated to make sure Kid3 actually updates the tags. The best way to confirm the problem is with the ID3 tags is to remove them entirely and then add them back in.

Obviously this isn't a good fix generally, but until iTunes fixes the bug there isn't much else to do (except reimport songs after manually fixing their ID3 tags).

If anyone is reading this thread and has the problem the best thing to do is file a bug report here: http://www.apple.com/feedback/itunesapp.html

Of course if they fix the importing problem but still don't have any option to fix the songs already imported then you'll have to reimport them anyway.

Never mind -- I had the same problem with some files even after removing all the ID3 tags.

I've never tried re-installing iTunes, but I don't think that would make any difference. I don't use XML files either, and I've never re-imported my library because all the songs I added to my library before August 2015 work just fine and the problems are all with MP3s I added after August 2015. I think it's some problem with how iTunes calculates its 'gapless playback information'.

After the ID3 thing stopped working I have been trying two other fixes:

1. Preferences -> Store -> Share details about your library with Apple. I disabled this.

2. For the last few versions iTunes has been 'calculating gapless playback' for every song I've added since August 2015 over and over again. I'm not adding anything new to the library while this is happening.

So far doing this seems to be working. I'm testing more to see if it's one or the other (or neither... who knows at this point).

I still think once the files are in your library with bad gapless information they're probably useless and you have to re-add them... unless Apple actually fixes these bugs.

They've had gapless playback for a long time, but for me the problem started for me with mp3s I added to my library after August 2015 which is around when they launched Apple Music.

What I'm thinking is there's some bug where iTunes looks to Apple music to get gapless playback information for my mp3s, but it doesn't do it properly, hence disabling sharing library details with Apple.

The other theory I have is when it's stuck 'calculating gapless playback' there's some but that stops it from calculating on anything you add during this time. This could've been introduced in the iTunes code that supports Apple Music but is functionally unrelated to it.

That's my thinking behind #s 1 and 2 above. If it works with both then I'll try each individually to see if it's one or the other.

So I did try cutting off my computer from the internet while adding stuff and it seems to work sometimes and not work other times.

I did go back in and make sure I disabled/clicked no thanks on:

1. Apple Music

2. iTunes Match and

3. iTunes Connect

Then I removed some problem files/albums from my library, shut down iTunes, kept my internet off and started iTunes again and have been adding the files back in.

I'm not sure which of those things helped it but right now it seems like my iTunes is in a good state to add mp3s to the library. I've readded dozens of songs and am not having a problem.

Also it is definitely a gapless playback problem.

So one thing I'm testing now is: add your mp3s to your iTunes library and play the tracks immediately. Seems like you have to listen to the track before quitting iTunes for it to properly calculate gapless playback on mp3s.

If you quit and restart iTunes before you play the track then there will be no gapless playback information and iTunes will try to calculate it on startup (whenever I start up there is a pop up that says determining gapless playback information for the my recent mp3s I added but didn't play). This method of calculating gapless playback is buggy, and results in bad info for a lot of mp3s.

Seems like if you didn't play the track and left it to have gapless playback info calculated on startup then that entry in your iTunes library is now permanently tagged with the wrong gapless info.

You need to move the files, delete them from your library, probably close iTunes, then after you reopen iTunes and readd the files you need to play them before you close iTunes again.

It doesn't seem like you have to play the whole track, just starting playing it seems to be enough.