jaj_danbury
Level 1 (5 points)
iTunes

Q: iTunes 12.4 - Various Artist(s) Compilation Woes

Discovered an interesting "quirk" when scrolling through my iTunes music section today. I'm an avid collector of Now That's What I Call Music compilations (do it for completeness sake these days...) and I spotted that 2 albums weren't in the Compilations section in the "Album View" (39 and 58, for those that are interested).

 

I am fairly meticulous with my albums, so I checked the following:

1. Is the compilation box checked on all songs in the album? Yes

2. Is the album artist the same for all songs in the album? Yes (Various Artists, btw)

3. Is the album stored in the compilations folder on the hard-drive? Yes

4. Is the sort-by information the same for all songs, i.e. the defaults? Yes

5. Are the songs in the same format (AAC) as the rest of the library? Yes

6. Is the album artwork the same? Yes (here is where I started clutching at straws)

 

I then started trying a few different things:

1. Deleted the songs from iTunes but not the hard-drive location. Result - no change

2. Deleted the songs from iTunes and the hard drive location (reloaded from trash). Result - no change

3. Saved the files to a different location then deleted them from the original location. Result - no change

4. Changed "Various Artists" in the Album Artist box to "Various Artist". Result - moved to the correct location...

5. Changed a single song from "Various Artist" back to "Various Artists". Result - moved to wrong position again...

 

Does ANYONE have any idea why this is happening and how to fix it permanently? My neuroses can't handle scrolling through the song view and seeing that little wobble between "Various Artists" and "Various Artist" at 2 places along an otherwise immaculate Compilations section

 

For info:

Running OSX El Capitan - Version 10.11.6

On MacBook Pro Retina 15" Mid-2015

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X El Capitan (10.11.6)

Posted on Aug 6, 2016 1:34 PM

by Limnos,Solvedanswer
Limnos Limnos
Level 9 (53,695 points)
Mac OS X
A:

If you see unexpected groups of songs when you browse an album - https://support.apple.com/HT204538 - "Songs from the same album might not be grouped together as you expect when you view them in the Albums view in iTunes."

 

The next sections provide additional solutions:

 

Steve MacGuire a.k.a. turingtest2 - iTunes & iPod Hints & Tips - Grouping Tracks Into Albums - http://www.samsoft.org.uk/iTunes/grouping.asp (older post on Apple Discussions http://discussions.apple.com/message/9910895#9910895)

 

Quick answer:  Select all the tracks on the album, File > get info (or right-click > get info > details), and either give them all a single "album artist", or check the "compilation" flag (as in https://discussions.apple.com/message/17670085#17670085).

 

If these are from multiple-CD sets you may also need to enter the appropriate information in the disc number fields.  If they are not a multiple CD set you still need to make sure the disc number fields are set correctly or all empty.

 

Another explanation by hhgttg27  August 2015 - https://discussions.apple.com/message/27784417#27784417

 

If they still really do not want to group check this Aug. 2008 post by turingtest2 about temporarily changing labels - https://discussions.apple.com/message/7904806#7904806 or http://www.samsoft.org.uk/iTunes/merge.asp  - Add a letter at the end of the artist name, close the Get Info window, then open it again and remove the letter. This often works but I have had cases where tracks grouped when a letter was added but ungrouped when it was removed again.

 

If they are mp3 files try changing the ID3 tag version which may cause iTunes to re-write the tags and clear up inconsistencies.  I use iTunes 7.5 (yes, from 2007) so I can't tell you where this is in later versions.

 

I had one case of really stubborn grouping.  The tracks would re-group in ways that didn't make sense when I changed metadata.  Without going into detail, I deleted the tracks completely from iTunes, then re-added the files and they all grouped correctly.

Posted on Aug 22, 2016 1:42 PM

Close
jaj_danbury

Q: iTunes 12.4 - Various Artist(s) Compilation Woes

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by tim_135,

    tim_135 tim_135 Aug 7, 2016 11:44 AM in response to jaj_danbury
    Community Specialists
    Aug 7, 2016 11:44 AM in response to jaj_danbury

    Hi jaj_danbury,

     

    I understand that two of your albums are not showing as compilations like they should be. I know how important it is to keep things organized, so I'd be happy to share some information with you that may help.

     

    Take a look at this article that may shed some light on your issue:

    If you see unexpected groups of songs when you browse an album - Apple Support

     

    Take care!

  • by jaj_danbury,

    jaj_danbury jaj_danbury Aug 12, 2016 3:29 PM in response to tim_135
    Level 1 (5 points)
    iTunes
    Aug 12, 2016 3:29 PM in response to tim_135

    Sadly the article didn't shed any new light I'm afraid

  • by Limnos,Solvedanswer

    Limnos Limnos Aug 22, 2016 1:42 PM in response to jaj_danbury
    Level 9 (53,695 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 22, 2016 1:42 PM in response to jaj_danbury

    If you see unexpected groups of songs when you browse an album - https://support.apple.com/HT204538 - "Songs from the same album might not be grouped together as you expect when you view them in the Albums view in iTunes."

     

    The next sections provide additional solutions:

     

    Steve MacGuire a.k.a. turingtest2 - iTunes & iPod Hints & Tips - Grouping Tracks Into Albums - http://www.samsoft.org.uk/iTunes/grouping.asp (older post on Apple Discussions http://discussions.apple.com/message/9910895#9910895)

     

    Quick answer:  Select all the tracks on the album, File > get info (or right-click > get info > details), and either give them all a single "album artist", or check the "compilation" flag (as in https://discussions.apple.com/message/17670085#17670085).

     

    If these are from multiple-CD sets you may also need to enter the appropriate information in the disc number fields.  If they are not a multiple CD set you still need to make sure the disc number fields are set correctly or all empty.

     

    Another explanation by hhgttg27  August 2015 - https://discussions.apple.com/message/27784417#27784417

     

    If they still really do not want to group check this Aug. 2008 post by turingtest2 about temporarily changing labels - https://discussions.apple.com/message/7904806#7904806 or http://www.samsoft.org.uk/iTunes/merge.asp  - Add a letter at the end of the artist name, close the Get Info window, then open it again and remove the letter. This often works but I have had cases where tracks grouped when a letter was added but ungrouped when it was removed again.

     

    If they are mp3 files try changing the ID3 tag version which may cause iTunes to re-write the tags and clear up inconsistencies.  I use iTunes 7.5 (yes, from 2007) so I can't tell you where this is in later versions.

     

    I had one case of really stubborn grouping.  The tracks would re-group in ways that didn't make sense when I changed metadata.  Without going into detail, I deleted the tracks completely from iTunes, then re-added the files and they all grouped correctly.

  • by jaj_danbury,

    jaj_danbury jaj_danbury Aug 22, 2016 1:48 PM in response to Limnos
    Level 1 (5 points)
    iTunes
    Aug 22, 2016 1:48 PM in response to Limnos

    Limnos wrote:

     

    ...

     

     

    If they still really do not want to group check this Aug. 2008 post by turingtest2 about temporarily changing labels - https://discussions.apple.com/message/7904806#7904806 or http://www.samsoft.org.uk/iTunes/merge.asp  - Add a letter at the end of the artist name, close the Get Info window, then open it again and remove the letter. This often works but I have had cases where tracks grouped when a letter was added but ungrouped when it was removed again.

     

    If they are mp3 files try changing the ID3 tag version which may cause iTunes to re-write the tags and clear up inconsistencies.  I use iTunes 7.5 (yes, from 2007) so I can't tell you where this is in later versions.

     

    I had one case of really stubborn grouping.  The tracks would re-group in ways that didn't make sense when I changed metadata.  Without going into detail, I deleted the tracks completely from iTunes, then re-added the files and they all grouped correctly.

    I tried the first and last parts in isolation, to no avail. The final solution that worked was:

    1. Create AAC versions (already AAC, but hadn't tried it yet!)

    2. Deleted the originals; into the trash then delete

    3. Added a space after the album artist (on the new copies I kept) which moved them to the correct location

    4. Deleted the additional space and miraculously they stayed put!

     

    Thank you for the idea of converting the files; although rereading your message, I don't think you explicitly mentioned it!

  • by jaj_danbury,

    jaj_danbury jaj_danbury Aug 22, 2016 2:07 PM in response to Limnos
    Level 1 (5 points)
    iTunes
    Aug 22, 2016 2:07 PM in response to Limnos

    Moments after writing this I realised what the real source of the problem was and it nothing to do with anything in either your answer or the one that I posed as solving the issue. In reality:

     

    1. Both albums (Now 39 and Now 58) had the album artist as "Various Artists"

    2. Both albums also had songs that were sung by a collection of various singers, so the album listed the artist as "Various Artists"

    3. iTunes wouldn't recognise it as a compilation but rather an album sung by the artist "Various Artists"

    4. I added a space after the tracks which listed the artist as "Various Artists"; the albums immediately jumped to the correct location in compilations

     

    As an aside, iTunes wouldn't put single tracks from a compilation (I have Let It Go from the Frozen soundtrack), but when I paired it with another single from another soundtrack (I See Fire from the Hobbit soundtrack) they immediately jumped to the correct location in compilations.