Beware iCloud Music Library

[rockymtnhigh]

Mac users - and iOS users as well - should be very careful about enabling the new iCloud Music Library. Not only is it messing up iTunes Libraries, it is adding DRM to songs you already own, so if you don't eventually subscribe to Apple Music, you will lose access to those songs. For me we are talking about 7,500 songs. No thanks.


here is one of the many new stories: http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/arti...-library-a-disaster-for-your-music-collection

As if that isn't enough of a headache, music uploaded to iCloud Music Library gets wrapped with Apple's Fairplay DRM copy protection. That means all of your music stored in iCloud Music Library copy protected regardless of the source. Translation: CDs you own and rip to your iTunes library will get copy protection added so if you stop using Apple Music you'll be locked out of your own songs.

In contrast, iTunes Match simply stored your copy of songs (assuming they aren't available through the iTunes Store) or gave you DRM-free versions from the iTunes Store. You didn't need to worry about maintaining subscriptions just to play the music you already own.

The frustrating part is IF you want to use Apple Music, you can not store off-line versions of music from the service without having it enabled. I do not know if you can possibly enable it for iOS, and NOT OSX, OR whether if on, it replaces your entire iTunes Match library with DRM'd copies. I'm not taking the chance.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Oh, I am livid. iTunes updated on my mac on its own overnight, and turned on iCloud Music Library. My 7,000 songs and entire library is gone.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Was able to downgrade itunes to the prior version, and recover access to 8300 songs in iCloud. Many of which need to get downloaded for a safe backup. My confidence in itunes is at an all-time low. Ended up downgrading the iPhone back to 8.3 as well. Will not go to 8.4 until the 3 month Apple Music trial has ended. Makes me yearn for the days where my music was on my iPod.

 

[klang]

Did you sign up for the Apple Music trial? I have no intention of doing so. I have the new iTunes and it all my music is still there. I have not updated iOS yet. Does it ask during the upgrade if you want to sign up for Apple Music?

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Did you sign up for the Apple Music trial? I have no intention of doing so. I have the new iTunes and it all my music is still there. I have not updated iOS yet. Does it ask during the upgrade if you want to sign up for Apple Music?

I initially signed up for the trial, which was what set the mayhem into motion. Apple did not say anything about screwing up iTunes Match. But investigating the news of the past few days has made it clear it is a huge mistake. IF you use iTunes Match, and want to use all of the features of Apple Music, it will turn on iCloud Music Library and that is where the problem is.

The fact that my mac automatically updated itunes and then set iCloud Music Library on by default really is what messed with my account. I managed to get access to the library on my mac, by downgrading to itunes 12.1, and restoring yesterday's itunes library backup. BUT so far the iPhone is limited to purchased music. 1695 songs instead of 8300.

I tried to downgrade iOS to 8.3 but when I did it, the Music app kept crashing. And I had no music. So I went back to 8.4., but turned off iTunes Connect, Apple Music, and iCloud Music Library. At least now I have the songs that were on my iPhone and anything i have bought, but none that I ripped.

 

[klang]

IF you use iTunes Match, and want to use all of the features of Apple Music, it will turn on iCloud Music Library and that is where the problem is.

Thanks! I don't use iTunes Match either so I should be OK.

 

[Claude Greiner]

I will never update the iOS on my iPhone. I always use the one it came with

 

[mike123abc]

I use itunes match... But, I have no interest in using the new music service...

If it messed with my library and I had to re rip all my CDs I would not be a happy camper.

 

[TheKrell]

but none that I ripped

That is outrageous behavior by Apple. A million people must be furious at them right about now.

Can you rip the CDs again?

 

[rockymtnhigh]

I use itunes match... But, I have no interest in using the new music service...

If it messed with my library and I had to re rip all my CDs I would not be a happy camper.

I am beyond mad. If this was not a family-friendly site, there would be expletives being written.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

I mean come on, you upgrade iOS, a normal thing. You click on Music, and it offers you a free trial of their new streaming music service. sounds good. BUT then they don't tell you, but if you use this, we'll screw up and pretty much lose the entire music library you ALREADY PAID to use via iTunes Match. And if you use our new spiffy system, we'll add DRM to every song you download.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

That is outrageous behavior by Apple. A million people must be furious at them right about now.

Can you rip the CDs again?

We are talking about 6,000 songs. And I don't even know. Until iTunes match gets fixed in iOS there isn't much point. I am leaving my mac iTunes the way it is, and will download a bunch of the important stuff and archive it. Tempted to pull out my old iPod Classic. If I can even find it.

 

[TheKrell]

I eschew all Apple products after the original Mac, so I will never have this problem.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

I eschew all Apple products after the original Mac, so I will never have this problem.

So, you are trolling?

 

[TheKrell]

So, you are trolling?

Well, my sister and my daughters all think Apple is wonderful, so I do have some 2nd hand experience with several products more recent than that old Mac which I do admit was great. I also borrowed my daughter's iPod Touch for testing out in my car, and couldn't even figure out how to put my owned music on it without iTunes which I don't normally install on anything. iTunes then drove me nuts because they buried the import function on a little menu icon (upper left? I don't remember), so even with iTunes installed, I still couldn't do squat without consulting forums to find that menu item. I have a multiplicity of mp3 players, and none of them are a problem. Just drag/drop the mp3s and that is it. Simple. Straightforward. No learning curve required. And best of all, on all my other players, no special software is needed on my PC at all.

Why are iPods so hard to use? I think it's all a sinister plot to lock you into the iTunes ecosystem. The question I have for you is this: do you think your music got DRM all of a sudden by incompetence? Or is Apple fully culpable in a deliberate act designed to make you pay again for everything?

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

I have been getting more and more unhappy with Apple products since Tim took over the innovation and quality is not there anymore and everything now seems like a money grab just because it has Apple on it.

The new Beats One channel was supposed to change the way you listen to radio, but I have listened a few times and found it dull with a lot of bad music.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Well, my sister and my daughters all think Apple is wonderful, so I do have some 2nd hand experience with several products more recent than that old Mac which I do admit was great. I also borrowed my daughter's iPod Touch for testing out in my car, and couldn't even figure out how to put my owned music on it without iTunes which I don't normally install on anything. iTunes then drove me nuts because they buried the import function on a little menu icon (upper left? I don't remember), so even with iTunes installed, I still couldn't do squat without consulting forums to find that menu item. I have a multiplicity of mp3 players, and none of them are a problem. Just drag/drop the mp3s and that is it. Simple. Straightforward. No learning curve required. And best of all, on all my other players, no special software is needed on my PC at all.

Why are iPods so hard to use? I think it's all a sinister plot to lock you into the iTunes ecosystem. The question I have for you is this: do you think your music got DRM all of a sudden by incompetence? Or is Apple fully culpable in a deliberate act designed to make you pay again for everything?

I think the DRM was insisted upon by the recording labels, in order for them to go along with the Apple Music setup.

Other than back in the earliest of days, and I am talking 5GB iPod, when iTunes for Windows was a completely joke, I have never really had problems with my iPod, and I have found that iTunes Match has worked extremely well. And I can report that on my non-upgraded iPad, my entire library is available to me.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

I have been getting more and more unhappy with Apple products since Tim took over the innovation and quality is not there anymore and everything now seems like a money grab just because it has Apple on it.

The new Beats One channel was supposed to change the way you listen to radio, but I have listened a few times and found it dull with a lot of bad music.

I am annoyed as hell with them, but still could NOT imagine using a PC for my work, and have been very happy with my iPhone and iPad. But yeah, they have done some things that are truly annoying.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

I agree with you on their laptops, but their upgrades as of late are lame. If I wanted to update my 3 year old Macbook pro the only new things I would be getting is the new trackpad and the new keybord. Everything else I have already. Not worth upgrading for.

BTW as far as the DRM goes, this claims its not true. http://www.imore.com/no-apple-not-adding-drm-songs-your-mac-you-already-own

 

[kittyhas1000legs]

I have an old iphone 4 (not 4s) and can't go over ios 7.1.something. I rarely use itunes and only to move music onto my phone. I actually use an ancient copy of winamp for cd ripping, and it still whips the llama's ass. The more I hear about Apple, the more I'm tempted to switch to something Android for my next phone.