Starting Again

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Starting Again

I briefly toyed with using iTunes again. After a short testing period I decided to go back to the combination of Music and TV apps in Catalina.

However, I decided to start again with the libraries to avoid any issues with changes etc I made whilst using iTunes.

I store all my media on an external drive Media HD > Media > Music , Movies etc

So what I have done so far is remove the library files stored under Music and TV on my main drive and start the Music app and select the library file under user/Music/library.itl and ensure the media storage location in preferences is correct.

I have clicked on Songs in the left hand menu and currently have Loading ... spinning in the centre.

I assume this is correct as not will be loading all my 1TB of music into the currently empty library file ?

Have I done this correctly to start off a new library or have I missed a step ?

Posted on Oct 21, 2020 10:11 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

turingtest2

Level 10

274,055 points

Oct 21, 2020 11:17 AM in response to Airsculpture

Typically content appearing at a higher level than it ought to indicates some form of permissions issue. Try Repair security permissions for iTunes/Music for Mac - Apple Community. Then try turning Keep organized off, and then back on again.

tt2

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Answer 2

Airsculpture Author

Level 4

1,642 points

Oct 21, 2020 11:03 AM in response to Airsculpture

Success with the Music app. All organized as it was.

Now the TV app I had the setting like this :

And what it has done is it seems to have removed all the movie and TV files from their respective folders and placed them out side of them as shown in the screenshot below :

What did I do wrong ?
How can I fix it with least amount of stress ?

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Answer 3

turingtest2

Level 10

274,055 points

Oct 22, 2020 1:39 AM in response to Airsculpture

You don't need the reboot. If the active library was on the standard path then TV should simply create the new library without error. If the active library is on a non-standard path you'll get prompted to choose or create one. Emptying the trash is required because otherwise Mac will serve up the deleted file from the trash as if it were still where it used to be rather than generate a file not found error. If you're signed into your Apple ID the new library will open with your unhidden purchase history in the cloud.

Personally I'd put the entire library on the external drive rather than use the default path with a split out the media folder. See Make a split library portable - Apple Community for my reasoning with iTunes. For a fresh TV library I'd option-start-TV and create the library as <External>/TV which would make the media folder <External>/TV/Media. You can then put all of your existing video content into that folder before adding it to the library. This simplifies backups and future migration to a new computer or bigger drive.

tt2

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Answer 4

Airsculpture Author

Level 4

1,642 points

Oct 21, 2020 11:29 AM in response to turingtest2

Thanks. I have applied it to the Movies >TV folder as indicated in your link. I will also apply it to the media folder once my restore is complete.

I am currently restoring the 3TB of movies and TV shows (approx 5 hours) to the external drive to get it back to the state it was in before and have keep organized switched off currently.

When I open the TV app, despite me binning the TV Library file it still shows the mess as it was before. How can I open it in a "blank state" so that when my restore is complete I can use Import again to add the multiple folders to the library ?

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Answer 5

Airsculpture Author

Level 4

1,642 points

Oct 21, 2020 3:03 PM in response to turingtest2

So trash the library file and empty trash. I will also reboot just in case. When I open the TV app if there are still entries there I will delete them from the library but not delete the files.

I will have Keep Organised unchecked initially.

My media is on an external named Media HD and on there the directories are Media > Movies, TVShows, Podcasts, Music, Audiobooks.

I set the Files media location to MediaHD/Media.

Them I import the Media folder ? Which contains everything ?

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Answer 6

Airsculpture Author

Level 4

1,642 points

Oct 21, 2020 1:14 PM in response to Airsculpture

After I’ve set the permissions, how do I ensure when I open the TV app that I’m starting with a blank slate so that I can select Import from a clear library ?

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Answer 7

turingtest2

Level 10

274,055 points

Oct 21, 2020 2:35 PM in response to Airsculpture

To start with a fresh TV library you would need to delete ~/Movies/TV/TV Library.tvlibrary and empty the trash. When you launch TV it should create a new empty library for you.

tt2

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Starting Again

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