transferring music from an old IPad to a new one using PC back up

To be absolutely clear, an iTunes or iCloud backup of your iPad will not include the music stored on your iPad. The backup will include a record of music downloaded directly to your iPad from the iTunes service, but not the music itself.

The backup record facilitates media, if still available in the iTunes Store, to be automatically downloaded again by an iPad that is signed-in with the same AppleID.

If you don’t still have the iTunes Music Library that includes your “ripped” CDs - then you’ll not be able to natively restore your CD collection from your computer without access to your original CDs.

If you use iTunes to transfer media from PC/Mac to iPad/iPhone, you either need to keep your iTunes Music Library accessible on your computer - or be prepared to recreate the Library, from original media, if necessary.

Should you look for it, you may find third-party PC software capable of “backing up” locally stored music on your Apple devices to a new iPad - but this cannot be discussed within these Support Communities.

Your music is not included in your iCloud or iTunes iPad backup. Neither can music already stored on your iPad be directly transferred from old to new device.

Music that you have presumably (and entirely legitimately) copied from CD, to the iTunes Music Library on your PC/Mac computer, is a “managed” copy of the original copyrighted material. Music from your iTunes Music Library can be copied from your computer, using iTunes, to your new iPad or other Apple device - within the DRM (Digital Right Management) controls as implemented by Apple iTunes.

Whilst this may be (and to a certain degree is) cumbersome, copying your full music library from your PC/Mac is an infrequent and relatively simple task; subsequent additions to your Music library, from CD or other sources, are very quickly synchronised with your device(s).

Perhaps importantly for both you and Apple (the latter being a music publisher), copies of copyright media can be demonstrated to be entirely legitimate. Remember, in purchasing a CD you do not own the copyright work itself - but have purchased a right to listen (but not make distributable copies) of the material whose copyright belongs to the Artist/Publisher.

Other material that you have purchased directly from the iTunes Service is automatically transferred from the iTunes service (not your iTunes music library on your computer). This process is fully “managed” and within the control of Apple - and its DRM controls.

If you subscribe to iTunes Match, an additional paid service from Apple, it is possible to access digitally published copies of your CDs directly from the Apple iTunes Service. More information about this additional paid service can be found here:

Subscribe to iTunes Match - Apple Support

I hope this additional information is helpful to you.

Most, but not all, data can be directly copied to a new device.

Any Music/Media content, transferred from your PC/Mac using iTunes (or Finder on later Mac computers) - or “Paid” material downloaded from Apples iTunes Service - must again be downloaded to your iPad.

The reason for this intentional limitation, deliberately imposed by Apple, is to protect Copyright. In the case of iPadOS/iOS, Digital Rights Management (DRM) prevents direct copying of copyright material between devices is inhibited. This is intended to prevent the creation of illegal copies of potentially copyright material.

The iTunes Application on your PC/Mac maintains an authorised copy your media - whether this material is loaded from a CD, or downloaded from the Apple iTunes Service - and media derived from this library can be transferred to your iThings.

I hope this information is helpful to you in resolving the issue.