Transferring music files (Windows Media Player) to Apple Music

[Milestones]

I am thinking of moving on to an Apple computer after decades of owning PCs like Dell and HP.

I am very concerned about moving over the thousand of hours of music: jazz and otherwise.  My old computer is dead, but almost everything in on an external hard drive.  I have been messing with the music on my wife's laptop, but so far not having much luck.  There appear to be compatibility issues--big surprise.  I know there are some online articles out there on this.  It supposedly can be done.

But I would like to hear from people who have actually done it--and how easy (or difficult) the process is.

Thanks.

 

 

[Use3D]

If your media is in formats that are common to iTunes, migration should be easy. iTunes supports all common compressed media as well as apple lossless but may have issues with FLAC files that are not in specific containers. Make sure your media is properly tagged and organized by folder as iTunes will have issues with untagged files. It should be a few clicks to flip iTunes to the external library. A few years ago I built an entire iTunes library from a massive CD collection to an external harddrive for a customer. They were starting from scratch so it was easier to tag everything consistently and preserve the correct folder hierarchy for iTunes. 

 

[mjzee]

I would proceed with caution.  First, make an entire backup of your EHD.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Depending on the file format, you should be OK. Apple's playback app should decode most music file formats,including .wma.

[sonnymax]

Do you like Apple Music, or is the music library move based solely on the fact that you're going to be using an apple computer? I ask because I use an iMac and iPad, but I do not use Apple Music. A few years ago there were horror stories about how iTunes/Apple Music users lost portions of their local libraries due to one snafu or another (i.e. Apple match?). Instead, I use Plex to store and organize my music library. You can also use it for managing video and photo libraries, as well as streaming movies and TV shows. It plays all formats and allows you to enter all kinds of info if that's your thing. The search function is quite good and the results easy to understand.

On 4/23/2023 at 2:03 PM, mjzee said:

I would proceed with caution.  First, make an entire backup of your EHD.

Yes, yes, yes! My library is backed up on a weekly basis, or more frequently if I've done a lot of work.

[mjzee]

Another open question is whether Milestones used Apple Music (aka iTunes) on his Windows computers.  It would probably be less of a migration task if he did.

[Pim]

This shouldn't be much of a problem. Like the others say: make sure you have a good back-up and take some time for it. Itunes has some nice options to organize your music. 

[Milestones]

Seems like I am getting quite different answers...not all that surprising.

I have not used Apple music before on my own previous computers.  I last had an HP and before that Dells. 

I am switching to an Apple computer because of reputation and personal recommendations.  I've had some experience on it with my wife's laptop. 

My own Apple will be delivered tomorrow: April 26.  

More to follow....

 

 

[AllenLowe]

I am no expert, but I started using Apple Music when I got a new Mac, and if I had a choice I would never go near the damn thing. It freezes up, it doesn't recognize CDs in an external drive, it won't play a playlist unless I restart it a few times - a real pain. It's amazing to me that Apple can't get it right.

[rostasi]

Always have a backup whether you're using PC or Mac.

That said: if you plan on using the external drive that has the music as your source for your iTunes/Apple Music setup,
just go to your Preferences > Advanced and point your computer to the new location of your music files (with a new Mac,
you'll have a default location and you can change that).

"Import music from a computer to Music on Mac"

Personally, I've always done drag 'n' drop of folders onto the iTunes window.
Been using this method for 22 years now and I'm currently running iTunes
from 3 external drives totalling 28TB with about 1.5 million tunes in my library.
I use it for creating and organizing radio shows as well. Love it immensely.

[mjzee]

Yes, I also generally enjoy Apple Music (iTunes) and find it useful.  You may find some hiccups in the beginning, but stick with it.

[Milestones]

The computer is here.  I have been messing with it for a couple of hours.

I was able to get much of my music on the new one...hard to tell how much.   

Navigation is.a nightmare, especially the appearing and mostly vanishing scroll bar.

It looks like organization will be difficult.  

Also, I am still thinking I can't transfer my playlists--a huge number and a big deal for me.  

 

 

 

Edited January 20 by Milestones

[mjzee]

9 minutes ago, Milestones said:

Navigation is.a nightmare, especially the appearing and mostly vanishing school bar.

To keep the scroll bar always visible, open System Settings.  Under "Appearance," in the "Show scroll bars" area, choose "Always."

[rostasi]

I've never transferred PC playlists to a Mac...
BUT, if you're old computer is still running,
then you should export your playlists in XML format.
Then, you can go to your Mac and go to:
File > Library > Import Playlist and choose that XML file.
Remember to do this after you've transferred your complete music library,
otherwise, the playlist will have missing items that it can't find.

So, again: transfer your complete library of tunes,
then, go back to your PC and export your playlists
to XML format (try just a few to start with if your Windows player
will allow this) - and, then import the XML into your Mac.

Not sure what organization problem you're having,
but the options are large:

Edited April 26, 2023 by rostasi

[Milestones]

Part of the problem is that the old computer is dead.

[rostasi]

Ooops...

Not knowing anything about Windows, I was gonna suggest this that I saw online.

Also, I'll just mention that when you are changing from PC to Mac (or vice versa),
the "problems" that you may be having may not actually be problems at all.
Often they are just differences - things that you haven't been used to doing
that are changes of approach, so if you look at it that way, you can, hopefully,
become less frustrated over time.

Edited April 26, 2023 by rostasi

[JSngry]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[rostasi]

If it ain't fixed, you can't break it.

[JSngry]

Tell that to a dog. 

[Milestones]

Slowly working on things.   There is a lot to get used to.    A big issue was the Word files--vital for my work and much else.  Music is a pleasure, albeit a consuming pleasure.  

The situation is not bad...about 24 hours later. 

I will keep working and surely pose more questions.

 

[tranemonk]

Okay... to the OP... Unfortunately, I have a lot to say about this as I did it years ago. Like many of us, I've got tons of stuff. Originally I had 4000 Cds which I had burned to digital mp3s. I have to suggest a few things NOT to do.

To me the essential things in order are...

1) Have multiple backups.

2) DO NOT subscribe to Apple's Itunes Match service EVER. It completely screwed up many of my boxed sets and imports as Apple uses the titles/cover art/discographical info on its servers. In cases like our music and probably classical... It gets that info wrong a lot and it overwrites whatever was originally entered.

3) I would also NOT subscribe to Apple Music (even when there are free trials). Yes, it lets you play whatever you want and I've found that helpful in deciding whether or not I want to buy a new release BUT...... Once you've downloaded something from Apple Music it becomes very difficult (at least for me) to remember what I purchased or what I "borrowed" from Apple Music. I'm already down that rabbit hole and have become kinda obsessive about not downloading stuff from that store unless I purchased it.

4) Once you've managed to do the migration, in Itunes click on the View tab, scroll down, and select "Show Status Bar." That will show the totals of what you have. I took a screenshot of mine a year or so ago, so I always knew what the right size was... (see attached).

5) DO NOT use another program like Amazon Music... (That compounded my problem)....

Write down your questions and try to find a really good person at the closest Apple store who's a music person. I've lost a fair amount of stuff with Apple's Itunes mess... but overall Mac is better than Windows.

 

[rostasi]

How to Import Microsoft Word Docs to an iMac

Also, sometimes doing a proper online search
will get you the answers you need. Transferring
a million tunes would naturally make someone
nervous, but you just have to be patient because
sometimes the receiving end (your computer) has
only the maximum power and memory that you’ve
purchased to get the job done. I’ve read people’s 
frustrations only to find out that they were trying
to put 7 lbs. of potatoes in a 5 lb. bag, so Mac sites
with helpful folks are often a good source of info.

Edited April 27, 2023 by rostasi

[tranemonk]

One other point... I don't know which Mac the OP purchased (or if it was new)... but two years ago Apple started producing machines with their own chips (called Apple Silicon instead of Intel). These machines (Macbooks, Imac and Mac Studio) are MUCH better than the Intel models. If the OP has an M1 or M2 they should be fine for a while. If they purchased an Intel model, I'd return it and get an M1 or M2.

Edited April 27, 2023 by tranemonk

[rostasi]

I'm probably gonna make the move to the M2 Max or Ultra Studio when it's hopefully released this fall.
I use their machines for very long times (10 to 15 years) before replacing them.
Even my monitor was nearly 22 years old when it finally gave out and I replaced it with this beautiful 30" Cinema HD Display.
I've noticed that it can be wiser to go with even number upgrades, so that's why I'm going with the M2 chip.

[Milestones]

What do people think of sound quality on Apple?  I assumed it would be rather good, and it is (at the least) respectable. But I had been using Bose external speakers on previous computers.  I like those a lot, and they provide better stereo effect.  There is no clear way to connect those up to this new one.  I'm not much of a techie, despite using computers pretty heavily for more than three decades.