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Share my iTunes library over multiple users

way2l84sanity

way2l84sanity

macrumors member
Original poster
😕 I am trying to share my itunes library over multiple users on one computer. I don't want to use the share my music feature in itunes because of its limitations. I would like to be able to have multiple users see, edit, add to, etc.. ( full permissions ). I am currently using tiger 10.4.7, and itunes 6.0.5
I have a large library and don't want multiple copys of it on my HD. I tried to follow a Terminal program i found on the web but it didn't work the way it should. It relocated my library but did not allow access for other users. http://captnswing.net/2004/02/07/share_itunes_library.html
this is the program i tried to use I know it is mainly for panther etc. Any help would be appreciated.
 
Try the step-by-step instructions here...

On an iBook that my fiancée and I share, we store all of our music in the Shared folder. Each user has their own playlists and library files, but there is a single set of the music files. Each user has to occasionally "Add to Library..." in order to rebuild their library database and be able to see any music added by the other person. It's not exactly what you seem to be looking for, but it works for us...just another option.
 
Your script and kit does almost exactly the same thing. But are all of your users using the "startiTunes" file instead of running iTunes directly (see the last step)?
 
Reply

mkrishnan said:
Your script and kit does almost exactly the same thing. But are all of your users using the "startiTunes" file instead of running iTunes directly (see the last step)?
Click to expand...
I did download the "startiTunes" app. and tried to launch it in my admin. acct. and another user account and kept getting error messages. I thought maybe this program was only for former versions of my OS. For some reason it moved my library to a new file called, iTunes_old, but i could only access this by dragging it into my itunes window. Not by launching iTunes by startiTunes. If this program should have worked do you think I just did something wrong?
 
WildCowboy said:
Try the step-by-step instructions here...

On an iBook that my fiancée and I share, we store all of our music in the Shared folder. Each user has their own playlists and library files, but there is a single set of the music files. Each user has to occasionally "Add to Library..." in order to rebuild their library database and be able to see any music added by the other person. It's not exactly what you seem to be looking for, but it works for us...just another option.
Click to expand...

Can you provide some more details on how you set this up. I am trying to do something similar for my wife and I and i keep trashing something. One of us always ends up with a blank library or the files want to rip in the original folder and not the shared one. One windows, we just managed it all from one account but we just bought our first Mac and she wants to have access from her account and her own playlists etc.
 
greese said:
Can you provide some more details on how you set this up. I am trying to do something similar for my wife and I and i keep trashing something. One of us always ends up with a blank library or the files want to rip in the original folder and not the shared one. One windows, we just managed it all from one account but we just bought our first Mac and she wants to have access from her account and her own playlists etc.
Click to expand...

It's been a long time, but I think the only thing I did was to go into iTunes preferences and change the location of the iTunes Music folder to something like Shared/Music. It automatically rips all music to that location, but the individual users continue to have their own Library files with playlists. The only thing is that is doesn't automatically update each user's Library file when one user adds music to the folder. All that means in practice is that you have to occasionally choose "Add to Library..." and select the Shared/Music folder so that your Library picks up the music added to the folder by other users.
 
WildCowboy said:
It's been a long time, but I think the only thing I did was to go into iTunes preferences and change the location of the iTunes Music folder to something like Shared/Music. It automatically rips all music to that location, but the individual users continue to have their own Library files with playlists. The only thing is that is doesn't automatically update each user's Library file when one user adds music to the folder. All that means in practice is that you have to occasionally choose "Add to Library..." and select the Shared/Music folder so that your Library picks up the music added to the folder by other users.
Click to expand...

the "add to library" step won't be a big deal. I must have screwed something up when I was trying to set it up. I'll give it another try when I get home tonight and see where i end up. Thanks!
 
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