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iTunes Match - Missing Many Embedded Lyrics

T

Tones2

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 8, 2009
1,471
0
It appears that iTunes match on my computer library is missing a bunch of lyrics (like 15-20%) that I had embedded in my files prior to turning iTunes Match on and subsequently updating my library with higher quality versions of songs. It has NOT haapened to every song that I converted - only to some. For the most part, the songs that are missing the lyrics are random - sometimes an entire album will be misiing them, sometimes just a song or two from an album, and many have no issues and the lyrics are there after conversion. I'm positive that I had lyrics on the ones that are now missing.

I have spent a LOT of time putting in lyrics for the 13,000+ songs I have in my library over the last 5 years and this would be tragic if they are lost. I DO have a FULL backup of all my songs and my library before I turned on iTunes Match, but I spent the last week downloading upgraded versions and cleaning up the mess in my library that iTunes Match initially gave me, so I'd also hate to lose all of that work.

Has anyone else had the same issue of missing lyrics? Any solutions?

Tony
 
Last edited:
I

Icculus

macrumors 6502
Jun 2, 2007
380
62
Frisco, TX
Tones2 said:
It appears that iTunes match on my computer library is missing a bunch of lyrics (like 15-20%) that I had embedded in my files prior to turning iTunes Match on and subsequently updating my library with higher quality versions of songs. It has NOT haapened to every song that I converted - only to some. For the most part, the songs that are missing the lyrics are random - sometimes an entire album will be misiing them, sometimes just a song or two from an album, and many have no issues and the lyrics are there after conversion. I'm positive that I had lyrics on the ones that are now missing.

I have spent a LOT of time putting in lyrics for the 13,000+ songs I have in my library over the last 5 years and this would be tragic if they are lost. I DO have a FULL backup of all my songs and my library before I turned on iTunes Match, but I spent the last week downloading upgraded versions and cleaning up the mess in my library that iTunes Match initially gave me, so I'd also hate to lose all of that work.

Has anyone else had the same issue of missing lyrics? Any solutions?

Tony
Click to expand...

I have spot checked several of mine that I know had lyrics, and yes I am running into the same problem as you. VERY annoying and I spent so much time as you did doing this. I am not expecting a solution except "sorry" from apple.

I am also running into artwork just randomly disappearing or taking my hi-res pic and inserting some crappy pic. No rhyme or reason, stupidly I had automatically download artwork checked in prefs (I don't know why I would ever enable that to begin with), so I disabled that and spend HOURS reinserting the hi-res artwork. We will see if it stays this time.
 
T

Tones2

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 8, 2009
1,471
0
Icculus said:
I have spot checked several of mine that I know had lyrics, and yes I am running into the same problem as you. VERY annoying and I spent so much time as you did doing this. I am not expecting a solution except "sorry" from apple.

I am also running into artwork just randomly disappearing or taking my hi-res pic and inserting some crappy pic. No rhyme or reason, stupidly I had automatically download artwork checked in prefs (I don't know why I would ever enable that to begin with), so I disabled that and spend HOURS reinserting the hi-res artwork. We will see if it stays this time.
Click to expand...

Just a curiosity, are the lyrics missing from your COMPUTER library?

Note that I have two computer libraries. When I "updated" songs to 256 kbps from iTunes match on one computer, many (20% maybe, but not all) songs seem to have lost their lyrics on the computer library that I was upgrading and I didn't notice until I updated my phone (USB sync - NOT iTunes match sync). When I checked my OTHER library, the lyrics were all still there even if I updated iTunes Match that 2nd computer library. What seems to be happening is that the lyrics get overridden with the download but it doesn't mark the lyrics metadata as changed and does not pushed out to the servers. So what I'm doing is going into the files with missing lyrics on the 2ND computer and adding a space at the end of the lyrics - then it pushes the full lyric metadata to the iTunes Match library and auto-updates the 1ST server without having to do anything else. My iPhone also recognizes the changes have been made on the 1st computer and updates the lyrics as well when I do a USB sync.

This is working perfectly although it's extremely time consuming to DISCOVER what songs have missing lyrics (I've had to go one by one through the 13,000 songs in alpha order on my phone and log which has missing lyrics) as well as put a space in each affected file. It's worth it, assuming that I only have to do this ONE TIME. However, I'm so frightened each time I call up my iTunes that they will again be missing, although it's been fine so far.

One thing for certain - after I get all my lyrics back on my main library I'm shutting this stupid thing OFF!

Tony
 
Last edited:
I

Icculus

macrumors 6502
Jun 2, 2007
380
62
Frisco, TX
Tones2 said:
Just a curiosity, are the lyrics missing from your COMPUTER library?

Note that I have two computer libraries. When I "updated" songs to 256 kbps from iTunes match on one computer, many (20% maybe, but not all) songs seem to have lost their lyrics on the computer library that I was upgrading and I didn't notice until I updated my phone (USB sync - NOT iTunes match sync). When I checked my OTHER library, the lyrics were all still there even if I updated iTunes Match that 2nd computer library. What seems to be happening is that the lyrics get overridden with the download but it doesn't mark the lyrics metadata as changed and does not pushed out to the servers. So what I'm doing is going into the files with missing lyrics on the 2ND computer and adding a space at the end of the lyrics - then it pushes the full lyric metadata to the iTunes Match library and auto-updates the 1ST server without having to do anything else. My iPhone also recognizes the changes have been made on the 1st computer and updates the lyrics as well when I do a USB sync.

This is working perfectly although it's extremely time consuming to DISCOVER what songs have missing lyrics (I've had to go one by one through the 13,000 songs in alpha order on my phone and log which has missing lyrics) as well as put a space in each affected file. It's worth it, assuming that I only have to do this ONE TIME. However, I'm so frightened each time I call up my iTunes that they will again be missing, although it's been fine so far.

One thing for certain - after I get all my lyrics back on my main library I'm shutting this stupid thing OFF!

Tony
Click to expand...

Sorry about the late reply, yes they are missing from my computer library. Not every song, maybe 3-4 out of album of 12 songs. I still have all the originals as I am nervous about matching, so now if I could rip out the lyrics from old songs to new songs that would be great. It ONLY Happened during the songs I upgraded to 256kbps that were matched, it seems all my other local songs are fine.

FYI about Artwork, iTunes Match was possessed and constantly changing my hi-res scans. Only after disabling automatically download artwork AND iTunes Match does my artwork stay. I am very hesitant about turning iTunes Match on after correcting 18k songs in my library.
 
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