How to merge 2 iTunes libraries and sync to a new iPod?

Sttesuhc · Dec 30, 2005, 12:41 AM

Hi everyone-

I did a couple of searches before posting to try to answer this myself, but no luck.

Here's the deal....

I have an iTunes library on my old G4 desktop. I also have many of the same songs/playlists on my new iBook, but there are also new songs that exist only in the iBook library. I want to consolidate the two libraries by making the iBook the one and only library. It would be nice to preserve all playlists by merging or syncing, but at a bare minimum I'd be happy to simply end up with all of my songs on the iBook without duplicating any songs. To complicate matters, the G4 desktop library contains about 20 songs from iTMS that were not readily transferring to my iBook due to the digital rights.

Is there any obvious or easy solution to this? I'm afraid to try something like copying one iTunes folder to the other computer. Also, when I first got the iBook, I tried to use the Apple "migration" tool program during setup, but the Firewire connection between computers wouldn't work. I just mention it fwiw.

My old 4g iPod died, and I got a new iPod via Applecare that contains nothing right now.
I'd really like to get on with assembling a library from all of my CDs, but I really don't want to re-rip things and start over. That's just not an option.

Thanks for any help!

iMeowbot · Dec 30, 2005, 01:35 AM

You should be able to drag the older music folder onto the new machine's iTunes main library pane, or you can use the File->Import... from the new iTunes to get your old stuff in.

acertant · Jul 22, 2007, 01:51 PM

A new product called TuneRanger has just been released that will synchronize or merge iTunes libraries on separate computers over a network. It will sync music, video and even playlists. It takes care of duplicates and shows results in iTunes right away. It can also sync directly to iPods allowing you to auto sync one ipod on multiple computers and in two directions (iTunes<-->iPod).

Versions of TuneRanger are available for both Mac OS X (universal) and Windows so you can sync or merge iTunes libraries on different platforms together.

Visit www.acertant.com or www.tuneranger.com for more info or to download a free trial.

brossow · Oct 17, 2007, 08:00 PM

Using TuneRanger to merge two libraries (with playlists) is all well and good if you're working with two computers on a network, but it's utterly useless if you have two iTunes libraries on different drives (or different locations on the same drive) on a single computer. A real disappointment.

Dec 30, 2005, 12:41 AM	#1
Sttesuhc macrumors member Join Date: Jul 2005	How to merge 2 iTunes libraries and sync to a new iPod? Hi everyone- I did a couple of searches before posting to try to answer this myself, but no luck. Here's the deal.... I have an iTunes library on my old G4 desktop. I also have many of the same songs/playlists on my new iBook, but there are also new songs that exist only in the iBook library. I want to consolidate the two libraries by making the iBook the one and only library. It would be nice to preserve all playlists by merging or syncing, but at a bare minimum I'd be happy to simply end up with all of my songs on the iBook without duplicating any songs. To complicate matters, the G4 desktop library contains about 20 songs from iTMS that were not readily transferring to my iBook due to the digital rights. Is there any obvious or easy solution to this? I'm afraid to try something like copying one iTunes folder to the other computer. Also, when I first got the iBook, I tried to use the Apple "migration" tool program during setup, but the Firewire connection between computers wouldn't work. I just mention it fwiw. My old 4g iPod died, and I got a new iPod via Applecare that contains nothing right now. I'd really like to get on with assembling a library from all of my CDs, but I really don't want to re-rip things and start over. That's just not an option. Thanks for any help!
	0

Jul 22, 2007, 01:51 PM	#3
acertant macrumors newbie Join Date: Jul 2007	How to merge 2 iTunes libraries and sync to a new iPod? A new product called TuneRanger has just been released that will synchronize or merge iTunes libraries on separate computers over a network. It will sync music, video and even playlists. It takes care of duplicates and shows results in iTunes right away. It can also sync directly to iPods allowing you to auto sync one ipod on multiple computers and in two directions (iTunes<-->iPod). Versions of TuneRanger are available for both Mac OS X (universal) and Windows so you can sync or merge iTunes libraries on different platforms together. Visit www.acertant.com or www.tuneranger.com for more info or to download a free trial.
	0

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Dec 30, 2005, 01:35 AM	#2
iMeowbot macrumors 601 Join Date: Aug 2003	You should be able to drag the older music folder onto the new machine's iTunes main library pane, or you can use the File->Import... from the new iTunes to get your old stuff in.
	0

Oct 17, 2007, 08:00 PM	#4
brossow macrumors newbie Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mankato, Minnesota	Using TuneRanger to merge two libraries (with playlists) is all well and good if you're working with two computers on a network, but it's utterly useless if you have two iTunes libraries on different drives (or different locations on the same drive) on a single computer. A real disappointment.
	0