iTunes: Local files, Apple Music & 'Use iCloud Music Library?' prompt

[marekkurlmann]

My entire music library––1,000-plus albums––lives on a hard drive and is ripped to Apple Lossless format; some of the files are 24-bit and 48/96/192kHz. For years, I've gone to considerable lengths to ensure that I'm using the highest-quality files that I can.

After getting started with Apple Music, iTunes prompts me:

Use iCloud Music Library?
Since you have music on this computer, your playlists and songs will be combined with your iCloud Music Library. You can change this in General Preferences.
​

What happens if I select yes? Will iTunes use Apple Music's lo-res streams for all of my music file instead of my local high-quality files?

FYI - I've been an iTunes Match user for years and have my local library matched with lo-res ALC files to my iPhone and iPad. It's worked extremely well.

Before I do anything, I want to ensure that iTunes (1) will continue to use my local files; (2) doesn't screw anything up.

 

[orioncrystalice]

Do NOT check use iCloud Music Library, you will be a sad panda of rage.

 

[Rigby]

After getting started with Apple Music, iTunes prompts me:

Use iCloud Music Library?
Since you have music on this computer, your playlists and songs will be combined with your iCloud Music Library. You can change this in General Preferences.
​

What happens if I select yes? Will iTunes use Apple Music's lo-res streams for all of my music file instead of my local high-quality files?

FYI - I've been an iTunes Match user for years and have my local library matched with lo-res ALC files to my iPhone and iPad. It's worked extremely well.

In theory, nothing should change, since you are already using the "iCloud Music Library" through iTunes Match. The new name is just referring to the fact that the cloud library can now also hold Apple Music songs in addition to purchased and matched/uploaded ones. In practice, some people's .itl files seem to have been messed up, and there have been various glitches when adding Apple Music songs to playlists. If you want to try it, I'd recommend backing up your library first just in case. Were you logged in to Match after upgrading to iTunes 12.2 but before signing up for Apple Music?

 

[marekkurlmann]

Were you logged in to Match after upgrading to iTunes 12.2 but before signing up for Apple Music?

Thanks for the information and warning, Rigby.

I'd been logged into Match on iTunes since well before June 30. I signed up for Apple Music on my iPhone on the afternoon of the 30th, then upgraded to iTunes 12.2 on the evening of the 30th.

BTW, my libraries are working perfectly on my iPhone (tracks mostly stored locally, with some on the cloud) and iPad (all tracks on cloud).