iTunes messes up ID3 tags with own cover-art..??

[Thrash911]

Hey people,

Recently got a new car radio that can play MP3 files.. I get my mp3 files from iTunes. Those mp3 files that I have added my own cover art to, is f*cking up the music. The car radio will not play them properly. If I strip the covert art of a faulty mp3, it plays fine in the car radio.

It's easy to check, because the playback time is listed right under the mp3 file, if you right-click on an mp3 file (within iTunes!), and choose "Show in Finder". If the time is messed up (shows a way too long play time), it's not playable in the car radio. If I then remove the cover art in iTunes, and check again in "Show in Finder", the time is correct, and the file is playable in the car radio.

If I got the cover art the "official way", which is "Get Album Artwork" in iTunes, the cover art is NOT affecting the play-time...

This sucks, as I have to temporarily remove cover art, when I'm getting mp3 files for the car.

Is there any way to add your OWN cover art, and NOT having it affecting the file in a bad/wrong way..?

I use iTunes v7.0.2 (15)..

 

[live4ever]

iTunes 7 I thought doesn't add artwork to the files directly but to a folder in ~/Music/iTunes/Album Artwork.

 

[Thrash911]

Well, I do have some files in the path you suggested (.itc files?). But I'm sure cover art is a part of the ID3 tag, at least from ID3 tag v2.3 (and maybe 2.2?) and up. I'm sure because the mp3 file size changes, when you add/remove the cover artwork.

 

[theBB]

You can add your own cover art to the ID3 tag, but iTunes should be adding them to ~/Music/iTunes/Album Artwork so that the file sizes don't go up too much. Afterall it is a bit of waste to add the artwork for every song in an album. It sounds like there is something wrong with your setup.

 

[apfhex]

If I got the cover art the "official way", which is "Get Album Artwork" in iTunes, the cover art is NOT affecting the play-time...

The "Get Album Artwork" function does not add the art work to the file. If you put the artwork in yourself, however, it does get added to the ID3 tag.

Have you tried adding the artwork with some other ID3 tag editing application, to see if iTunes is the problem? Or considered that your car's MP3 software sucks and can't handle files with album art in them?

 

[Thrash911]

Yes, apfhex, the car player definetely gets confused when there is album artwork in the files. That is for sure. So I guess I'll have to temporarily strip the tags of artwork, before moving them to the car. A little irritating, but no biggie..

Anyone know of a way to FORCE iTunes to save the self-added album artwork as seperate files, instead of adding to ID3 tag..? I really can't find any settings for this..?