macOS Catalina Causes Issues for DJs Who Used iTunes With XML File Support

[Compufix]

This is a standard Apple thing, many have fallen victim to updating and having things just break.

The main issue with this particular topic is Apple has had a documented API for doing this without the use of the XML file for a few years now and companies have been slow to add it to their development as the XML file was there. If the companies do not take advantage of provided API's then get caught with their pants down because they are using a different method than the official API...that isn't Apple's fault. My example above, is that Algoriddin DJAY is already using the API, so upgrading to Catalina did not break it. Also, these companies have not had access to the beta? They couldn't test and identify this very well known possible issue and able to update before Catalina officially launched? I know Apple can be properly blamed for many things..not in this case, in my opinion.

This is kind of the same thing as blaming Apple when companies tried to imitate an iPod over USB to be able to sync music using iTunes by trying to fool iTunes into thinking a legit iPod was connected, instead of using the XML file Apple provided at the time and developing their own helper app to do the syncing. When Apple fixed it so that didn't work anymore, everyone was crying that Apple was being unfair in blocking that instead of blaming the company for not utilizing the XML file that Apple provided exactly for that purpose. All the time these companies spent trying to work around the USB sync, they could have created their own software and used that XML file and been done with it.

 

[deevey]

I can verify that Algoriddim DJAY does indeed fully work on Catalina, including playlist support in the new music app ...


... and they have always supported quick updates for OS and iOS updates etc.

Genuinely is amazing software with few bugs (plenty of little gripes mind you).

OSX /iOS integration was the prime reason I switched. Far less of a CPU hog than NI / Serato and the iOS versions are even more polished than even the desktop version.

Midi mapping on the iPad was the final nail I needed to lock away Serato / NI

When it comes to Mac/iOS compatibility, they are waaaayyyyyy ahead of the curve.

 

[ljonesj]

im an odd ball but i hate that they decided to split itunes i actually like the idea of one app doing everything i do understand the others likeing it split my music is still in itunes but my videos and such that i made are on my nas for kodi to play on my tv. so now the split does not botherme as much the splitting of itunes made me do make a htpc. ill update to the newest osx later on

 

[CarlJ]

Please don't post an article for every tiny group of people that has been disenfranchised by this OS update.

Instead of urging a news site to not post news that isn't of interest to you - thus depriving everyone else of the chance of reading said news, perhaps you could simply skip over the articles that don't interest you. I mean, I know scrolling is hard, but I'm sure you can do it.

 

[occamsrazor]

It's not just DJ's, it also affects things like audiophile software Roon, as it used the XML file to import playlists from iTunes (if you preferred to still use iTunes for management purposes.)

 

[Lyoha]

I don't know about "never documented as a feature"...
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I stand (at least partially) corrected. I was going by what the original article stated. Perhaps it meant that use of the XML file was undocumented even though it was an option in iTunes (perhaps because of how widespread the use had become rather than by design). I genuinely don't know the details. As a developer myself though, if I do use a private API, which sometimes I do but generally avoid, I generally don't blame the upstream developers for changing said private API; I acknowledge when I use something at my own risk.

From what I have learned about this case so far (though I still won't claim to know enough to make a judgment either way), Apple did provide a replacement API several years ago for this purpose, and some app makers have transitioned to it. In such a case, perhaps Apple can still have some of the blame if the new API is insufficient compared to the old XML file. I do doubt that because an XML file isn't necessarily a sophisticated piece of software like an API generally is.

Again, I don't know enough details to make a judgment either way, and even though I have more information now that might suggest it's less of a hack than I initially believed, from what I do know so far, this doesn't appear to be an egregious sin on Apple's part. Software has to move forward, and unfortunately that breaks things sometimes. As a developer, I find that to be frustrating sometimes. However, with a replacement API being introduced years ago for this purpose, I believe Apple did their part in making the transition as painless as it could.

Edit: Perhaps I'm wrong and Apple really did make a mess here. Perhaps the new API is woefully inadequate (even though some apps have transitioned to it). So far, nobody has shown that to be true, however. All I've seen is a lot of conjecture and "Apple f***ed up again!" but no details showing Apple really did screw the app developers over, and that it wasn't laziness or naive reliance on the continued existence of the old feature on the developers' part.

 

[kidhack]

First off, not sure why Mac Rumors posters seem to be so anti DJ. We're not a small group and music producers have been performing with glowing Apples on stages since MIDI.

The real question here is why didn’t the DJ software companies implement the iTunesLibrary Framework that Apple released 5 years ago to avoid this mess? Apple gave a heads up to companies that they were changing things and they decided to ignore it. Pretty crappy customer service.

 

[ErikGrim]

There’s also a legal grey area. Streaming services don’t typically include licensing for public performance. But the notion is really cool.

It’s not a legal grey area. It’s a black and white legal area: no, you cannot in any situation perform in a public space using any streaming service - at all. Regardless if your DJ software support it.

 

[MAXAAPL]

Apple's habit of intentionally breaking things without warning anyone first is not one of their better qualities.

Yeah seriously. Currently dealt with this after upgrading to Catalina. Xcode can’t find c++ header files that it ships with leaving me with no choice but to revert back to Mojave. Not a pep from Apple despite many people mentioning in their developer forums and on Reddit. They pulled this same act last year. Moving things around for no reason.

 

[thefourthpope]

Please don't post an article for every tiny group of people that has been disenfranchised by this OS update. They changed a bunch of things, that's life. Don't update if it's important to you to use legacy features.

I took this as an article warning about a feature that was becoming a legacy.

 

[Defthand]

Oh no! This is tragic. Won't someone please think of the iTunes DJs who use XML (all 3 of them)?

What should they be using instead, and why?

 

[coolbeep]

When I was djaying I used my own self-organized folder, I dunno easier for me I guess.

 

[Defthand]

It's refreshing to see professional users and artists remind others that Apple products are used for things other than alieving boredom.

 

[Lyoha]

It's refreshing to see professional users and artists remind others that Apple products are used for things other than alieving boredom.

I think the universe exists to alleviate boredom. It's just nice if you can get paid for it as well, like if you're a computer manufacturer or a DJ.

 

[Defthand]

I think the universe exists to alleviate boredom. It's just nice if you can get paid for it as well, like if you're a computer manufacturer or a DJ.

I heard a Buddhist wind chime as I read your comment.

 

[jinnj]

Developers of DJ software should be ‘playing around’ with beta OS versions. It‘s reliant on them to ensure compatibility and to highlight such issues during the beta process.

Add to this that a better method of retrieving this data (iTunes Library) has been around for 5 years now.

 

[jinnj]

I completely understand the yearly updates- but sometimes I wish they would wait a bit longer and allocated some resources to communicate with different software communities during development before deploying the next update.

5 Years. That is how long the Music API has been available. And with notice of deprecation for over 3 years now: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ituneslibrary?language=objc

 

[djbuddha]

5 Years. That is how long the Music API has been available. And with notice of deprecation for over 3 years now: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ituneslibrary?language=objc

Understood, I agree, but ask the average DJ what an API even is.
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It’s not a legal grey area. It’s a black and white legal area: no, you cannot in any situation perform in a public space using any streaming service - at all. Regardless if your DJ software support it.

Agreed., you are correct. Spotify needs to be more transparent about this when you agree to use their service within a DJ app which is mostly promoted for public performance.

 

[djbuddha]

The main issue with this particular topic is Apple has had a documented API for doing this without the use of the XML file for a few years now and companies have been slow to add it to their development as the XML file was there. If the companies do not take advantage of provided API's then get caught with their pants down because they are using a different method than the official API...that isn't Apple's fault. My example above, is that Algoriddin DJAY is already using the API, so upgrading to Catalina did not break it. Also, these companies have not had access to the beta? They couldn't test and identify this very well known possible issue and able to update before Catalina officially launched? I know Apple can be properly blamed for many things..not in this case, in my opinion.

This is kind of the same thing as blaming Apple when companies tried to imitate an iPod over USB to be able to sync music using iTunes by trying to fool iTunes into thinking a legit iPod was connected, instead of using the XML file Apple provided at the time and developing their own helper app to do the syncing. When Apple fixed it so that didn't work anymore, everyone was crying that Apple was being unfair in blocking that instead of blaming the company for not utilizing the XML file that Apple provided exactly for that purpose. All the time these companies spent trying to work around the USB sync, they could have created their own software and used that XML file and been done with it.

It’s true, it’s the 3rd party vendors who should be more diligent in testing betas and actively searching for workarounds to implement.

It just sucks for the average end user who started their Mac journey during the “It Just Works” promotion narrative and just assumed it would.

My 2017 MBP is stuck on Sierra because a lot of hardware I use in my day job outside of DJ’ing won’t even operate on High Sierra and above.

Sadly, the $2000 price tag for a slightly updated piece of hardware with no benefit to me doesn’t merit me upgrading my OS to continue to work. I get the business model- but we all have to admit that some of this can be frustrating to say the least.

 

[efktd]

Some DJs are worried about Catalina breaking their DJ software, and I’m over here like, Catalina breaking Ableton Live 9 support.

 

[DudeDad]

This impacts Sonos users as well since Sonos uses the XML files to provide access to playlists.

 

[Lyoha]

Understood, I agree, but ask the average DJ what an API even is.

Which is why we pay and trust software vendors to do their job.

 

[CarlJ]

This impacts Sonos users as well since Sonos uses the XML files to provide access to playlists.

Given that there's a long-standing API to replace the XML file, Sonos ought to handle this, if they haven't already.

 

[edoates]

Please don't post an article for every tiny group of people that has been disenfranchised by this OS update. They changed a bunch of things, that's life. Don't update if it's important to you to use legacy features.

It's called backward compatibility, and in general, if a feature is going away that many depend upon, lots of warning is given: think about the removal of support for 32 bit apps: several Mac OS versions warned us, and now in Catalina, it's finally complete desupported. Not so with the sudden desupport of XML. DJ's are not beta testers, and desupport should have been telegraphed to them as well as those who build apps for DJ's well in advance. It was not. the OP is simply incorrect and in his comment.

 

[mikzn]

I don't really "get" most of these comments and concerns - you can still export an .xml file in seconds and leave it in the same location as the Music library - you could rename it "iTunes Library.xml" if that is what the 3rd party app needs to see

easy to do and just takes seconds and you have the same xml file that was always available ?