Transfer songs to different iTunes library and keep metadata

[mstruve]

Hi
Is there anyway of transferring songs from one iTunes library to another and keeping the comments and ratings?

 

[DewGuy1999]

If you transfer the entire library from one Mac to another, all the metadata will go with it, but I don't think there's a way to do it with individual songs.

 

[mstruve]

Looking at this again, it seems that if you transfer using an external drive then everything except the ratings copies across. Comments, artwork etc all stays intact. Anyone know why this might be?

 

[DewGuy1999]

Looking at this again, it seems that if you transfer using an external drive then everything except the ratings copies across. Comments, artwork etc all stays intact. Anyone know why this might be?

Take a look at these:

iTunes: What are the iTunes library files?

Macworld: What are all those iTunes files?

 

[Brian33]

I transferred some songs by using Home Sharing (or was I just using shared libraries?). From the new library, I connected to the source library, selected some songs, and dragged/dropped them onto the new library.

It copied album art, lyrics, and comments, but did not copy ratings. I guess they want to let the new person set the ratings in their new library!

(Actually, it seemed to miss the album art for a few songs, I have no idea why.)

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Looking at this again, it seems that if you transfer using an external drive then everything except the ratings copies across. Comments, artwork etc all stays intact. Anyone know why this might be?

I have a guess: I think mp3 format (and presumably the .m4a format) have "tags" that allow those things to be stored right in the music file. So in theory any program knowing about the tags could read them out.

 

[mstruve]

Take a look at these:

iTunes: What are the iTunes library files?

Macworld: What are all those iTunes files?

Thanks, but neither of those articles mention ratings.

----------

I transferred some songs by using Home Sharing (or was I just using shared libraries?). From the new library, I connected to the source library, selected some songs, and dragged/dropped them onto the new library.

It copied album art, lyrics, and comments, but did not copy ratings. I guess they want to let the new person set the ratings in their new library!

(Actually, it seemed to miss the album art for a few songs, I have no idea why.)

----------



I have a guess: I think mp3 format (and presumably the .m4a format) have "tags" that allow those things to be stored right in the music file. So in theory any program knowing about the tags could read them out.

Yes I think you are on the right lines here - iTunes stores some info, like comments and artwork, in the mp3 file itself. But ratings are presumably stored in the .itl file so don't carry across when you move the mp3 file.

Seems strange though as I'm pretty sure that mp3 files can be tagged with ratings.