What is the best way to manage my iTunes accounts/libraries on my new iMac?

[OnlineGuy44]

I just bought a new iMac and I'm stymied as to what I should do in terms of importing my old iTunes music.

Here's what I've got:
1 new iMac
1 desktop PC with MY iTunes account (once I take the iTunes music off of here, I'll be done with this computer)
1 laptop PC with my wife's iTunes account - (this laptop will still be used for a while to come)
2 iPhones - each one is currently set to our individual accounts.

What I want:
My wife and I no longer need separate iTunes accounts (if that makes it easier in the long run...?). I'd like to have all music combined from our PCs and playable on the new iMac. Also, I want the entire library playable on the laptop. I'd like to be able to make purchases on either computer and have them available on either computer without too much hassle, but I'm not sure this is even possible. And, of course, I'd like to be able to sync each of our iPhones to the iMac but with different users (pulling from the same library, but with different apps on each - if possible).

Needless to say, I've convinced myself this is the most confusing iMac/iTunes migration ever. I'm a Mac newbie, so I'm sure you guys know a lot more and have good suggestions for what I should do. THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!!!

 

[AppleNewton]

I dont sync to my devices, but my idea would be a centralized storage device that would hold all the music files (so when you download something from your Mac it will go to that location, and when your wife purchases something from her account it will goto that location as well; if i recall right).
(I do this on two MacBook's I use, but i manually pull music into my ipod and just point each comp to a Network storage drive...so its bit more manual as I import most of my music)

As far as syncing libraries i think iTunes 9 helps with that with Shared Library...I havent messed around with it too much myself yet.


But i think once you have a main storage point for all your music and whatnot you should be able to sync and pull from there on either account you connect to and whatever comp you connect to.

maybe someone else can add onto that and get a better elaboration...as myself am always looking for a better way to improve streamlining my library amongst comps.

hope it helps some

 

[swiftaw]

The new Home Sharing option in the latest version of iTunes can be used to keep the iTunes libraries of two computers on the same network in sync. (I think, never actually tried it)

 

[parent723]

I too am a MAC newbie. We just used the home sharing in itunes 9 to move music and movies from several computers to a central computer that we all sync too. Very handy. I moved files from two different laptops (one Windows and one MAC) to a central desktop (Windows). We all sync our iphones/ipods to the desktop. Worked like a charm!