I've been using iTunes for years now. I never used to have any problems with it. But in the last couple of years, things have changed. I've noticed that when I go upgrade my iTunes or computer, random files will go missing. These aren't even just songs that I've bought through iTunes, but songs I've uploaded from my CD collection. It's making me trust the whole system less and less. Does anyone here store their digital files from iTunes on something other than the Cloud?
Strum Drum Messages: 229 Registered: November 2017
Master
I use iTunes as well, but I also store music on my computer and back it up to an external hard drive too. I haven't noticed songs missing from my library, but I don't usually pay attention to that. Is the music being pulled from your account or just the device itself?
gofar99 Messages: 1939 Registered: May 2010 Location: Southern Arizona
Illuminati (5th Degree)
Hi, I use DVDs and CDs to store music. When stuff is on the cloud it is really not in your control...it is in the control of the server and while generally safe, it has been known to have issues on occasion. A good alternative to the cloud which I also use is to store music on external USB drives. 1 TB drives are dirt cheap now and you can put a lot of files on one. Just copy the music to your player when wanted.
I've had that happen to me too! I don't think I've ever lost music that I purchased through iTunes, but definitely songs that I've uploaded myself. It's only happened a couple of times, but that's enough for me. I store everything on a USB now, just like the other posters. It's really the only way to go these days.
I have about three places where I keep my mp3s so if one storage device dies, I still have the other two. My primary source is my phone, secondary source is my computer at work and last source is my external hard drive at home. So far, so go.
gofar99 Messages: 1939 Registered: May 2010 Location: Southern Arizona
Illuminati (5th Degree)
Hi, As I wrote earlier I never store anything on the cloud. It seems that the number of issues cropping up is getting larger all the time. With external USB back up drives so cheap now (1TB for under $60 and 2TB for not much more) I use them for storage of my music files. The stuff on the PC and player (I use a FIIO X3) is swapped out for new stuff about once a month from the USB drives. With the many thousand files I have...I don't trust the cloud. Some of my earlier files are stored on cds and dvd as data files. Storing things in the cd format limits the format to that for playing music and is not sufficient for some of my higher resolution files. Many are in 24/96 format and would be degraded as cd music files. For much home listening I use vinyl. Most are not digitized and with care can be played a lot of times on good gear (mine is). Probably in the 1000s range before any sonic issues are noted so there is no need to copy them. BTW most new vinyl comes with digital copies either on a cd or from the web. I also use reel to reel tape for some music. At 7.5 inches per second a standard 1200 foot tape will handle 30 minutes per side. The resolution and quality is very hard to tell from the original source (usually vinyl). As a purely analog method it avoids any possibility of the digitizing process screwing something up.