# iTunes Problem - Am I the only one?



## kg4fxg (May 24, 2009)

OK,

Yes, I am still very much into classical music - just don't post much but read the posts.

I ran into a problem recently with iTunes, about the last 5 or 6 Albums I have purchased the composer does not download, but I see the composer in the store. Anyone else have this issue?

Yes, I spoke to iTunes via chat twice and through email. I can't seem to get through to them that there is a problem. I realize that not all music will download a composer, but it normally does if you see that field (Tag) while sampling the album in the store.

Can you recommend other sites that offer classical music for purchase that is as reasonable as iTunes? 

BTW, for most albums that are only two different composers it is not a huge problem as I change the tags anyway. This may be more info than you want, but to display the piece and composer I copy that info to Lyrics and it will display nice on the iTouch or New Nano. Lyrics is hardly used and even displays nice on the Classic iPod. Use an add-in to copy any Tag in your library to Lyrics.

I rename all composers in the following form:

Paganini, Niccolo (1782-1840); ITA; ROM

This tells me the Birth and Death date, he is Italian, and the period of music is Romantic. So in Lyrics, and a tap on the screen I see the following all at once:

Name:
24 Caprices for Violin, Op. 1 No. 5 in A Minor
Composer:
Paganini, Niccolo (1782-1840); ITA; ROM

So not only can you enjoy a piece of music but also learn something about the composer as well And you can see it all at once. I could even add the Artist as part of the display.


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## Guest (Oct 12, 2010)

You can change the Composer information as well. You can just type it in manually. If there are multiple composers for an album, just select the tracks individually (or as a group) and change the composer as needed. I frequently change the information so as to have continuity in my library (so I don't have some works by Ludwig van Beethoven, some by Beethoven, Ludwig van, some by Beethoven, etc.).


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

I use a program called MediaTagger that does a good job of bulk re-tagging. I like to get rid of track numbers as the iPod and other playback formats tend to want to sort by track number, a big mess when you have several albums loaded. I also like to get rid of the genre tag. I think it's a silly waste of bytes, and often wrong or irrelevent.

My biggest problem with iTunes and other download sites, is they break continuous movements into separate files causing an ugly gap in playback when often it's the transition from one movement to another that is a highlight of the the piece -- as in Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5, 2nd and 3rd movements. I often have to load these into Audacity and glue them back together and I'm not sure if I'm losing any sound quality by doing that. 

I much prefer to rip from CDs (that I have purchased) and make my own mp3's, but downloading may be the way of the future and even the present. 

I suppose it's still far better than tape hiss or vinyl pops and scratches, so I shouldn't complain.


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## haydnguy (Oct 13, 2008)

As I have never used iTunes, would you say that iTunes' downloads are cheaper than Amazon?

Thanks.


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## kg4fxg (May 24, 2009)

*iTunes*

Thanks all......

iTunes albums cost $9.99 each but some are cheaper. I bought a sampler of 49 pieces which I don't normally do and had to manually type the Composer information in my library.

Weston, we are but mere mortals and it is our duty to complain until we become like the Gods in Wagner's Operas. But yes anything beats tapes and LP's. But I remember them well, even 8-Track but never had but a few of those thankfully.


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## Petwhac (Jun 9, 2010)

Weston said:


> My biggest problem with iTunes and other download sites, is they break continuous movements into separate files causing an ugly gap in playback when often it's the transition from one movement to another that is a highlight of the the piece.


Yes, this is very annoying. I actually purchased Die Meistersingers- they chopped it into 64 seemingly random chunks. I don't know why they couldn't make it many less and longer extracts. Fools!!


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## bassClef (Oct 29, 2006)

I've never bought a track from iTunes and I never will.


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## Guest (Oct 13, 2010)

I am actually a huge fan of iTunes. My non-professional ears can't detect the differences in sound quality above a certain level, and the Apple lossless format suits my ears just fine. Until the kids grow up and head to college, I doubt I'll be able to afford a sound system that would improve my appreciation for downloaded vs. CD/SACD quality.

An advantage of iTunes is that there are many things available there that you can't find (at least without paying top dollar) elsewhere. With no shipping costs, and albums typically cheaper than buying the CD, I get more for my money.

That said, I do often hate how they chop up the tracks. I will not buy many of Bernstein's Mahler symphonies off of iTunes, because they will chop them up into a billion individual tracks, which is ridiculous. But in most cases, I have been quite happy.


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## haydnguy (Oct 13, 2008)

Dr. Mike, are there actually gaps in the music itself? In other words, does the music actually stop? I have a few CD's where the tracks split the movement but the music doesn't stop. Thanks.


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## Ravellian (Aug 17, 2009)

Hey haydnguy, to answer your question, no the music doesn't stop. However, there might be a tiny "hiccup" sound as iTunes changes tracks in the middle of the piece. Not all the time, but sometimes. And it's also annoying when there are so many tracks because it makes it harder to organize and name everything. 

For the record, I have my own organization system for iTunes.. I always input all the information myself, since I don't like how CDs and iTunes import the information. Like, since I have a mix of popular and classical music, I don't bother with the composer field and I just put whoever wrote the music under "Artist."


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