• I don’t want some app that moves my files around. I’ll store my damn files where I want to store my damn files thank you very much.
• I prefer to have files and playlists which I create as list of files that I want to play. When I MP3ify my songs from already-digital CD tracks, all those silly MP3 tags get attached based on some out-yonder database that has info that other folks have entered, and they don’t always spell band names, album names, etc the same way; and forget stuff like genre. When I digitize my old vinyl or cassette tapes, I type 'em in myself but again they may not match what other folks put. And MP3 files obtained in other ways may also vary. So forget organizing based on MP3 tag metafile content. Just let me deal with files as files thank you very much.
[/QUOTE]
I think you’re going about this the wrong way…
I switched to iTunes from winamp a few years ago. This was before I got a Mac, btw. But when MP3s first got bit, I did as everyone else did and had my folder with MP3s in them. As my collection grew larger I started to organize more and more, and in the end it became a lot of work.
I initially didn’t like iTunes moving them around either, but then I realized that I needed to let go of control of this part of my file system. Why do I need to know where they are anyway? The thing is that iTunes does everything I’ll ever need to do with MP3 files anyway. It can burn them as MP3s, or a CD (rarely ever use these anyway now though) and it plays them. If you want to move the files around, you can simply just select and drag them into any finder window. I don’t miss the days of manually renaming files at all.
The thing about iTunes (for me) is that it’s very much like anything else Mac. If you try to make it work your way, you won’t win, but if you adapt to the Mac way of things it will mostly work out better.
As far as the claims of slowness, I haven’t used it on a PC, so I don’t know. It wouldn’t surprise me though.
[QUOTE=AHunter3]
I don’t want some app that moves my files around. I’ll store my damn files where I want to store my damn files thank you very much.
[/QUOTE]
Just uncheck the “keep files organized” box, and it won’t move anything. You can structure your files and folders any way you wish.
[QUOTE=Slacker]
I use iTunes to organize everything and load my iPods, but I almost never buy anything from the iTunes Music Store these days. After being so gung-ho about DRM free music a while back, Apple seems to have given up recently. Almost nothing I’ve wanted to buy lately has been “iTunes Plus” stuff.
So I now get everything from Amazon. Their entire catalog is DRM free and higher quality 256KB MP3s. Their downloader even tosses songs I buy into my iTunes library after it downloads ‘em. Piece o’ cake. If iTunes ever catches back up I’ll download from them again, but in the meantime, it’s all Amazon all the time for me.
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Yeah I don’t have any of the experiences anyone else here has. The complaints about syncing your phone with the itunes store to activate it is ludicrous, that’s the simplest method of activation I’ve ever found.
However, you’re post is the biggest gripe I have with it. I use Amazon too, or CDBaby which gives a higher percentage to the actual artist/label than any of the big corporate jobs.
[QUOTE=Merkwurdigliebe]
The thing about iTunes (for me) is that it’s very much like anything else Mac. If you try to make it work your way, you won’t win, but if you adapt to the Mac way of things it will mostly work out better.
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:dubious:
With all due respect, this is an excellent working definition of a cult. IMHO.
Now, I understand that on the larger scale “Mac cultists” are petty - they aren’t about to camp out in Guyana and kill visiting congressmen for example.
But for myself, I prefer a lot more wiggle room when it comes to enjoying the things I enjoy, like computers and music.
[QUOTE=Merkwurdigliebe]
The thing about iTunes (for me) is that it’s very much like anything else Mac. If you try to make it work your way, you won’t win, but if you adapt to the Mac way of things it will mostly work out better.
[/quote]
:dubious:
With all due respect, this is an excellent working definition of a cult. IMHO.
[/QUOTE]
I think it’s an excellent working definition of computer software. Take a look at Windows, for example. I don’t want to put my data in stupid little folders called “my this” or “my that” but over the years I’ve been forced into following their structure because so many programs break if I don’t. I don’t want to use Microsoft Internet Explorer, but I’ve been forced into it for many Web sites, and I can’t delete it without breaking Windows.
I’ve found iTunes to be neither more nor less restrictive than everything else–most of the time people just don’t understand their software. They don’t realize that you can organize your folders your own way, that you can turn off the options you don’t like, that you can buy music from anywhere and put it in iTunes, etc. etc. etc.
On some things, you can easily do it your own way. On others, it’s just easier to sigh and do it their way.