There are lots of reports on the 'net about Apple’s plans to kill off iTunes. Or maybe not kill off completely, it looks more like a reorganisation of various services into separate apps, so iTunes will probably live on in some form.
This does have implications for Roon, in particular for users that use iTunes to create playlists, which are then imported and become accessible within Roon.
I look forward to seeing what Apple announce tomorrow.
I guess it will come down to how much of iTunes functionality can or will be added to Apple Music. In my world, we are still a very long way away from the point at which streaming from web based sources is consistently reliable, so I am heavily reliant on local storage, both at home and for portable music players.
My impression reading the rumors is that Apple wants to separate streaming from collecting (my words). Millennials and Zoomers think “collecting” music is a waste of time and Apple wants an ideal streaming experience for their eco-system. And, they really want to completely separate iOS devices from iTunes and macOS, which has already started with apps and music/video will be next. Dragging along the baggage that is iTunes is a pain.
But I haven’t read anything that makes me believe that iTunes itself will go away. I will be in real trouble if that happens, as I have almost 8 TB of music and video content streaming from a Mac Mini running iTunes to various devices (Apple TVs, iPads, Roon Server).
I’m sure you’ll be able to find some other software to take over if iTunes vanishes in an Apple product update. Just make sure you back up your library in case they decide you will no longer need an iTunes music folder!!
Yes. I have about 100 playlists (some of which I’ve curated since cassette tape and MiniDisc days 
) I do have a parallel library that is all FLAC - I have been prepared for Apple to pull out the rug. I am actually more worried about my video collection, which includes a lot of content purchased from Apple, but far more ripped/encoded from my personal collection of optical plastic.
I still don’t get how you play iTunes into Roon… maybe I am misunderstanding what you are saying?
What I meant was: I use my iTunes library as a source for Roon.
It’s rumored that iTunes will be split into several standalone apps, Music, TV, Podcast, etc. And not before time, iTunes has grown into a huge rambling collection of functions. I’m sure playlists won’t be terribly affected, except for moving to an app called Music, but we’ll see later today…
ITunes needs to be put out of its misery.
Apple used to offer such amazing software - intuitive and easy to use but now nearly everything they touch is cumbersome, slow and obscure.
I loved iPhone 4 when it came out but I hate iPhone X and the latest IOS 12.
Apple is like eating your meal with one of those massive Swiss army pocket knives - it has many options but none of them are as good and comfortable to use as a plain knife and fork.
I’ve had an iPhone of some description as a corporate device since around 2008. Finally divorced my private and corporate life by getting my own Pixel 2 XL. Best device I’ve ever had, so much so it’s made me despise my iPhone.
Does make me wish Roon had a mobile app.
Yes… let the Apple Hate flow through you!
I will say this: iTunes is a far better music library manager than Roon. I mean, at least I can create playlists based on arbitrary metadata… I can rip CDs… I can edit metadata… there is a mobile solution for my music collection… I could go on and on.
No, definitely no Apple hate here, in fact, it’s quite the opposite in this household…
Update: confirmed, iTunes will be split into 3 apps. Music, TV, and Podcast.
Yes, it’s what everyone predicted: separate apps for music, video and podcasts. But I didn’t hear anything to lead me to think that my collection is at any risk of not being playable; they were vague on what happens to existing collection.
My guess: they will blow the dust off of iTunes Match and allow a “match” of existing content with their library, thus streaming “your” music and Apple Music from the same cloud. iTunes match is still running, so that would be the path of least resistance for older music collectors.
Personally, what will be really interesting to see: will they do something similar with movies and TV shows that are loaded in iTunes that you didn’t purchase from Apple (i.e. ripped from DVDs and BDs)?
If Apple is too draconian in how they handle existing non-Apple content (e.g. ripped CDs), it will be arrivederci, Apple, and I will flip over to my FLAC library, use Roon for in-house music and Spotify for mobile playback (which is what I do, today).
I have always found iTunes to be a decent library management tool. Most of all, I can sync a playlist to a portable device over WiFi, listen to my music offline, and sync those play counts back to iTunes at the end of the day. I have not found any other application that offers that feature.
Roon is beautiful. It is also completely useless to me when I have to go to work, where most of my listening hours are spent.
I use I tunes to import content to Roon. My question is will Roon co to us to work with the new imusic- or whatever apple’s doing to the software?
As a long time Mac user who has seen and lived thru umpteen system software changes, I’ll simply speculate that Apple likely won’t mess with the ‘Music’ folder (other than probably relocate it, since it currently resides in the soon-to-be-eliminated ‘iTunes’ folder).
But regardless, Roon simply will need to be pointed to the new location so that it can continue to use it as a ‘watched folder’.
You’re right. That is comforting.
I’m just still bitter about losing the pro photo software Aperture and having to convert everything.
Agreed. I bought aperture and within a year they dropped it. Lousy support from a mediocre company. Sad to see the decline of this once great company stumble. I blame a lack of leadership at the head of Apple.