The iTunes Library.xml file is no longer created by default in recent versions of iTunes

Roon Software Discussion
1

"The iTunes Library.xml file is no longer used by the latest versions of Apple media applications on OS X Yosemite and later. Some third-party applications might still need it. Contact the software developer for more information.

If iTunes seems slow to open, try deselecting “Share iTunes Library XML with other applications.” "

My fix is to “point” Roon Labs to my ~/iTunes/iTunes Media/Music folder and “watch” for changes.

You may have to delete “stale” tracks (see storage settings) and most likely lose play counts and user inputted ratings/loves.

2

The iTunes Library XML is a machine-readable file containing the locations of your iTunes media files, a bit of metadata about the files, and your iTunes playlists. iTunes produces the XML file (and updates it as your library changes) so other applications can access your music library.

The Apple media applications (iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, etc) had used the iTunes Library XML to locate media for import into photo/movie/etc projects, but that is no longer the case. The technical bulletin linked above makes two points: 1) the Apple media apps (iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, etc) no longer use the iTunes Library XML file, and 2) generation of the iTunes Library XML file is disabled by default in recent versions of iTunes.

If you are looking for the simplest way to get your iTunes audio files into Roon, you should do as @o0OBillO0o suggests by going to Roon Storage settings and pointing a Watched Folder at the iTunes Media music folder. If you are not a heavy iTunes user and you just want to get your music into Roon, I recommend the Watched Folder approach.

On the other hand, if you want your iTunes playlists to appear in Roon you need to use the iTunes Storage option. Roon can read the iTunes Library XML to get info about your iTunes media files and, crucially, to import your iTunes playlists. Instead of a watched folder, you should enable iTunes Music Library in the Roon Storage settings. Additionally, as per the Apple bulletin, it is now important to make sure that the iTunes Library XML file is enabled in iTunes Preferences. Make sure that the checkbox, highlighted in red below, is ticked.

Share iTunes Library XML Preference.png656×621 88.1 KB

So long as Share iTunes Library XML is enabled, Roon will continue to import iTunes media and playlists properly.

3

@o0OBillO0o, I retitled this post because taken out of context, it could seem to mean that Roon no longer supports the iTunes library XML, which is not the case.

iTunes still supports this file (if you turn on the setting), but they no longer use the XML file internally or generate it by default–it’s only for interop with other apps, like Roon. My guess is that they don’t generate it by default because the vast majority of users don’t need it, and generating the file slows down iTunes.

Now that Apple is no longer generating this file by default, it’s necessary to turn on that setting in iTunes to make Roon’s iTunes integration work properly. With the setting on, everything should work the same as always.

4

FYI, I updated the FAQ post about iTunes watching to say we need that iTunes Library XML Sharing option enabled: https://community.roonlabs.com/t/how-do-i-import-my-itunes-library/120/2

5

Great follow up post gents. No issues with retitling, the original by design was to be sort of a listicle. :wink:

Follow up question, the playlists do appear in Roon using the .xml option, what must one do in order to batch edit Roon’s file data?

In other words, I have playlists of my 1 through 5 stars and “loves” in Apple iTunes, I want to use my iTunes playlists, that are now imported into Roon via .xml, that are:

  • 1 Star
  • 2 Star
  • 3 Star
  • 4 Star
  • 5 Star
  • Loved

and use Roon’s track editing feature to batch change the user star inputs and loves. Make sense? Ctrl-A in play list “Loved”, change all hearts to “Loved.” :smiley:

6

I still cannot import the iTunes Playlists into Roon. I have ticked the “Share iTunes library XML with other applications” in iTunes, I have made a shared folder in Roon, I have made a new iTunes library so the XML file is in right position. No iTunes playlists in Roon, too bad because I made tons, and tons of nice playlists …

KnockKnock

7

KL, can you verify your iTunes configuration? i.e. Local on your computer or remote on a USB Hard Drive.

IF local, then get in touch with a developer.

IF remote, using Mac OS X, create an alias of your iTunes .xml file, where ever you library is located and place the alias inside an folder named “iTunes” folder, inside your music folder (~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Library.xml)

Roon should find the .xml file if it’s placed on a local (OS X) drive.

Next, be patient as Roon has to parse the .xml file. Give your self some time. Do it at night, leave it going and wake up in the morning and Roon should have found and identified all the tracks and playlists.

Above is what I did. It’s not snappy as I would like it, but I have no idea what may be the issue. It works though.

8

Hi Bill
Sorry for the delay of my reply.

Yes, my iTunes is local on my harddrive. The music files on an external drive.

But still no success with them Playlists, and I´d REALLY need them ;=)
Best Regards KnockKnock

9

I have moved my iTunes library from my NAS to an Apple Mac Mini, as a dedicated ROON server/core.

I can see all my playlist in iTunes. I created the XML file as described an shared it with all apps.

ROON is showing a few playlists, but not all playlists. If I delete a playlist in iTunes, it will be deleted also in ROON. If I create a new playlist in iTunes, it will not be showed in ROON (but in ITunes).

Any solutions ? Thanks !

10

Hi @M_Moellen ---- Thank you for the report and my apologies for the troubles here.

Can you get us two pieces of information here? First, can you open one of the missing playlists in a text editor and find one of the file paths listed there?

Then, find that same file in Roon and check out the file information – you’re going to want to compare what’s in the playlist to the path Roon is looking for.

Example below :sunglasses:

-Eric

First, can you open one of the missing playlists in a text editor and find one of the file paths listed there?"

Step 1 - Highlight your M3U file, right click, select “open with”, and choose notepad.

Step 2 - Once the M3U file has been opened in notepad you will see the file paths that Mike had mentioned above (see example below)

PC_M3U-Step2.png995×316 12 KB

Tip - Once this document has been opened, minimize it so you have it on hand for your comparison to the content in Roon.

“Then, find that same file in Roon and check out the file information – you’re going to want to compare what’s in the playlist to the path Roon is looking for.”

Step 1 - In Roon navigate to “Overview” and select “Tracks”.

Step 2 - Once all your tracks are displayed, navigate to track(s) you are trying to compare from the M3U file you opened with “notepad”. Highlight the track(s) by using the right click function (see example below).

PC_M3U-Step4.png1366×768 86.6 KB

Step 3 - Once the desired tracks have been highlighted, you will see a bar appear at the top of the screen. Click the “Track Info” icon.

Step 4 - Once opened the files paths as well as any information on the content will be displayed.

PC_M3U-Step5.png1366×768 115 KB

Step 5 - The paths you see highlighted in the “file info” pop are what you are going to want to compare to the M3U export which you opened with “notepad”.

11

I think my mistake was, that iTunes playlists were only shown if the tracks were downloaded on the mac running iTunes and Roon core/server.

If I only add a track to my iTunes library without downloading the track, there is no playlist on Roon - right ?

12

Hi @M_Moellen ----- Thank you for the follow up here and apologies for any confusion on my part as I may not be fully understanding your most recent post.

In order for Roon to be able to import an iTunes generated playlist properly the M3u file must be nested in the same location as the content that is in it so Roon can resolve those file paths correctly.

-Eric

13

Hi !

I have Still problems with iTunes Playlist in ROON 1.3.

I have iTunes playlists on iTunes with 250 songs - nearly all of them I havn´t bought on iTunes, but added to my iTunes libary an playlists using my Apple Music streaming subscription. So this (streaming) songs are also local downloaded on my Mac in iTunes/iTunes Media/Apple Music. My own songs (the songs I bought) an local on my Mac in iTunes/iTunes Media/Music.

for Roon.jpeg1470×250 67.4 KB

Under Roon 1.3 I have set:

for ROON 2.jpeg918×692 52 KB

But I have still the same problem, that the playlist with iTunes Apple Music content aren´t shown unter ROON in the playlist - from 250 Songs in one playlist, I can see 6 songs in ROON under the sam playlist.

Isn´t it possible to play Apple Music streaming content (saved local on my Mac) in ROON using iTunes playlists ?

14

I’m actually not familiar with the workflow of buying content through Apple Music, but common sense says me if iTunes/iTunes Media/Apple Music and iTunes/iTunes Media/Music contains files in a supported (by Roon) file format you should be able to copy tracks in a separate folder, then point Roon to that folder and app will pick them up.

15

?

You havn´t proofed this funcionality ?

16

Hi @M_Moellen ----- Thank you for the report and my apologies for the troubles here. May I kindly ask you for the following:

  • Please post the details of your setup, especially your Core platform
  • If possible, please zip up the Logs folder from the install that’s crashing (they are in your Roon database folder) and upload them to Dropbox. Paste the Dropbox link in your reply here.

If you don’t have Dropbox or a place to upload them, just flag @support and we’ll let you know how to send them over to us.

-Eric

17
Summary

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/es0kckkk5gmnfqk/AACnPbb8VoLD4L2As3RmT88Ha?dl=0

Above the hidden dropbox-link.

The core platform:

MacMini i5 (late 2014) /500 GB SSD
MacOS Siera 10.12.3
Roon 1.3
iTunes 12.5.5.5 (local iTunes library)

iPhones, iPads and a Macbook Pro for remote.

18

Awesome @M_Moellen :+1: thank you for the follow up and sharing your logs with us. I will be passing these over to my developers for review. We appreciate your patience while we look into this issue.

-Eric

19

Just to confirm, the songs that appear to be missing, are they on your hard drive or do they stream from Apple Music? Can you play them in other applications, besides iTunes?

As far as I know, there are ways to save songs from Apple Music for offline use in iTunes but like any streaming service, the license is still tied to your Apple Music subscription and you don’t actually have DRM-free media on your local drive that can be played in other applications (like Roon).

Let us know if I’ve misunderstood @M_Moellen – if the files are indeed on your local drive and can be played outside iTunes, we’ll take a deeper look. Thanks!

20

I think this is the simple answer for my question. The songs are local on my SSD, but they are saved MPEG-4 audio files.

So I think the only way to play these songs with ROON, is to import the iTunes playlists into TIDAL (therefore ROON has the licence to play them).

TIDAL as the only integrated streaming solution, is a big disadvantage from ROON, because the iTunes integration in the iOS and MAC OS and Shazam etc makes it much easier to use iTunes as TIDAL and has a lot of advantages. Therefore I would accept the sound quality disadvantage. I would prefer an iTunes integration in ROON. For now I have to handle with two streaming accounts, expensive and complicated.

TIDAL is to small to exist in the future. What about the worth of a lifetime ROON licence then ?