핸드북:Setup/iTunes

iTunes is central music repository since 2008. It has virtually all the music I downloaded since then. (Some are lost when I was using Android and made no backup to desktop.)

Backup

Since iTunes is the source of truth for my music DB, $HOME/Music/iTunes (hereinafter $iTunes) folder MUST be properly backed up, and ready for restore. Various backups are protecting iTunes folder, automatically and manually.

• macOS Time machine automatically backs up the changes every hour, or when the disk is connected to mac.
• Periodically, $iTunes folder is copied to Windows 10 device, where Backblaze will archive the changes to the Backblaze backup server.
• $iTunes folder will be then copied to two additional external HDD drive, stored offsite.
• Once every 3 or 4 months, the snapshot of $iTunes is uploaded to S3 drive. Due to the cost issues using S3, S3 stores only recent 5 backups.

Restore

iTunes restore is used fairly often, due to iTunes' problem with iPhone syncing. Common reason includes this (Korean).

Properly shutdown iTunes app, then fetch the $iTunes folder, and overwrite the $iTunes with the new one.

Tags

Metadata is love. But improperly configured metadata sucks. That's why I don't use iCloud music library since they mess up my custom conventions. Conventions are:

Artists

• If artists' name is in Korean (English), remove (English). Example: 레드벨벳 (Red Velvet) should be 레드벨벳.

Album

• If album name includes $x$집 (in Korean), it should be removed. Texts in English (i.e. The 2nd Album) are not removed.
• Album name and the Xth album should be distinguished by -, not : or anything else. I.E. The Red Summer: Summer Mini Album is incorrect, it should be The Red Summer - Summer Mini Album.
• Korean (English) is fine.
• They should all have correct artists, tracks, and disc numbers.

Songs

• Genre - should be left as is if upstream (the source of the file) has configured it. Make it English, if it's in Korean.
• Composer - Korean 가나다, then Last name ABC order. i.e. 유영진, Whitney Phillips, Maxx Song, Stereotypes.
• Should have album art and lyrics.

Last.fm

Install last.fm scrobbler and log in. Make sure it is kept open during music play.