'Ineligible' status - for tracks only on iCloud

[Bruce1498576221]

Hi guys,

 

Would welcome any advice with my iTunes Match subscription:

 

[ATTACH=full]129[/ATTACH]

 

Returned from a trip overseas to find my Matched iTunes library (25,000 tracks, 230 GB) littered with 'Ineligible' under iCloud status, about 500 in total, with duplicates of the same marked as 'Removed' (not by me AFAIK). 'Ineligible' don't play (iTunes just skips to the next track), 'Removed' play locally without difficulty. Neither exist on my iOS devices which access my Match library. I don't subscribe to Apple Music.

 

To figure out what to do to fix this, I tried to resolve with an album's worth of files (ALL my files locally still exist, the trial sample were files I had personally ripped from a CD); I made backup copies of the files (which happily played in iTunes in their 'Removed' state), and deleted them from the iTunes library. My Itunes library (local) files ('Removed') were all deleted, but the 'Ineligible' versions remain, listed as in 'iCloud' from getinfo/File. If I copy the local files back into the local library, after Match does its thing, they get returned to 'Removed' status. If I right click and choose 'Add to iCloud Music Library', nothing happens (I think because the file still exists in the unplayable 'Ineligible' state).

 

How can I get rid of the files in 'ineligible' state in iCloud so I can upload the effected ones again? (I'm really trying to avoid having to upload all 230 GB of files again, given my upload is about 0.2 MB/s!)

 

Anyone have any ideas? I'm getting thoroughly fed up paying for such an imperfect system as Match - starting to think it's much more trouble than it's worth.

 

(seems related to the 'Phantom file I just can't delete' topic from June in this forum).

[kirkmc]

I don't know what you can do about this. I assume you've tried signing out and signing back in again? Sometimes, when you remove files and re-add them, you need to wait a while for the cloud to catch up, so if you re-add the files soon after removing them, it may make no difference.

 

Have you tried creating a new library, then looking to see what's in the cloud? Perhaps the ineligible files won't show up there. If so, rebuilding your library might fix it.

[Bruce1498576221]

Hi Kirk,

 

Thanks for coming back to me.

 

Yes, tried leaving it overnight to sort itself out; 'ineligibles' in iCloud won't budge.

 

Not tried rebuilding (not done it before either). It'll be a little adventure over the weekend!

 

Thanks again and I'll be sure to post any update.

[kirkmc]

Make sure to back everything up before rebuilding.

[Bruce1498576221]

Thanks Kirk - always do. Should I expect to need to re-upload all my audio following a rebuild? (Something I'm desperate to avoid).

[kirkmc]

That might or might not be necessary. If the rebuild doesn't work, then the next solution is to delete everything in iCloud Music Library and start over. Not much fun, I know, but there's no other way to troubleshoot these problems.

[Bruce1498576221]

Hi Kirk,

 

So I rebuilt the library.

 

I didn't need to upload my music library again.

 

Somethings happened, however; I've now accumulated 2000+ additional tracks, mainly because audiobooks and podcasts have become 'songs'. Not sure how to address that.

 

Also, a bunch of music files (1500+) have the correct song names, but are all the same track (in terms of audio content); I've tried deleting them locally, and downloading from Match, but I get the same result; this is making me think that all my problems originated in the cloud.

 

Also, my app library (still in place locally with 1500 apps) is no longer reflected in iTunes. Any tips on how to get my rebuilt library to see the app files again?

 

All in all, I'm beginning to think that iTunes isn't the library for me anymore - it's just too flakey. But what real alternatives are there?

[kirkmc]

For the apps, drag the folder to the iTunes window; that should re-add them all. Not sure what yo mean about correct song names but all the same track. To you mean there are 1500 copies of the same song with different tags for each?

[Bruce1498576221]

Not sure what yo mean about correct song names but all the same track. To you mean there are 1500 copies of the same song with different tags for each?

 

Actually, there are groups of about 6 different tags (different songs, but same artist each time) that contain the same audio (song) in each case. There are, I would guess, about 200 instances of this happening in my library (and unfortunately the files themselves contain the identical audio - Match must have screwed them up and redownloaded what I have locally) bizzarre, and depressing, as I've now lost those songs that belong to the tags associated to the wrong audio.

[kirkmc]

That's extremely odd. I've seen some strange things, but I haven't yet heard that. I did hear from someone who found a lot of tracks in his library that he had previously deleted, and was unable to delete. I suggested he contact Apple support to see if they can zero out the library; I can't think of anything else.

[Bruce1498576221]

Ok, insult to injury, I've just tried to play a track I ripped from a CD I own, 1 of 16 tracks, only to find, despite the correct tags for the song I own, that I have a song by Stan Ridgeway - which I have never owned nor would own! (The other 15 are as they should be). Wtf Apple?! My library of just under 25,000 tracks is totally unreliable, and in most cases, ruined. Someone tell my why I should trust Match/iCloud ever again?!

 

(I should point out that my previous post referred to mis-tagged songs that I DID own elsewhere, replacing other owned songs now lost).