iTunes stopped downloading cover art ?

Posted by: james n on 08 June 2009

iTunes is set to import a CD, get artwork and eject. This its done faultlessly for the last year or so. Over the last couple of weeks its imported as usual but doesnt get the album artwork even though the album is listed on the iTunes store. I've just grabbed the artwork and manually imported. Anyone know why its suddenly stopped working ?

Cheers

James
Posted on: 08 June 2009 by pcstockton
Not sure but MacForums might be a good place to start.
Posted on: 08 June 2009 by Nathaniel
There has been an iTunes update recently. Dunno if that means anything. Perhaps they've changed the schema of the preferences and there's a bug which failed to migrate some preferences across during the update?

Anyway, open up the "Store" panel of the preferences, and see if "Automatically download missing album artwork" is checked.
Posted on: 08 June 2009 by David Dever
...and make sure your machine is logged in to the Store.
Posted on: 08 June 2009 by james n
Thanks folks - David i think thats it. Changed accounts recently so thats probably it Big Grin
Posted on: 08 June 2009 by GrahamFinch
Not sure why but I-tunes tells me it can't get artwork for cd's ripped as wav files.Seems stupid to me.

If you are ripping as wav try ripping to aac or mp3 and see if it works then.
Posted on: 08 June 2009 by pcstockton
Graham,

perhaps it is a tagging issue, as in, WAVs dont have them.

just a thought.
-p
Posted on: 09 June 2009 by js
quote:
Originally posted by GrahamFinch:
Not sure why but I-tunes tells me it can't get artwork for cd's ripped as wav files.Seems stupid to me.

If you are ripping as wav try ripping to aac or mp3 and see if it works then.
Other players will get and attach info for WAV. Whether it stays attached if exported is another matter. Music Monkey has no problem with getting and recalling data in wav for instance. In Itunes I'd probably just try AIFF and see if that sorts it. Still an uncompressed format. If not a MAC user, I'd use a different player.
Apple look to have intentionally ignored WAV tagging. It's probably the biggest player out there but seemingly the only one this difficult to use with WAV. Not accomidating WMA is understandable but limiting WAV convenience is taking it a bit too far, IMO that is.
Posted on: 09 June 2009 by pcstockton
JS,

It might be the most popular (by far) "player" out there. Yet it is only by accident that it is such. If iTunes was exclusively a player such as Winamp, Foobar, Media Monkey, it would be low on the list.

But since it is all but essential for iPods and is the portal to the iTunes store, it is by far the most widely used software for replay. Additionally, it is widely assumed (incorrectly) that it is the best possible option out there and requires no tweaking or modification to replay well.

In the end, Apple ONLY cares about,vis-a-vis iTunes, is selling music for a buck a song, at far from CD quality, to kids. You know the market with by far the most buying power via their parents.

So it makes complete sense to me, although it does suck.

-p
Posted on: 09 June 2009 by js
I believe it's also biggest in app size. This is clearly by choice.
Posted on: 09 June 2009 by garyi
Do the wavs have other tags?
Posted on: 09 June 2009 by js
They don't really have tagging as part of the format but a player can easily associate and import. You can rip with attached data to a neutral folder via EAC etc. and most players will bring the info along to the library. In instances where you rip directly into the program, those programs will also hunt and attach. If you know how, you can import a rip without info and have MM help to get all the info in well under a minute. With Itunes, just use AIFF. I think it will then do the same.
Posted on: 09 June 2009 by DHT
PC Stockton wrote,

Additionally, it is widely assumed (incorrectly) that it is the best possible option out there and requires no tweaking or modification to replay well.

Care to expand.
Posted on: 10 June 2009 by pcstockton
quote:
Originally posted by DHT:
Care to expand.

DHT,
Not really. It been hashed over many times in other threads.

Lets just say iTunes, and by extension, the Mac OS, lacks many features I feel are essential to the process.
Posted on: 11 June 2009 by DHT
PC I use a mac and itunes please tell me the tweaks and modifications that ,in your opinion it needs!
Posted on: 11 June 2009 by james n
DHT - if you have any Naim CD's then try downloading some of the CD quality tracks to compare with your iTunes ripped copies. I'd be interested in what you think if you do try this.

Cheers

James
Posted on: 11 June 2009 by DHT
James Hi I will try it,but I sincerely doubt there wil be any difference whatsoever!
Posted on: 12 June 2009 by connon price
Good idea, James. I will have to try that myself.
DHT, I sincerely doubted any difference would be audible between different rips, either. But I first noticed a big difference when I played iTunes on MAC WAV rips through my iPhone/Wadia iTransport/DC-1 into Supernait and it sounded uninteresting. Wondered what all the fuss was about the Wadia unit. Played the HDX via DC-1 into Supernait and found the rips from the same CDs to be much better.
Lots of variables, though.
Transferred some of the HDX rips into iTunes and loaded them onto the iPhone. HDX rips sound noticeably better than iTunes rips through my Etymotics and even when comparing them through Audio Engine powered speakers.

I look forward to your findings.

And by better I mean all aspects of music. all instruments seem more harmonically complete, dynamics are better, bass is more taught and tuneful. Better music.
Posted on: 12 June 2009 by DHT
It would seem Alan Sircon doesn't agree with you!
'As confimed by Alan Sircom is HIFI+, Issue 65, Page 33 that all being secure mode is used the HDX files are identical to files ripped using Exact Audio Copy and iTunes'
Posted on: 12 June 2009 by james n
Give it a try with the downloads - on 24bit it was better (unsuprisingly) - on 16bit i couldnt tell any difference between the CD and the download.

So either i am deaf or iTunes does a good job of ripping and i need not worry.
Posted on: 12 June 2009 by js
quote:
Originally posted by james n:
Give it a try with the downloads - on 24bit it was better (unsuprisingly) - on 16bit i couldnt tell any difference between the CD and the download.

So either i am deaf or iTunes does a good job of ripping and i need not worry.
Which disc did you try that with?
Posted on: 12 June 2009 by james n
Jason Carter - From the North

Daniel Mulhern - Pigeon Coup

Both in 16/44.1 flac - converted to AIFF by Max
Posted on: 12 June 2009 by pcstockton
James,

you used Max to rip the Disc?

-p
Posted on: 20 June 2009 by J.N.
Handy Widget

John.
Posted on: 20 June 2009 by Nathaniel
Handy Widget indeed.

Besides itunes and amazon, I've found barnesandnoble and allcdcovers are good sources for cover artwork when you can't be bothered to walk back and forth between scanner and armchair. But a handy widget for all of 'em would make the job much less tedious.
Posted on: 22 June 2009 by u5227470736789439
I would have thought not having to have visual art-work would be a considerable bonus!

ATB from George