Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with itunes

How do i get my podcasts to sync?

earthquakeglue — Sun, 19 May 2013 20:50:22 -0800

I just got a new ipod(classic) today, all the music synced fine and most of my podcasts too. However, i have 18 that won't sync and it keeps saying it can't find them even though they're all right there on itunes as i just downloaded them. I made sure everything was up to date, and even restarted itunes but still nothing. If it matters i'm using a mac(2007/08?), with itunes 11.0.3, snow leopard. Is there anyway i can get them to sync?

A USB key doesn't really lay right in an envelope, you know?

sparklemotion — Wed, 15 May 2013 17:28:49 -0800

How do I gift a physical representation of an MP3 download? Mr. Motion's birthday is in on the way and one of his gifts is tickets to see one of his favourite artists live this fall. Because the time between the birthday and the show is so long, I'd also like to give him a copy of this artist's newest album to listen to for now.

I could buy him the physical CD, but that seems like just giving him more work (since he'll have to rip it, then figure out storage for the physical disc -- our household doesn't really have those anymore). I know he'd really prefer to just get it in a digital format right away.

My ideal presentation for this gift would be something like one of those little iTunes Free Song/App cards that you get from Starbucks. There's a code on the back that you enter into iTunes and then it takes you right to the download for the media. I would also be fine with printing out an email with a code on it that he can type in at his leisure, I just want something physical that I can put in a card with the tickets.

So... how do I do this?

Parameters:
1.) Store: I'm ok with iTunes, Google Play, or Amazon MP3 (anywhere where he could eventually download a DRM-free MP3 (or better yet FLAC) version).

2.) Must be able to provide a download code for the specific album. I know I could buy an amazon gift card code for the amount of the current price but I don't like that solution because: the price could go up between now and when he downloads, also it adds extra steps, also gift cards are basically cash, and there is (in my opinion) something decidedly unromantic about giving cash, even if it is intended for a specific thing.

3.) Must be able to print out something with a code on it. I know that through Amazon, I can "give the album as a gift", but unlike with gift cards there seems to be no option to print the code, the only choice is to send an email. I don't want to send him an email, I want to physically hand him a card. I would send the email to myself and then print it for him, but from Amazon's sample email (screenshot), it doesn't look like they email a code with instructions, but rather just a link to click. (there is an order # there -- can anyone confirm that he'd be able to download it from that order number).

So, has anyone given a gift in this way before? I can't be the only tech-happy old-fashioned romantic with a credit card, can I?

iTunes organization fiasco

Mrs. Buck Turgidson — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 22:27:53 -0800

What am I doing wrong? iTunes is moving my music folders around causing havoc. iTunes lost its ability to find my music on an external drive. To fix this I specified the drive and folder location and had it re-find the music files. Then there were two copies of every file in the iTunes library. To solve that problem I deleted the entire library and then re-added all the music again. However I then noticed that for some reason iTunes had moved all the individual artist folders out of F: "my music", and place them in F:"hundreds of folders" which were then very inconveniently mixed in with every other file in that drive. The F:"my music" folder now just holds playlists.

I created another separate music folder, put actual music files in it, and I will need to let iTunes find them again. But I haven't done so yet, because I want to make sure they stay in the specified folder the next time I add them.

I guess I'm just asking for suggestions to make the process easier.

This is in Windows 8.

How should I spend $50 at the iTunes store?

gladly — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:50:55 -0800

I've been given a $50 gift card to the iTunes store, and I'd like some help spending it. I will probably end up buying some music, but movies/TV or books are out, because I don't enjoy watching or reading for long periods on my phone. I have an iPhone 4S. I'd really like advice on buying apps that will:

- Help me shoot better video. I really enjoy shooting video on the iPhone, and I'm learning to edit in iMovie.
- Menu preparation and grocery shopping. I buy and cook the same things all the time, and I want to plan more interesting meals.
- Tower defense games. I discovered Kingdom Rush from an FPP, and I love PvZ.

I'd love to hear about apps that you love and depend on, even if they don't fit into any of the above categories.

Take this tune, I want to lose it. Take this song, I'll never use it.

Danf — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 14:21:00 -0800

I was changing my iTunes email address, which is my iTunes I. D. My old email address is going away, necessitating the change. I got to looking in my purchases, and all of them were there, under the new I. D. but there were a handful of songs (6 or 7?) listed as purchased by me that I DID NOT purchase. A bunch of show tunes (not that there is anything wrong with that). I keep a close eye on my various financial accounts, and there are no unexplained purchases anywhere. How concerned should I be? My immediate inclination is that this is an Apple glitch, in that my new I. D., which is an email address I have had since the advent of Gmail, would be hard for someone to use, I think.

I do not plan on downloading any of this music that I have not purchased. What would you do?

Last Played and Play Count tags not updating in iTunes 11.0.2 (26)

terrapin — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 10:37:51 -0800

I am having a problem with iTunes 11.0.2 (26). It appears that the "Last Played" and "Play Count" tags are not updating, where they had been working for some time. I have tried the following fixes:

1. Confirming that Crossfade is off.
2. Turning Crossfade on and then off again.
3. Quitting and reopening iTunes.
4. Restarting my iMac.

This functionality is critical for me as I rely on playcounts to update a smart playlist for an internet radio stream that I help maintain. Does anyone have any fixes for this problem outside of what I have tried already?

My system specs are:
iMac, 24 inch, Late 2008
OS X 10.8.3 (12D78)

Music Library Management for iPad/Linux

gd779 — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 15:31:04 -0800

Is there an application that runs on iOS, or that runs on Ubuntu and has an iOS client, that will allow me to manage (as oppose to merely play) my digital music collection? I need to be able to import new files I have ripped, edit tags, and edit file/folder structure from my iPad due to carpal tunnel syndrome. I have a large, poorly organized digital music collection that I want to organize and add to. These music files reside on a NAS on my network. The challenge is that, due to my carpal tunnel syndrome, I can't use a keyboard or mouse. I need to be able to manage my music library (edit tags, edit file names and folder structures, etc.) using my iPad. It's the only device that doesn't cause me much pain.

In addition to my Synology NAS, I also have an always-on computer running Ubuntu. So an application that runs on Ubuntu and can be accessed from the iPad would be fine. (I also have a Windows machine, but the hardware is dying so it is not always on, and would probably not make a good server).

Then, in a perfect world, I would like new albums that I rip to my collection to be automatically uploaded to Amazon Cloud Player. Because my iTunes library is on the NAS, Cloud Player doesn't seem to detect new songs properly.

Any advice that anyone can provide would be greatly appreciated. Hours of googling has not turned up a solution. Maybe I'm doing it wrong.

Thanks!

iTunes backups silently failing, all data listed as "Other"

logopetria — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 04:12:07 -0800

I have an iPhone5 and an original iPad, which I back up to my PC (running iTunes on Windows XP). However, now when I plug in either device to the PC and start iTunes, all the data is listed as "Other" (in an orange bar across the bottom of the window). Further, when I click "Back Up Now" the sync begins, then stops after a second or two with no error message. Can I recover from this without losing my data? More details: the iPhone, iPad and iTunes are all updated to the latest available versions of their respective software. The last reported backup for each device is 11th and 13th February respectively; this date doesn't change when I click "Back Up Now".

I've searched as best I can for a solution, but most of Apple's help with failing backups seems to assume that the user is getting an error message of some kind. I don't get any error message at all. When I click "Back Up Now" the display at the top of the iTunes window simply says "Starting sync" and shows the barber-pole progress bar (as expected), but these appear on screen for only a second or two.

I've also tried switching to backing up to iCloud instead of to the computer, but it's just the same: the sync fails after a couple of seconds with no error message.

The other, presumably related issue is that the bar at the bottom of the iTunes window (which normally shows the storage used broken down into "Music", "Apps", etc.) is showing a single orange bar labelled "Other". This is the case for both devices.

Is there any way to recover from this condition without losing the data I have on both devices? It's probably not a huge amount of data (some notes in Clear, some podcast subscriptions in iCatcher, etc.) but I'd prefer not to have to do an audit of every app I use to ensure that nothing gets permanently lost, if it can be avoided.

If the only solution is some kind of restore/reset process, is there any third-party software you'd recommend to backup the data safely before I try it?

Moving to SSD, moving iTunes, overthinking beans

Admiral Haddock — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 11:08:03 -0800

I am adding an SSD as a boot drive in my Mac Pro. I am comfortable installing it, and intend to clone the existing boot drive onto it with SuperDuper! However, I'm confused about how and WHEN to move my documents, iTunes library, etc. in the process. Can you help? I am adding a 512GB SSD as a fifth drive in the Mac Pro using the spare optical bay. Right now, this is the setup:

Drive 1: 640GB Boot drive, with all programs and documents (inc. iTunes, etc.)
Drive 2: 1TB photo drive
Drive 3: 2TB photo drive
Drive 4: Time Machine.

I'm using about 540GB of the current boot drive, of which about 200GB is iTunes, documents, pictures, and videos. Ultimately, I'd like to separate all of those from the SSD boot drive, either locating them on Drive 3, or the current Drive 1 (which will no longer be the boot drive).

I don't know how to proceed though--I don't have enough room on the SSD to do a straight clone without moving those directories, but I know some of them (iTunes library) can't just be moved willy nilly. (I DO want to keep playcounts, etc.) And, again, to complicate things, I probably would ultimately want them to stay where they are (Drive 1) and just move the boot drive and applications to the SSD.

Would it be better to try to take the time to move everything but the iTunes library to another drive (which could theoretically get me below 512GB (yes, I realize it will be smaller once formatted)), and then clone Drive 1 with the iTunes library where it is, and THEN target iTunes back to Drive 1? Maybe I should just dump everything into Drive 3, which has 1.4TB free?

And how do I move the documents and downloads folders?

Bonus Question: I've been backing up to Time Machine (which I know can back up multiple volumes) and to a SuperDuper! clone on an external drive. What's the best way to use SuperDuper now that I'm splitting off the boot drive from all my documents?

Blerg! Thanks!

Update/restore iOS devices using Acer Chromebook running ChrUbuntu?

letstrythis — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 11:13:06 -0800

Long story short- I'm trying to make a go of it with an Acer C7 Chromebook as my main computer. I installed ChrUbuntu, and this is my first foray into the world of Linux. I like it so far, but it does beg the question of what to do with backing-up/restoring my iPhone 4s and iPad (original). Pretty soon I'm going to want to unlock my iPhone so I can switch to a prepaid plan, and I understand you need iTunes for that. Is there a Linux workaround that anyone knows about?

How to transfer a file folder to an iPad

AwkwardPause — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 10:58:16 -0800

Are there any iPad file management apps that will allow a file folder (complete with nested folders and files) to be dragged into it? In order to provide my boss with all the files she needs for an international trip, it would greatly simplify my life if an app would allow for a complete file folder structure to be dragged and dropped into it. But so far my search has proven fruitless, and I worry it perhaps is a fundamental and unbreakable condition of the iPad's OS, though I hope a kind Metafilaterian will know otherwise.

I'm on Windows XP. iPad 2 with latest OS installed. Many thanks in advance.

you can stop reading to me now, itunes

tan_coul — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 22:47:34 -0800

I love listening to audiobooks as I fall asleep. I hate skipping around trying to find my place the next day. Is there a way to tell itunes to stop playing after X minutes (probably 20 or 30), so that it doesn't keep on keeping on long after I've conked out? The books are all on my computer in audiobook form (not as music, which I know itunes sometimes does), so I can't separate tracks into sleep-friendly playlists.

How to upgrade Mac iTunes library from v6 to v11?

raspberry jam and clothes iron — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 07:34:20 -0800

Computer #1 runs iTunes 6, and uses a library that's on a remote SAMBA share (NSLU2, if it matters). I want to move the library to a local drive on Computer #2, which came with iTunes 11. What do? Computer #1 runs OS X 10.6.8, computer #2 runs OS X 10.8.2.

For what it's worth, I can't just re-import all the tracks manually, because a large number are WAVs which don't have ID3 tags, and also MP3s and AACs that I've had to tag manually in iTunes over the course of several years.

The iTunes folder on the SMB share contains the following files:

iTunes Library
iTunes Music (folder)
iTunes Music Library.xml

I've tried simply copying this iTunes folder to a local drive on computer #2, and then in iTunes 11 going into preferences, and pointing it to that folder. But whether I point it to the root 'iTunes' folder or the 'iTunes Music' folder inside it, iTunes 11 won't see it.

I've even gone through and used Perl to change the path of each track in 'iTunes Music Library.xml' to point to the appropriate path after I copied this folder to computer #2's local drive, and then done 'Import Playlist', but in that case for some reason it only sees about 1/4 of the 50,000+ tracks.

I've tried following several online tutorials, but to no avail.
Ideas, hivemind?
Thanks!

How can I get Home Sharing in iTunes to stay connected?

Twicketface — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 10:54:30 -0800

I can Home Share via iTunes (from PC to laptop), but can't get the connection to stay. I work from home and want to stream music from my (home) PC to my (work) laptop.

Both machines have iTunes installed and I have Home Sharing turned on for the PC (source of music). I can access my all my PC music on my laptop...but only for about three hours at a time (it varies). It will abruptly stop and my PC library no longer shows up on my laptop's Shared area.

I also have the option checked to keep track of play counts (so when I'm done with a podcast on the laptop, it shows the Play count as '1' on the PC's iTunes), but this too works occasionally and inconsistently. I've also tried turning on Home Sharing on the laptop as well (sharing the laptop's library with my PC) but the problem still persists.

My PC is hard wired to the internet and I use WiFi for the laptop. Signal is strong. I've never lost internet connectivity to the laptop (I guess I could have for a second or two without noticing, but I've never had a webpage not load when losing connectivity with iTunes). I have my PC set to never go into sleep mode (I leave it on with the monitor off when I'm working).

Once the connection is lost, if I go back to the PC's iTunes it still shows Home Sharing as turned on. If I turn it off and then turn it back on again, the laptop will 'rediscover' it.

Searching has brought up more issues with AppleTV rather than just home sharing within iTunes. Any help/suggestions is appreciated!

Help me wrap my head around iTunes and its kin

not.so.hip — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 15:15:23 -0800

Where can I find a good, clear explanation of the functions of iTunes and its offshoots (the App Store, Music, Podcasts, iTunesU, etc.) and how to use them correctly? I need to explain all of this to a group of casual iOS users and I can't even seem to get a grip on it myself even though I've been an iTunes user since 2.0.

iTunes 11 on a computer is a media store/player/manager. iTunes on my iPad is for purchasing and synchronizing media, but not playing media. The Music app on my iPhone will let me listen to podcasts, but that doesn't seem to be true on my iPad. How does iCloud fit in with all of this? It's a bit confusing. I feel like I'm not quite seeing the big picture of how Apple is intending me to use them all across my devices and computers.

Can you recommend any articles, blog posts or even books that explain the history of, current uses and future plans for these apps? I've read the Wikipedia article and also the ArsTechnica history of iTunes but it's still not sinking in.

I kind of wish Apple would just come out with something like iMedia and make it nice and simple again, but I'm fully willing to admit that this could just be my inner curmudgeon talking. Thanks for any insight you can offer.

Best iTunes Alternative for managing music on iPhone?

surenoproblem — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 18:17:35 -0800

Is there an iTunes alternative that will easily allow me to drag and drop files back and forth from my PC to my iPhone? My old computer died, and iTunes is being ridiculous, not allowing me to sync to another computer. Should I use MediaMonkey? iFunbox? What's the standard that everyone uses? Thank you.

Help me sort out my messy digital media/device issues

wannabecounselor — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 18:53:16 -0800

Should I get a new iTouch? Or ditch iTunes and start fresh with something else? Get an Android tablet? New phone? Plus a new OS for my laptop? Feeling overwhelmed! My digital media life is falling apart, and I have a unique opportunity to clean it up all at once - but how?

ITunes just "lost" my entire library and playlists (all files are still present and backed up). I tried to follow online instructions to import an old library backup, it didn't seem to work, and frankly I'm fed up with iTunes anyway, mainly because of lack of accessibility across devices and the fact that it seemed to keep "losing" my music.

Not to mention my iPod Touch 2nd gen just completely died on me - won't start up, restore, charge, or be recognized by iTunes or the computer.

Plus my Dell Inspiron m101z laptop (just over 2 years old) has appeared to kick the bucket, though I think I just need the OS restored/redone. I'm not a big tech person so I'm going to check with my tech savvy neighbor or just bring it to a local repair shop to see if that's the case. (Could this be what caused the iTunes crap-out?)

Finally, I have a Nokia "Nuron" phone on Tmobile - a "barely-smart" phone that lets me very roughly browse the internet (mainly metafilter thanks to the simple design!) check email, facebook, and use a built-in GPS that's decent and a crappy 2MP camera. I'm torn as to whether to upgrade or not. The music player is frustrating to work with, which is of high importance to me, and now that I don't have my iTouch I'm feeling kind of panicky about surviving my commute.

I'm a really budget (and consumerism)-conscious person so I want to keep things affordable and avoid the "latest techno-gadget" black hole. I usually prefer to let things die before I replace them, but I like to buy quality in the hopes that it actually will last.

I'm leaning toward replacing the iTouch or getting an equivalent Android tablet thingy, and leaving the phone and laptop as is for now (aside from fixing the laptop). But.... I was researching TMo's smart phone selection and thinking about the ">HTC S One (my husband has the Samsung Galaxy SIII which is too big for my liking). When he bought his new phone we switched to a "value plan" so we would have to pay for the phones ourselves as opposed to "free upgrades" (when we did the math it was worth it). If I went with a new phone I definitely would not get a new iDevice. I'm also interested in having a good camera in whatever new device I get.

As for the music, I'd love to start a fresh library. I've heard good things about Media Monkey and I used to use Winamp), or do you think I should give iTunes another try? I almost never buy from them, usually just from Amazon or eMusic.

For the record I've started a habit of backing up all my important files (music, pictures, documents, and downloads) on a physical hard drive so nothing was "lost" on my laptop. But I'm trying to decide if digital backup makes more sense....

I know this is kind of all over the place, so I expect the answers to be the same. Any input is appreciated.

How should we listen to music at home?

The corpse in the library — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 14:18:19 -0800

The last time I bought a stereo, Reagan was president. I don't know if they're even called stereos any more. Please help me figure out what I want and how to set it up. Right now we have music on a MacBook Air and on CDs. We have an AirPort Extreme (not Express). We have an original iPad and assorted iPods and iPhones of various ages and capabilities.

We don't have any stereo equipment other a crappy portable CD player, a Samsung "sound bar" hooked up to the TV, and a dying iHome dock/radio/speaker thing.

I want to be able to play CDs without copying them to the computer first.

I want an FM radio (broadcast, not over the Internet).

I listen to a lot of podcasts, using iTunes and on my iPhone.

Some of our MP3 are from Apple, some from Amazon, some from who-knows-where. They're all on the MacBook.

I want people to be able to play music without involving the MacBook, so I can read Metafilter uninterrupted.

We want speakers in at least two rooms. It needs to be possible to turn them on and off in each room.

I want it to be simple to use.

Combining 2 iTunes Libraries

Bohemia Mountain — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 18:39:09 -0800

Two macs, one old, one newer. Trying to combine to distinct iTunes libraries into one, without losing playlists. In researching my options, I came upon this tutorial from last January and followed the directions using an external drive. I exported everything from the original computer (at work) which contains about 9k songs. I've got about 1.5k songs on the newer MBP already, and duplicates at this point aren't really an issue.

I was able to successfully transfer all files and they show up in iTunes ( v10.7 (21) ). However, even though the older playlist names are present in the sidebar, the playlists don't have any songs in them. I also have doubles of playlists like "Most Recently Played", "Recently Added" and "My Top Rated".

I don't care about ratings, but I would like to preserve play count, and most importantly, the content of the older playlists. I have access to the original machine (not until monday) and I also have a copy of that library.xml file copied here with me. Thoughts?

What Android remotes work with Itunes 11?

garlic — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 08:02:01 -0800

I've checked a couple different apps, and I can't find an Android remote that works with Itunes 11. Is there one? special snowflake conditions: I'm on a google nexus 1 phone with Android 2.3.7

iTunes to Android

jabo — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 22:23:56 -0800

How do I transfer my iTunes library from my desktop iMac to my Samsung Galaxy tablet?

Did my iPod Classic finally kick the bucket?

muckster — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 01:53:36 -0800

Did my iPod Classic finally kick the bucket? It's a generic "Portable Audio Player" now, and Windows refuses to format it. I've had this 80 GB iPod classic for a long time. Last night, I decided to reformat it because it was starting to feel slow and I wanted to replace all the music on it.

It didn't go so well. The iPod is now recognized by Windows 7 only as "Portable Audio Player". When I try to open it in Windows Explorer, I get "You need to format the disk in drive I: before you can use it."

Neither Winamp (my main music player) nor iTunes recognize it. I tried switching USB ports, rebooting, resetting, no luck.

When I try to format it--with any combination of settings--I get the following messages: "Windows was unable to complete the format" and "Check to see that the disk and drive are connected properly, make sure that the disk is not read-only, and then try again. For more information, search Help for read-only files and how to change them."

I did a bunch of googling and found mentions of this problem but no solution. I tried resetting, I tried entering disc mode, and I did the self check. The hard drive test gives me these results:

Retracts: 93
Reallocs: 904
Pending Sectors: 10
PowerOn Hours: 4759
Star/Stops: 930
Temp: 27c, Min 9 Max 51

Does the high number of reallocs mean that the HD is dying? Is there any hope for this thing? I would appreciate any & all suggestion what else I might try. I love my ipod but I'm not sure how I feel about buying a new one at this point. Thanks much!

Batch Changing iTunes BitRate for Existing Songs W/O Making Copy

snap_dragon — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 07:53:28 -0800

So, I definitely want to convert all my high bit rate mp3 songs in iTunes to a lower bitrate of 190. I have the bit rate setting changed in iTunes, and I know when I right click and choose "make mp3 copy" it does exactly that. BUT, I don't want the original around anymore in iTunes and don't want to manually go through and delete them or go into the folder to do that. The threads I have looked at tell me how to do the first but don't address the issue that I still have the higher bit-rate copy in iTunes. I have a lot of music, I don't want the higher copies cluttering it. (I have a backup of the originals anyway). Is there something I am missing so it just lowers bitrate but doesn't make it a copy?

What are your experiences with the Mac App Store in a small business?

ridogi — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 21:10:10 -0800

I’m an IT Consultant / Sysadmin and my clients are Apple-centric small businesses of 1-25 employees, with most falling between 5 and 10. I prefer purchasing software direct from publishers, but I’m now running into some software that is Mac App Store only and I’m not finding a good way to manage this. I’m an IT Consultant / Sysadmin and my clients are Apple-centric small businesses of 1-25 employees, with most falling between 5 and 10. I prefer purchasing software direct from publishers, but I’m now running into some software that is Mac App Store only and I’m not finding a good way to manage this.

My users are local admins, and allowed to have iTunes on their work computers with their own account. The options I see are:

1. Use Apple’s volume licensing, but this has the hassle of DUNs, and for small purchases of 2 copies of BusyCal that will inflate a $60 purchase to $600 because of the minimum purchase of 20 which is not acceptable for the smaller companies.

2. Create AppleIDs tied to employee’s email addresses and put a company card on the account. The employee manages the account, but then there could be confusion if they also have personal AppleID on the computer for iTunes, purchases made on the wrong account. The account could be moved to another person if that employee leaves the company.

3. Create email aliases on the admin@company.com account and create a bunch of corresponding individual AppleIDs so the employees do not have the password. This give me work in keeping track of passwords, updating credit cards, etc

4. Have employees purchase on their personal iTunes account, let them expense the cost, and if they leave the company just repurchase the software. This seems to be the cleanest method as there is no additional bookkeeping for me and no confusion with multiple Apple IDs, and they can install updates themselves.

I’m leaning towards option 4 for the smaller companies, and volume license for places that are maybe 15+ employees. I'd like to hear about resources, anecdotes, and other approaches.

The other wrinkle in this process is the free Apple updates that require an Apple ID such as iPhoto. A volume license can’t be used for free apps, so counting a personal Apple ID there would potentially be 3 Apple IDs for a particular machine.

Doesn't Apple want my business?

Thorzdad — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 11:31:17 -0800

Can I really not use an Apple Store gift credit to buy an iTunes card? I got a very generous Apple Store gift card for Christmas. However, there's scant little I want from the Apple Store, but I'd sure like to buy some music and games. However, I've discovered you can't use Apple Store credit in the iTunes or App stores. No problem, thinks I...You can buy iTunes cards through the Apple Store, so I'll...nope.

It appears that one cannot purchase iTunes gift cards using Apple Store gift card credits. Is this true? Does anyone have any double-secret ways around this seemingly ridiculous rule? Or, am I stuck with a large A-Store credit and nothing to buy?

To head-off the "Sell it on eBay" suggestions...The card was an email card, and I've already redeemed it to my Apple account.