WHEN APPLE BROKE MY MUSIC LIBRARY: A cautionary tale for long-time iTunes music collectors

The moment I cancelled my Apple Music subscription, my once-proud iTunes library — the one I’d spent over 1/4 century building — started falling apart like a vengeful ex shredding old love letters — songs greyed out, playlists vanished, files unplayable. It’s not just messy — it feels deliberate — like a digital punishment for having the audacity to walk away from Apple's mediocre music service.

There was a time when Apple stood for freedom, creativity, and thinking different. Turns out, the only thing they want you thinking is:

DON'T YOU EVER DARE UNSUBSCRIBE!

Apple had overwritten my past with its clunky, bloated, half-baked Apple Music present.

I’ve spent over 20 years building my personal iTunes library. CDs I ripped, obscure downloads I archived, carefully crafted playlists I fine-tuned over years of life, love, loss, and long drives. And then… Apple Music came along and quietly unravelled it all.

I subscribed to Apple Music for a while. And gave it a fair shot. But in the end, its clunky UX, patchy recommendations, and general mediocrity didn’t justify the subscription. So, I unsubscribed, as you would with any product that doesn't deliver what it promised.

That’s when the real mess began.

Suddenly, my old music library — the one I owned — started acting up. Songs I ripped from physical albums wouldn’t play. Many tracks appeared greyed out. Although I unsubscribed, I was repeatedly prompted to log into Apple Music, only to be greeted by empty playlists I had created while subscribed. It felt like Apple had overwritten my past with its half-baked present.

The worst part? It felt deliberate. As if Apple’s goal wasn’t to serve me better, but to lock me into a subscription model I never asked for — one that sabotaged what used to be the best music library manager bar none.

THIS ISN’T PROGRESS. IT’S DIGITAL COERCION.

What happened to the iTunes that respected ownership? That let you drag, drop, play, and organise music you had collected?

Apple really dropped the clanger for people who’ve invested years curating a personal music library. What used to be a great product — iTunes — turned into a subscription trap masked as “progress.” They’ve clearly shifted focus to locking users into ecosystems rather than respecting ownership or legacy collections.

I realise I'm not alone — many long-time users feel betrayed by how Apple Music muddied local file management, broke playlists, and tied playback of our own files to a subscription service. It’s not just inconvenient; it’s borderline hostile UX. Feels more like control than service.

Of course, you can reclaim and use your old iTunes library without an Apple Music subscription — but it depends on how your library was originally managed. Here’s a breakdown of what’s likely going on and how to fix it:

What can cause the iTunes library to mess up?

1. Apple Music DRM: When subscribed, your library may have been matched or replaced with DRM-protected versions from Apple Music.

2. Cloud Dependency: Some or all of your music may now point to Apple’s cloud servers rather than your local files.

3. Sync Confusion: Playlists built during your subscription may override older ones, especially if iCloud Music Library was enabled.

4. Missing Local Files: Songs from CDs or downloads may have been moved, deleted, or disconnected from iTunes’ internal database.

How to fix it?

Turn off Apple Music and iCloud Library - here's how:

• Open your Apple Music app.

• Go to Settings... > General.

• Uncheck:

  • Sync Library (or iCloud Music Library)

  • Show Apple Music

• Restart the app.

This stops the app from trying to connect with Apple Music and focuses it on local files.

OR, HOW ABOUT DITCHING THE APPLE MUSIC APP ALTOGETHER?

I discovered a third-party app called Swinsian — a clean, fast, no-nonsense music player that handles large libraries, doesn’t care about DRM, and most importantly, respects your local files. Swinsian supports FLAC, MP3, AAC, ALAC, Ogg Vorbis, WMA, WAV, Opus, AC3, AIFF, MusePack, DSF, and APE, most of which Apple Music won't touch.

 Swinsian — a clean, no-nonsense music player that will play any format you throw at it.

Another great alternative is Plexamp, especially when paired with Plex Media Server, if you want to access your collection across devices.

And there’s always the good old, tried-and-tested VLC — light on features, heavy on reliability. It won’t organise your library, but if all you want is to just play your damn music, it delivers — no drama, and totally free.

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If, like me, you still believe in owning your music and preserving a personal archive curated over decades, I strongly recommend taking back control. Ditch the subscription. Reclaim your files. Use tools that empower, not entrap.