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Why can't I download music from itunes onto my MP3 player?

47 replies

Starbear · 17/03/2011 10:42

I am trying very hard not to be a dinosaur so I brought myself a Sony NWZ-B153 MP3 player. I read the manual and it just says drag the music from your playlist into the MP3 player icon. Why oh! Why! can I not make this happen!!! What am I doing wrong I have now spent 2 hours trying Blush I have Windows Vista and nothing seems simple on it!! Angry
I have wasted so much time I need to get other things done in my life! Help Blush

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Kaz62 · 17/03/2011 12:22

i am not 100% sure but since you have spent so long trying it is worth checking that you can download tunes from itunes when you do not have an apple mp3, I am sure sony have their own download site or will point you to one that you can use. From distant memory it was something that annoyed me about apple.

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PaperView · 17/03/2011 12:25

Apple code their music differently iirc.

You won't be able to drag files from your itunes playlist to anything other than an apple product. However you can drag them from their source files.(depending on the format)

Have a look in your music folder, itunes and then click around until you find the ones you want. Apple sometimes give them stupid names.

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BadgersPaws · 17/03/2011 12:38

Break this down into a two step process.

  1. Drag a song from iTunes to your desktop.
  2. Drag the song from your desktop to the MP3 player icon.

    Does that work?

    And when the file is on the desktop right click on it and select "Properties", what is the "Type of File"?

    There is an issue you should be aware of. The player you have bought does not support the format of files that iTunes sells music in. So if you have bought music from the iTunes Store it will need to be converted before you can use it. That's not a particularly tricky task, so let us know if that's what you've done.
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Starbear · 17/03/2011 12:38

Oh! Bum. I have spent another 20 mins trying. Thank you about the sony tip!

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BadgersPaws · 17/03/2011 12:40

"You won't be able to drag files from your itunes playlist to anything other than an apple product. However you can drag them from their source files.(depending on the format)"

I'm pretty sure that you can, you can certainly drag from within iTunes to somewhere else.

"Have a look in your music folder, itunes and then click around until you find the ones you want. Apple sometimes give them stupid names."

You don't need to do this, it won't help solve the issue.

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BadgersPaws · 17/03/2011 12:47

"Oh! Bum. I have spent another 20 mins trying. Thank you about the sony tip!"

iTunes can convert the music into a format that the Sony player can handle.

So is that the problem?

What is the result of dragging a song to the desktop and clicking on it's properties?

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Starbear · 17/03/2011 13:00

Another 20mins gone out of my life just tried Amazon! Could not find the song after I down loaded it. BadgerPaws Haven't got a clue. I have tried all sorts of ways from going into my Media center library where all the song I downloaded from itunes. I can press paly and here them on my PC but just can't figure out how to down loaded them . I'm going to have to give up for today as life must go on!!! Blush How can new it be so hard!!!!Angry

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BadgersPaws · 17/03/2011 13:06

Please try this...

  1. Load up iTunes
  2. Find a song in iTunes, drag it out of iTunes and onto your desktop.
  3. Close down iTunes, find the song on your desktop where you dropped it and right click on it, select "Properties", what is the "Type of File"?

    And answer this question...

    Is the music stuff that you've bought from the iTunes store or stuff that you've bought yourself?

    "How can new it be so hard!!!!"

    It's not hard if you just take it all a step at a time.
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Starbear · 17/03/2011 13:16

Right I have found that 'the type of file is 'MPEG-4 Audio File (.m4a) This means nothing to me!

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BadgersPaws · 17/03/2011 13:22

But it means something to me, that is a file format that your Sony cannot play.

But iTunes can convert it.

Go back to iTunes, right click on a song and see if there's a "Convert song to MP3" option that appears. If so select it.

You will then get a new copy of that song appear.

Drag that song to the desktop and repeat the "Properties" thing, what does it say now?

Then try dragging that song from your desktop to the MP3 player, any better?

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Starbear · 17/03/2011 13:24

BadgersPaws Sorry I need to go to work. I have sent an e-mail to itunes. and I have tried putting this into another media file. I know u might find all this stuff easy but it's really not. Thank you for trying. You must get fed-up with us dinosaurs Blush I'm from an age of telex machines with tick-a-tape. I really have tried (I sound like my Ds now) but the old stuff really was easy because you played 'record' or you brought an album or even a 45! My bum is getting bigger every moment I stay on the machine and I wanted this so I could have music while I exercised ha ha [Sad

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Starbear · 17/03/2011 13:24

Bum you gave me an answer I now have to try thank you here goes!

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Starbear · 17/03/2011 13:29

AHHHHHHHHH! No it doesn't I think I need to buy an ipod then glad I used necter points to buy the sony.
AGHHHHHHH! I don't get it! Confused Blush
But thanks for trying. Ineed to get out otherwise I will have nothing to show for today!

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Clumsymum · 17/03/2011 13:30

Ah, I had this prob getting our iTunes stuff onto a phillips MP3 player a friend bought for DS. I solved it this way - you need to make sure you have the disk space for it tho'.

  1. In iTunes, select all your tracks.
  2. From the Advanced menu, chose Create MP3 Version - this copies each track, so you need to make sure you have enough disk space for it.
  3. Once they have all been converted, close iTunes, and open Windows media Player instead (free download from Microsoft if you don't already have it).
  4. From the Library menu, click Add to Library, and add your iTunes folder (which will have all your converted tracks in it).
  5. From now on, use Media player instead of iTunes. When you plug your MP3 player in, it should open up a media player section so you can drag tracks over to the MP3 player.


OK?
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Starbear · 17/03/2011 13:32

Clumsymum I tried that it didn't work. i have been pressing strange buttons all day I'm going to give it a rest and try another day! OKay 1 more go!

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Clumsymum · 17/03/2011 13:37

Which bit didn't work?

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BadgersPaws · 17/03/2011 13:42

"AHHHHHHHHH! No it doesn't"

What doesn't work?

Follow this a step at a time and let us know what goes wrong.

  1. Go back to iTunes
  2. From the Advanced menu, chose Create MP3 Version (thanks for that Clumsymum, trying to do this from memory and couldn't recall exactly what this option says).
  3. Drag the new song to your desktop
  4. Right click on the song on your desktop, select the properties, what is the type?

    You probably don't need Windows Media Player, let's see if we can do without it.

    "I know u might find all this stuff easy but it's really not"

    Just take it all a step at a time and let us know exactly what happens or what error comes back. Once we've worked out what the problem is then it will all become much easier in future.
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Starbear · 17/03/2011 15:11

back from the shops and had a go. No Advanced did not let me Create MP3 version.! I don't know if I've got the lastest itunes thingy Do I have to download a new page. The last time I used itunes was 2009 becuase I got fed-up with it then . But on the other hand it could be a Vista problem!

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Clumsymum · 17/03/2011 15:16

Starbear - Ok, first thing then - in iTunes click the help menu, and ask it to check for updates.

If it says you need updates, set them going then go and make a cup of tea

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Starbear · 17/03/2011 16:32

Clumsymum Okay will do. Will do this tomorrow as I'm going out now to listen to live music and a dance leeson, the Ceroc. Wine
BadgersPaws Thank you so much for trying so hard with this dinosaur Wine for you

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Ladygaggia · 17/03/2011 16:38

The easiest way to put the music from itunes onto a non apple mp3 player is to download iTunes Agent.
It is a free bit of software that sits alongside itunes.

Just google it :)

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Starbear · 17/03/2011 21:49

I did it and now that has wiped out all the song I did have on itunes. I brought one more song and still couldn't download it what am I doing wrong!

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Starbear · 17/03/2011 21:59

Ladygaggia My playlist is back but I still can't download. What do I have to do now I have the iTunes agent?

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BadgersPaws · 17/03/2011 22:10

You don't need iTunes Agent or any other software, iTunes alone should be able to do it, you shouldn't even need to update it.

Any music that you buy from the iTunes store will not go directly onto your Sony player, it's not compatible. You can convert it, we just need to explain how, so bear with us.

Try this....

  1. Go into iTunes
  2. Select a song that you have bought.
  3. Open up the Advanced menu
  4. Is there an option that says "Create MP3 Version"
  5. If not are there any options that say "Create XXXX Version", what XXXX's do you have?
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Starbear · 17/03/2011 22:16

There is no 'Advanced menu! How do I find Advanced menu do I right click on the song? It not in the bar on the left at the top of the page at all. It has Advance but does not give me an option of picking 'Advanced menu' I'll go back Blush

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