About iTunes files and resources
<p>There are several files in your iTunes folder, all of which are used by various iTunes and system functions to access your music. For a standard installation of iTunes 8, there should be about six or seven items in your iTunes folder. In alphabetical o
There are several files in your iTunes folder, all of which are used by various iTunes and system functions to access your music. For a standard installation of iTunes 8, there should be about six or seven items in your iTunes folder. In alphabetical order they are "Album Artwork" (folder), iTunes Library, iTunes Library Extras.itdb, iTunes Library Genius.itdb, "iTunes Music" (folder), iTunes Music Library.xml, and if you have upgraded from previous versions of iTunes you'll have a "Previous iTunes Libraries" folder.
Some people have had questions about exactly what these files and folders do, so here's the breakdown.
Album Artwork
This folder stores the cover artwork and other images associated with music files. Artwork is packaged in ".itc" files and is catalogued and organized in ways that allow iTunes to easily retrieve the artwork for a specific song or album. The files are not easily browsable, but you should be able to copy the artwork for other uses by getting information on a song, going to the "Artwork" tab, and selecting and copying the artwork from there.
iTunes Library
This is the file that contains all the ratings and locations of the songs in your library. It is the main file that iTunes uses to catalogue your music and keep things organized.
iTunes Library Extras.itdb
This file is a database containing additional information for files imported from CDs.
iTunes Library Genius.itdb
This file contains your iTunes Genius information that the program uses to generate playlists with the Genius feature. This database is updated regularly and sent to Apple to allow you to find other songs you may enjoy based on a specific song selection.
iTunes Music
This folder is the default location for all music files. Unless you have specified to either store music elsewhere or to not have iTunes organize your music files, then all music will be in this folder. Unlike the artwork folder, this one is browsable and you can read DRM-free files in any program that can recognize them.
iTunes Music Library.xml
This file stores information about the music in your library that makes song information accessible to other programs (for example, other iLife applications and similar packages). It is updated with information from the main iTunes library.
Previous iTunes Libraries
When iTunes is updated, many times there are small changes that need to be made to the structure of the iTunes library, but as a backup, iTunes will copy the old library to this location, and append the date of the upgrade to the library's file name. As such, you can downgrade iTunes in the event of a problem and still be able to run a compatible library.
Resources