If you use your Mac for DJing, working, studying, or simply enjoying music throughout your day, you've probably wondered at some point... How to thoroughly organize iTunes (now the Music app)Library, playlists, ratings, metadata… and how all of that fits in with Rekordbox or other DJ programs.
The typical situation is clear: you have thousands of songs neatly organized on iTunesWith its stars, playlists, and album art, but when you switch to Rekordbox or other systems, you lose some of that organization, especially the ratings and some lists. Let's take a look, step by step and calmly. How to make your Mac music library neat, consistent, and easy to maintainAnd what decisions to make so you don't go crazy with so many programs.
Organizing your Music library on Mac: the foundation of everything
Before we delve into Rekordbox or advanced tricks, it's worth understanding how it works. Music app library on macOSbecause that's where the information is stored that other programs can then read: titles, artists, albums, BPM, cover art, ratings, etc.
By default, when you add songs or video clips from your Mac, the Music app usually copy the files to your user's Music folderleaving them all centralized. The original file stays where it was, but the system will work with the internal copy, which simplifies backups and avoids broken paths when moving folders.
If you prefer to have your songs on an external drive or in your own folder structure, you can disable that automatic backup and tell Music not to move the files to its content folder. This way, the app will show your tracks in the library, but will actually continue reading the files from their original location, which is very useful when dealing with large libraries; for example, it makes it easier sharing iTunes libraries between partitions.
To change this behavior, on your Mac open the Music app, go to Music > Settings > Files and uncheck the option “Copy files added to the library to the content folder”. From that moment on, every time you drag files to Music, they will be added to the library but They will not be physically duplicatedIf you need more help setting up and getting the most out of macOS, check out our Apple tutorials and guides.
This detail is key if you also work with Rekordbox or other programs, because it allows you to keep a single physical location for your songs while several software programs share the same source files and metadata. Furthermore, it's a good practice if you use alternative players such as Turntable who read the library from a centralized location.
How to organize songs, albums, and playlists within Music
Once your music is in the library, the next step is to decide how do you want to see it and in what order?Apple makes it quite easy thanks to the drop-down sort menu available in almost any section of the library.
In the sidebar you can access Songs, Albums, Artists, or any playlistIn the upper right corner you will see a “Sort” menu from which you can change the order of the tracks, choose whether to show all items or only those you have marked as favorites, and adjust more advanced criteria.
Within that menu you can use the "Sort options" option to define whether you want to sort by name, artist, album, duration, date of addition, ratings or other fields, as well as choosing ascending or descending order. This is great, for example, for seeing the longest topics first, or the most recently added ones.
If you want to get the most out of the list view, go to “Show display options” and activate additional columnsTrack number, genre, composer, year, BPM (where applicable), number of plays, etc. The more relevant columns you display, the easier it will be to locate what you're interested in within large libraries.
Remember that the order in which the list is displayed is also the playback order. Simply do Double-click on the song you want to play first From there, playback will follow the order you have configured.
Sync library across Apple devices
If you use an iPhone, iPad, and Mac, you'll probably want to have the same music library everywhereThat's what the "Sync Library" option is for, available to those with an Apple Music or iTunes Match subscription.
By activating this feature, playlists, added songs, ratings, and other data will be They replicate across all your associated devices.This way, the organization you create on your Mac will be reflected on your iPhone and vice versa, without needing to connect cables or perform manual synchronization. If you also use another mobile phone, you can learn how to Use Apple Music on Android to maintain consistency.
Additionally, in the downloads section you can activate the automatic downloads This includes music purchased from the iTunes Store or songs you add to your library from other devices. So, if you save a song on your iPhone, it automatically downloads to your Mac without you having to do it one by one.
Those with a compatible subscription will also see the option to Download Dolby Atmos / Spatial Audio whenever available, and a setting to automatically check for pending iTunes Store purchases.
On the other hand, there's a switch called "Use playback history" that allows Apple Music analyze what you hear to refine your recommendations. This option only appears if you have Apple Music active and are logged in to your account.
Library display and behavior controls
The Music app also lets you fine-tune details that affect both aesthetics and workflow. For example, you can show or hide certain elements. iTunes Store in the sidebarThis is useful if you want to focus solely on your library and Apple Music without looking at the store.
Another interesting setting is "Star Rating," which lets you Show or hide star ratings in the songs. If you're one of those people who rate everything by stars before exporting to programs like Rekordbox, it's a good idea to have this option enabled to properly organize your file.
You can also enable or disable the checkboxes in song listsChoose the font size and decide if you want to receive a system notification when the song changes. These are small details, but they help adapt the app to your tastes and the way you work.
If you still use CDs, in the settings section you will see specific sections about What happens when you insert a CD?You can have it automatically import tracks, ask what to do, or simply do nothing. If your Mac has a CD/DVD drive (or an external one), you can also enable the option to retrieve track and artist names from the internet, saving you from having to type them in manually.
Finally, Apple includes a link to “See how your data is handled,” which details what is done with your information and how you can adjust your privacy settings—something relevant when it comes to listening history and personalized recommendations.
Folders and advanced playlist organization
When your library really starts to grow, individual playlists fall short. That's why Music lets you create playlist folders to group them by style, project, era, session, or whatever you like. If you want to learn more about how playlists work in iTunes/Music, check out our [link to playlists].
Within these folders, you can add standard playlists, smart playlists, and even other folders, creating a fairly powerful hierarchical structure. However, you can't directly add individual songs or video clips to a folder, nor can you add Apple Music playlists from other users: folders are only for [the purpose of creating playlists/listenings]. playlists and subfolders created by you.
Keep in mind that if you delete a folder, all the playlists inside will be deleted. disappear as listsBut the songs themselves remain in your library. In other words, you only delete the organization, not the audio files.
If you have "Sync Library" enabled, any changes you make to your playlist folders will be reflected on all your devices. If you're not an Apple Music subscriber, those changes will be applied when Sync the device with your Mac via cable or through the classic iTunes/Music tools.
This folder system is especially practical when you combine leisure music with work music or DJ setsbecause you can separate the "professional" part without mixing it with your casual playlists.
How the Apple Music library and search work
Apple Music has one important difference compared to other services: you can't "follow" artists like Spotify by clicking a button on their profile. Instead, your library's artist list is generated from... what you add to your collection.
This means that if you want a specific artist to appear in your Artists section, you will have to Add at least one of your songs or albums. to the library. From there, the app will treat it as part of your collection and use it for recommendations, personalized lists, etc.
The Apple Music search engine is quite powerful. From the search tab, you can see your recent searches and quickly access... prominent musical genresWhen you type something, the system returns results that include artists, albums, songs, playlists, and also public profiles of users who have used that term in their name.
One interesting thing is that you can choose if you want search only within your library or across all of Apple Music. This distinction is useful when you have a lot of things saved and simply want to locate something you already know is in your collection, without the system mixing in unrelated results.
In the “Listen” section you will find the most personalized part of the service: recommendations based on what you listen to, the artists and genres you listen to most oftenSimilar stations, related albums, and so on. Apple tends to be quite precise, even down to subgenres, so if you like, for example, progressive rock, it doesn't just recommend "rock" without further ado.
Within “Listen” there is a “New Releases” section where the following appear the latest releases from the artists you likeInstead of bombarding you with notifications, the app integrates them into your recommendations, making everything feel more organized and less intrusive.
Explore, radio, playlists, and social content
When you feel like stepping outside your musical bubble, the "Explore" tab brings together all the recommendations. not based on your personal tastesThere you'll find charts by country or city, global releases, editorial playlists, themed radio stations, and more.
Apple Music also includes a small social component. You can Create your profile, add a photo and username and follow other people to see what they're listening to. In the "Listen" section, you'll find a block with music playing on the devices of the people you follow—a more human way to discover new things.
As for playlists, you can create your own on both desktop and mobile. On a Mac, simply right-click in the sidebar and choose "New Playlist"; on any device, just... Add a song; you can create a new playlist on the fly..
You can name the playlists whatever you want and assign them a custom cover uploading an image from your computer. You can also create smart playlists based on rules (for example, songs of a specific genre added in recent months, with a certain rating, etc.).
On the desktop, you can also convert your current playback queue into a playlist. Simply open the queue, select all the songs, and choose the option to add them to a new playlistIt's very useful when you realize you've put together an interesting session by improvising.
Playlists can be public or private. Public playlists can appear on your profile for anyone who visits it, and even in search results; private playlists, on the other hand, Only you can see themThis is important if you use very specific playlists for work or for sessions that you don't want to share.
Differences between playlists, stations and radios
Apple Music has three similar but not identical concepts: playlists, stations, and radio stations. Understanding them helps to better organize how you discover music.
Playlists are "classic" playlists: you, someone else, or Apple manually select the songs in them. You can see all the content at a glance, reorder it, delete tracks, add new ones, and so on.
Radio stations, on the other hand, are automatically generated from an artist, song, or album. The contextual button gives you the option to “Create a radio station”From that moment on, a song will start playing, and when it finishes, another similar one will follow, without you seeing a fixed list in advance. It's more of a continuous flow than a static list.
Finally, there are the "real" radio stations, available mainly in the Explore section. They work like live broadcasts, with common programming for all listeners, sometimes with specific presenters and programs.
Custom lists, likes, and algorithm control
Apple Music, while somewhat more understated than other services, also offers personalized playlists. In the "Listen" section (sometimes "For You") you'll see multiple playlists generated based on your habits: a mix with your favorite songs, another with relaxing music, another more energetic one to cheer you up, and one focused on recent releases.
These lists are usually updated once a week They mix songs you already know and love with suggested discoveries. There aren't as many daily playlists as on other services, but the algorithm tends to be quite accurate in its selections.
To help, you should use the "Like" heart on the songs you really love. On your desktop, you'll see a heart icon to the left of each track, and on your mobile device, you'll find it in the track options menu. Apple takes this into account. both what you hear and what you explicitly dial.
You can also indicate that you don't like something. In a song's context menu, you'll see the option "Dislike" on Mac or "Suggest Less of This Style" on iOS. This tells Apple Music what you don't like. what kind of music do you want to avoid in your recommendations.
Lyrics, metadata, and fine-tuning your library
When you play a song on Apple Music, you can often show synchronized lyricsIf available, you'll see the lyrics scroll by in real time as the song progresses; if not, you'll at least be able to read the full lyrics in block format. Currently, there's no built-in automatic translation, so you'll see them in the original language.
macOS has an essential tool for organization fanatics: the "Get Info" menu. Right-clicking on a song and selecting it opens a window with all the file metadata: title, artist, album, composer, genre, year, cover art, comments, BPM (if defined), etc.
Virtually everything that appears in that window can be edited. You can correct misspelled names, change covers you don't like, unify duplicate artists due to typographic differences, fill in the composer field, even manually enter the lyrics if they are not loaded.
These changes only affect your library and your account; they don't modify the information for other users, but they are critical if you want to other programs like Rekordbox receive clean metadataMany DJs use this "Get Info" window as the basis for having an impeccable library.
In the Mac version, you can also view and use columns like the number of plays to see which songs you listen to most, and in the Songs view, sort by the "Plays" tab to see your personal ranking of most listened-to songs.
Add your own music and digital purchases
Not all music in the world is available for streaming. Sometimes albums are missing due to licensing issues, or they simply disappear. In those cases, you can add your own files to the library: ripped CDs, MP3s you've bought from another store, promos, etc.
On a Mac, you'll find the "Import" option in the File menu of the Music app, which allows you to import local files. On Windows, if you're still using iTunes, there's a similar "Add File to Library" option. Once you're in, These tracks sync with your Apple Music collection and you can listen to them on your devices just like any other.
If you prefer to buy songs or albums to have them always, you can access the iTunes Store. Right-click on an album or song, and choose “Show in iTunes StoreTo open the product page in the store and purchase it in digital format. The quality isn't high resolution, but it's sufficient for most home use.
Spatial audio, Dolby Atmos and sound quality
Almost the entire Apple Music catalog is available in high quality or even lossless formats, and some tracks have spatial audio with Dolby AtmosTo find them in a concentrated way, go to the search section and then to “Explore categories”: there you will see a category called “Spatial Audio”.
This section groups albums and playlists with spatial audio or Dolby Atmos, often organized by genre. It's a quick way to Discover content designed to be listened to on compatible systems. with surround sound. If you're interested in adjusting the best quality, see how. Get the best sound on Apple Music.
In settings, you can choose the sound quality for streaming and downloads. On iOS, this is done in the iPhone's Settings, in the Music section; on macOS, in the app's preferences. enable or disable lossless audioand define different quality levels for mobile data, WiFi, and downloads, so you don't blow your data allowance without realizing it.
On the same panel, you'll see the Dolby Atmos option: you can leave it always on, turn it off, or set it to automatic mode. In automatic mode, the system detects if the headphones or sound system are compatible and, only if so, Plays the Atmos mix.
Video clips, playback history and statistics
One clear difference compared to other services is that Apple Music focuses on integration music videos and live performances On artist profiles, instead of focusing so much on podcasts, you'll find sections of videos at the bottom of many artist profiles that you can play directly from the app.
Additionally, your library will have a dedicated "Music Videos" section with videos from your favorite artists that you've added. You can also access this in the settings. define the resolution of the videos to avoid spiking your data usage if you usually watch them on your mobile.
Another interesting feature is the playback history. On both Mac and iPhone, you can open the current playlist (the queue) and, within it, find a tab for "Record"There you'll see in chronological order what's been played, perfect for finding that song you liked but missed.
In the macOS version, there's a little extra trick: if you go into the Songs section within Library and display the Plays column, you can sort by it and see How many times have you listened to each song?This gives you a very clear view of your true favorites, beyond what you think you're listening to.
Composers, record labels and catalog details
In the Apple Music mobile app, within Library, you have a section for ComposersThere, the works are grouped according to the person who composed them, something especially useful for classical music, soundtracks, or projects where the composer has more weight than the main artist.
In some album entries, if you scroll down to the bottom you will see the name of the record label as a linkIf you can tap it, you'll enter a profile with that record label's entire catalog available on Apple Music. For now, it only works with a few labels, but it's a different way to discover music based on the label.
Share songs, lyrics, and statistics with other services
Sharing what you hear is easy: on almost any song, album, or artist, you'll see the option to share in the context menu. Depending on the system, the iOS or macOS share menu will open, allowing you to send the link via social media, messaging apps, notes, etc. On a Mac, you can even edit which apps appear in that menu.
On mobile there are two interesting extras: you can share a song on Instagram Stories, generating a story with the cover art and a link to Apple Music, or share lyrics fragments If the song has lyrics, you can choose several lines and create a nice visual for the stories.
With iMessage you can also send snippets of lyrics, and when the other person taps on the generated module, they will hear it. exactly the part of the song which corresponds to that text, a rather elegant way of recommending music.
If you like having overall statistics of everything you listen to, Last.fm remains a go-to resource, but Apple Music doesn't offer official integration. On Windows and Android, you can use Last.fm's official scrobbling apps, while on iOS and Mac you'll have to use [other scrobbling tools]. third party clients, such as Marvis Pro on iOS (paid, but very complete) or NepTunes on Mac.
Finally, it's worth remembering that the Apple Music experience on Windows is less user-friendly than on macOS: there's no modern native app, and you're reliant on the web version or iTunes, which is often slow. Alternative clients like Cider exist, though they have some limitations in sound quality. That's why many users choose to organize everything neatly within the Apple ecosystem first and then... Use the Apple Music web player on your Mac when they need additional compatibility.
With all of the above in mind, the key idea is to build a solid, coherent, and well-tagged library in the Mac Music app: decide where your files live, organize them by useful criteria, use ratings and metadata, take advantage of playlists, folders, and smart lists, and control quality, history, and recommendations. On that foundation, working with Rekordbox, other services, or even external statistics is much easier, because Your music archive is now clean, structured, and ready to stand the test of time..
