I don't have any experience with this, but I suggest you copy your entire ITunes folder onto an external hard drive, so you have a back-up just in case 

Last edited by Roman (August 31, 2025 8:54 am)

The other part of the equation is I'm getting (already there) too old and behind the times.  No one uses computers or the associated hardware/software (CDs, memory-sticks, thumb drives, etc) for burning playlists anymore.  I tried to purchase a new computer a few months ago, thought I had the nearly perfect Windows machine with lots of memory, fast CD/DVD drive, WAS NOT specifically for gaming, is already Windows 11 system.  I got it home and couldn't locate any internal CD/DVD drive.  I returned it and they informed me you can't buy computers with CD/DVD drives and the number of USB ports is decreasing dramatically - period.  I researched that at a few other reliable(?) business, music stores.  They all told me the same thing.  BUMMER!  You can purchase an external CD/DVD drive but no internal.
"Everything is digital, digital, digital - don't buck the tide," they all told me. "Everyone subscribes to Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube and assembles playlists from them." 
IMHO those are worse than what we used to call "elevator music."  I live in a remote community that has very few (2 or 3 maybe) radio stations that have rock/pop music; mostly "cable/satellite news" several Christian radio stations.  The few that do have the "standard, gold-plate contemporary music" (new mixed with a minimum of the classic rock) have recorded playlists of <200 songs including current Billboard hot hits with a few "token" 70s-, 80s-, 90s-era that they repeatedly play with random shuffling.  They do change the playlists once a month whether they need to or not.  Because of the remoteness and mountainous terrain, there are very few isolated spots/geographic locations to pick up satellite like Spotify or Sirius.  Some consolation is the radio station I am employed as a DJ - it's an NPR affiliate.  That's why I have a show there with a variety of rock, bluegrass, country pop from the early 50s to even new artists.  BUT with 35% of the Federal funding for that gone now (as of about 2 weeks ago), either 1) we get more private, local contributions for the station, or 2) we shut down.

This reminds me of Aldous Huxley's "1984."

Thanks Taz.  I now have an external Verbatim CD drive.  I enlisted a person employed by a company with whom I have a computer update/problem solver agreement with a nominal monthly retainer.  She read volumes about The Apple Music file system and after about 10 hours together on-line, she actually got me "hosed over" with most all of my +15,000 songs with the metadata - I was ecstatic and thanked her many times.  Have a great day My Friend!!  

I'd be lost in the ozone if I had to try to move my music library. I built my original iTunes library on a PC running Windows 98, and I'm still updating that library and plugging my iPod into the same PC. However, I've copied the library to my newer PC and onto an external hard drive, in case my PC or Apple gives up the ghost.