When indexing a music Library, if Bluesound encounters an .M3U playlist or iTunes.XML file, it opens the playlist file and validates the file path.
.M3U Playlists
.M3U playlists can be any one of the following path types:
- Absolute Path
Absolute path .M3U files have file references with complete path descriptions that include drive letter, user path, music folder, album name, track, etc.
When you change the user path or if the OS assigns a different drive letter to the removable storage drive containing tracks, the playlist's pathnames are no longer valid.
Example of an Absolute Path–
C:\Users\Owner\Music\iTunes\iTunesMedia/track1.mp3
- Relative Path
A relative path via a .M3U file is a generalized pathname containing only the portion of the file path required to find the track in the playlist folder.
When you relocate the entire music folder containing the playlist or if the OS assigns a different drive letter, the playlist pathnames are not affected.
Example –
.\track1.mp3
Bluesound recognizes only relative path .M3U files. Bluesound rejects the playlist import when it encounters absolute path .M3U files.
To change the absolute path to a relative path, manually edit the .M3U playlist in a text editor to remove the absolute part of the path. (replace the folder path with .\)
Absolute path to relative path .M3U playlist conversion tools (third-party) for large playlists are also available.
.XML Playlists
Ensure the iTunes Music Library.xml file is in the iTunes folder and in the sub-directory that is shared.
For Catalina or later macOS, perform the procedure mentioned in the Help Center article.
Note
Playlists imported do not work if the file path is not relative to the existing network. You cannot transfer Playlists from one network to another.