I’ve found iTunes to long be one of the worst mp3 jukebox programs, but unlike on a PC, where you have lots of choices, including the nicely powerful and versatile Media Center, you’re pretty much limited to iTunes when you’re using a Mac. Plus, you need it to access the App Store.
So I’ve been once again re-ripping my CDs as mp3 files. The file organization isn’t waht I’d like it on disk, the file naming isn’t what I’d want, but I’m making do. The only way to find albums is through a flat access method, which means lots and lots of scrolling (and I’m not even close to being done), but again, I’ll make do.
What’s frustrating is the frequent issues I’m finding with album artwork. Many of the CDs I’m ripping have no artwork available in the database iTunes and Apple uses for music metadata. And in far too many cases, the artwork is simply wrong, sometimes amazingly so.
As a result, about half the time I rip one of my CDs, I subsequently have to Google the CD and look for images that match the actual cover art, download the file, and then apply it to the tracks. Not only is this annoying, I can’t figure out any way to get this information back to the metadata database so future folks who do this task with these CDs won’t have the same issue.
Apple touts it’s Cover Flow as an interesting way (certainly not a useful way, however) to browse your music selection. But Cover Flow’s usefulness is further attenuated when the default cover art the Apple offers as suggestions is too-often just plain wrong.
