Computer - Apple/iTunes Question(s)

I avoided the apple Kool-aid for many years, but have recently bought in with an iPad and a used MacBook. Now I have a question or maybe series of questions regarding iTunes.

I copied a bunch of MP3 files onto the MacBook and uploaded them into iTunes. Then I paid for iTunes Match so I could upload them to the iCloud because all of my MP3 files are ripped from CD's I own (not downloaded from any store). I then deleted all the MP3 files from the MacBook after verifying that they were available in the iCloud on my wife's iPad.

Now the question is how do I access them from the iCloud on the MacBook? I have iTunes Match turned on, but when I try to play any of the songs I get an error that "The song "XXXXX" could not be used because the original file could not be found." I think this means either:
a) iTunes is still looking on the hard drive for the file instead of the iCloud and I just need to figure out how to make it look to the iCloud; or
b) I have to keep the files on the original computer they were uploaded to the iCloud from as some way to "prove" ownership rights. I sure hope this isn't the case because I have more MP3's than space on the MacBook hard drive.

Thanks for any useful help you folks can provide!

I don't have a solution, but this is exactly the type of E36 M3 I am afraid of when of switch to the dark side (apple) in a week or two. I will not be using said cloud though.

Unfortunately, I've never used iCloud.

I am curious about the iTunes match also. I have read that there are issues with it finding matches for music, but I am not sure about this one.

I am pretty sure that once you do the match then unsubscribe, you are able to download the matched songs (in high quality format) as files when you no longer pay for the service.

I did find this, not sure if it will help:

According to a support document Apple released, you also won’t be able to match or upload certain types of Music files: files over 200MB, DRM-encumbered tracks that you aren’t authorized to play, DRM-encoded songs purchased from an iTunes Store other than the U.S. version, and any music encoded at less than 96kbps. You can fool iTunes Match on that last one, however, if you create an AAC version of the song within iTunes (Advanced -> Create AAC Version), and then attempt to match that version.

http://www.macworld.com/article/1163658/itunes_match_what_you_need_to_know.html

My wife is the apple expert. All I know is that iTunes tends to work badly on at least some Windows machines. I choose to remain ignorant in a state of Linux-wrapped bliss.

You have to keep the files on the original computer. I downloaded a bunch of MP3s into the itunes library and then deleted the originals with the same outcome. Put the files back were they were and problem was solved.

I'm sure somebody could elaborate on this better, but based on my experience, I think would solve your problem too.

Cone_Junky wrote: You have to keep the files on the original computer. I downloaded a bunch of MP3s into the itunes library and then deleted the originals with the same outcome. Put the files back were they were and problem was solved. I'm sure somebody could elaborate on this better, but based on my experience, I think would solve your problem too.

Basically this. What's in your iTunes is just an avatar of the song, essentially. The machine has to have a clear file path back to the source material. If you move the source material, you have to tell the computer.

But this is partly why I don't use iCloud, too. It just sounds too amorphous. I don't want sensitive data stored on a "cloud." I want it in a "vault" or a "file locker" or "monster island" or some other such corporeal and terrifying moniker.

jg

In reply to JG Pasterjak & Cone_Junky:

Not exactly. Found a fix today. I turned off WiFi on my MacBook and then opened iTunes and deleted all the songs. Previously when I deleted the files, I did it through Finder so iTunes was looking in the location where the files had been and couldn't find them. Once I turned WiFi back on, I manually started iTunes Match. Voila, now I still have no MP3 files on the MacBook and I can play the songs from iCloud. Yay!!

Edit to add: Listening to some classic Rush right now!

In reply to air-cooled:

I think you can download high quality songs from your iCloud anytime if they are songs that are in the iTunes store. When you upload to iCloud and there's a match in the iTunes store it doesn't actually upload your file. I there is no match in the iTunes store, the files in your iCloud are directly uploaded from your source files and will be the same quality as your original files.