Itunes Playlist Issue

[Backdrifter]

I've made a few playlists on iTunes using tracks imported from cds as MP3 files. No problem with a number of artists until I got to REM. Tracks from 4 specific albums of theirs, while apparently successfully imported and visible on the playlist, don't play and are skipped over.

There was a phase early 2000s when some cds were flagged as 'copy control' and were non-copyable but these REM ones aren't labelled as such and I'd previously recorded them on to MDs whoch I was unable to do with the 'CC' ones.

I can't find any clues or similar experiences on any online forums I've seen. Hence my asking the smart folk here. (Can we take as read jibes about taste, eg "Shouldn't be listening to REM then should you, hur hur hur" etc? Thanks.)

[Fitzer]

Do they play if you just click on them individually? It’s possible you have them in the library but have lost the actual files

[Togo]

Hmm. Could be a number of reasons. Do you access iTunes on a number of "appliances" and perhaps exceeded you library allowance on one of them. Some tunes may not be licenced in your current location/Country. Are you getting a grey box that states "This song is not currently available in your Country or region"? The track is usually there but ghost written and the advice box only pops up when you click play on the individual track. I this is the case there are some work arounds (but not simple). All my REM tracks play on two computers and an iPod in the motor. Have a read through this Backdrifter.

https://www.tunefab.com/apple-music/apple-music-item-not-available-fix.html

[Backdrifter]

@Fitzer - Hello, thanks for the response. No, they don't play when individually clicked on, same result - it skips to the next track NOT from one of those 4 albums. I've deleted then re-imported those 4 cds, same result. My iTunes does not like those specific albums, seemingly. If I see one of them cheap in a charity shop I might buy it to do a comparison test.

[Togo]

If the track is ghosted text, it will not play but if you click on it to play individually it cause the box containing the licence advice to pop up. Then you know that that is the issue and can do the work arounds.

[Fitzer]

Another thing to try might be to use another app to rip the CDs to MP3 rather than Apple’s format and then try importing the files see if that makes a difference.

[Backdrifter]

@Togo - Thanks for replying. No, there is no flag on any of these tracks. They were listed in the import page, and are listed in both the library and the playlist in the same way as all the unproblematic tracks. The only different thing with these specific tracks is that where the run-time is in the right-hand column for the other tracks, it isn't for these ones, it says 'not available' but just in reference to the run time, not the whole track as you suggested. I am using iTunes just on my PC, no other devices.

[Backdrifter]

A further wrinkle on this - my brother sent me one of the problem tracks but taken from the 25th anniversary edition of Automatic, one of the 'problem' albums. I put it in the playlist, it's listed normally and it plays fine. So from a different edition of the same album, no problem. Could there be some ingrained problem with those cds? They're Automatic, Reveal, Around the Sun and In Time: Best Of.

[Togo]

A daft one ... have you tried signing out of iTunes then after a pc restart signing in again?