I let Gracenote update my local files and now I can’t play them in Spotify and iTunes looks weird

This articles covers how to revert all changes Gracenote has made in order to recover from problems with iTunes.

Spotify lets you undo the file changes even if the original file has moved (it even works if you have uninstalled and re-install Spotify as long as you have the original file).  But in some cases iTunes moved the actual file and Spotify no longer has access to it. This can occur in rare cases if:

1. You have enabled “Keep iTunes Media folder organized” in iTunes -> Preferences -> Advanced
2. iTunes deem the new metadata as such a major update that it would no longer fit in it’s current place in the “Artist » Album » Song” folder hierarchy that iTunes uses.

You might also be interested in:

• Spotify can’t play a track that was imported after Gracenote updates it’s data
• I can’t undo the changes Gracenote did on my tracks

Undoing Gracenote changes even when the file has moved

Note that Spotify no longer automatically update with Gracenote, if you wish to update track information in the future you need to right click and choose “Update Info From Gracenote”

Please follow these instructions:

1. Start from scratch in Spotify; Go to the “Local files” view, select all your Local Files in Spotify (ctrl+a (win) /cmd+a (mac) ) and delete them
2. Import your iTunes library again to Spotify, but make sure that you point out the directory on the file system where iTunes keeps its files. Go to “Local files” view, select “Import music” and choose “From Hard Drive”
3. Locate where your music files are stored, usually:
   • For Mac OS X: Your home folder (Apple + Shift + H) » Music » iTunes » iTunes Media
   • For Windows: My documents » My Music » iTunes » iTunes Media
   • If you know that you have a lot of songs somewhere else, include them as well
4. Select All (ctrl+a (win) /cmd+a (mac) ) and right click and choose “Undo Gracenote changes”

The files should now revert to their original information. However, since Spotify now stores the wrong path, do the following steps again:

1. Start from scratch in Spotify; select all your Local Files in Spotify (ctrl+a (win) /cmd+a (mac) ) and delete them
2. Import your local files again to Spotify, either as described above or iTunes Library.

For more technical information regarding this issue, please read the technical description.

More questions in Library and Local Files:

• What is Local Files?
• Not all of my tracks were imported. Why’s that?
• What does the file icon to the right of the track mean?
• Why can't I import the music I’ve ripped with Windows Media Player?
• How do I delete a local file in Spotify?
• ... and 14 more.