Tech Tip: One Library, Multiple Accounts (mac)

One of the major advantages of iTunes is how it manages your library for you. Just import the songs, and let iTunes handle the rest.

Unfortunately, there are some aspects of library management that iTunes gets all wrong. For instance, if you share your mac with your spouse\siblings\roommates, you may be all too accustomed with having multiple user accounts. What this means media-wise, is that for each user account, there exists a separate iTunes library. This may be a preferred method if you and your mac-mates have different tastes in music. But, if you happen to share music interests, it would be handy to have every user access the same library. After all, there is absolutely no reason to have multiple copies of the same tracks on the same hard drive.

The ability to share one iTunes library amongst multiple users, is made possible by using aliases. First, it should be noted that there is a difference between an alias and a shortcut. Whereas a shortcut provides a quicker means of launching an executable or reaching a destination, without having to navigate through a folder structure, an alias acts more as a representative of another object. It references another object or location, and can be used in ways that shortcuts cannot. For instance, instead of two users having separate existing iTunes libraries, you can have one library, and reference that library to the other account.

A key preparation step, is to make sure that each user can navigate to the other user's iTunes folder, usually found under /users/username/music. You would normally be unable to do this, due to permissions. However, if you click on each folder in the path, and hit 'command i', you can grant the appropriate permissions towards the bottom of the info window. I would suggest granting the Read permission to the Music folder, and Read + Write to the iTunes folder under each account.

After permissions are granted, you may want to follow the steps outlined in my previous blog, to merge multiple existing libraries. Instead of navigating to a networked mac, you would navigate to the library location under the other user account. Once you have migrated the libraries under one account, or if you are starting from scratch, navigate to the iTunes folder of the account that will be hosting the library. Right (control) click the iTunes Library file, and select Make Alias. You then want to take that alias and move it to the same folder under the other user account's directory. Once the alias has been moved, delete the 'alias' from the name. It should read 'iTunes Library', but will be distinguishable as an alias by an arrow in the icon. Now, you are just about finished.

Once those steps have been performed, log in under another user account that you will be sharing the library with. Go ahead and launch iTunes, then head to Preferences>Advanced, and change the location of the library to the iTunes Music folder where the actual media files reside. This may be under the host account's iTunes folder, or possibly on an external drive, depending on how you roll. That's it, you're done! The beauty part is, as any user adds or removes files from their iTunes library, it will be reflected to the other user(s), the next time they launch iTunes. Just a precaution, make sure that multiple users are not accessing the library at the same time, or you may face corruption. Now be friendly, and share nice!

Disclaimer: Software has a tendency to be updated over time. Some concepts and menu locations are subject to change.