The inelegance of this tip highlights two important features that are missing from iTunes. Like many readers, I assume, I have a large iTunes library with duplicate songs. I want to keep both copies of the duplicates only for their metadata: if I have a soundtrack and the artist's original album in which it appears, I'd like to be able to listen to either the original album or soundtrack, including the song. There is no obvious way to create an alias with different metadata (iTunes shortcoming #1). But I also want to prevent the same song from recurring in a smart playlist. Doing that requires multiple playlists, because iTunes doesn't allow a mix of boolean operators (iTunes shortcoming #2). Here's my messy solution:
- Select your Library, then choose View -> Show Duplicates.
- Create a new (ordinary) playlist, called Duplicates (or whatever). Select all the (duplicate) songs from the Library and drag them to the new Duplicates playlist. You will need to repeat steps these first two steps each time you add music to your collection.
- Create a new smart playlist, called Second Copy or similar. Select as conditions Playlist - is - Duplicates and Compilation - is - True.
- Optional: If your second copies of songs are not simply from compilations, repeat step three with new smart playlists with, e.g. Genre - is - Soundtrack or a like condition. Create one extra smart playlist that has alternative ('or') conditions that Playlist - is and then list each one of those new smart playlists, called, e.g. Second Copy-All.
- Add a condition to any new smart playlist that is Playlist - is not - Second Copy (or Second Copy-All, depending on whether you followed step four).
I'm eager to hear if there is a more elegant solution. One possible solution, which is above my scripting skills, might involve AppleScript to automatically perform steps one and two, and then select only the second copies of songs based on criteria such as
Date Added, and unchecking those songs or adding them to a newly-created
Second Copy playlist. A further AppleScript that simultaneously synched ratings, times played, etc. between duplicates would also be a godsend.