Why are there duplicates in my music library?

What are duplicate songs?

Duplicate songs are multiple copies of the same song file that exist in a music library. They have the same artist name, track title, and duration, but may come from different albums or sources (e.g. a single vs album version). Strictly speaking, true duplicate songs are bit-for-bit identical files, though some may consider near-duplicate songs with minor differences also as duplicates. Having duplicate songs takes up extra storage space and can make music management more tedious by cluttering libraries.

According to a Reddit thread, artists sometimes re-release the same songs, creating near-duplicates between a single and the album it was later included on (source). While not exactly the same, these different versions can appear as annoying clutter. In short, duplicate songs are multiple copies of the same song that provide little added value to listeners.

How duplicates get added

There are a few common ways duplicate songs can get added to your music library:

Ripping the same CD multiple times – If you rip tracks from a CD to your computer more than once, it will add duplicate copies each time. This can happen if you forget you already ripped a certain CD.

Downloading the same song multiple times – If you purchase or download the same song from multiple sources, like iTunes, Amazon MP3, or a streaming service, it can result in duplicates.

Syncing multiple devices – Syncing your music library across devices like iPhone, iPad, and computer can sometimes cause duplicates. For example, you download a song on your iPhone that then syncs to your computer library when you connect the devices.

Cloud syncing issues – Services like iCloud Music Library are designed to sync your library across devices, but sometimes run into issues that inadvertently add duplicates. For example, if the syncing process is interrupted, it may re-upload songs again.

Importing the same playlists – If you import playlists containing much of the same music, it can create duplicate entries as you build up your library over time.

As you can see, duplicates often get added unintentionally as you build your library across various sources. Keeping track of where each song originates from can help avoid accidentally adding multiples of the same track.[1]

Problems caused by duplicates

Duplicate songs can lead to several annoying issues in your music library and playlists ([1]):

• Take up unnecessary storage space – Having two copies of the same song eats up your device’s storage capacity.
• Mess up playlists – When you add a song to a playlist not realizing you already have a copy, it creates duplicate entries in playlists.
• Inaccurate play counts – Play counts get split between the duplicates, so you can’t accurately see your true play history for a song.
• Make libraries look cluttered – Seeing the same songs listed multiple times makes browsing music chaotic.
• Cause syncing errors – Some music apps may get confused by duplicates when syncing between devices.

Overall, duplicates create disorganization and make music libraries much harder to manage and enjoy.

[1] https://discussions.apple.com/thread/252155137

Finding duplicates

The first step to resolving duplicate songs is identifying where they are in your library. Apple provides built-in tools in Music and iTunes to find and display duplicates.

In the Mac Music app, go to the File menu and select “Show Duplicate Items” to see every instance of duplicate songs (Source). This will highlight duplicates right in your library views like playlists or albums. You can also hold Option while selecting “Show Exact Duplicate Items” to only show songs that are complete carbon copies.

Similarly in iTunes on Windows, go to File > Library > Show Exact Duplicate Items. This will display the full list of duplicates (Source). The regular “Show Duplicate Items” command will again show all variants.

Checking the “Song” column in list views is an easy way to identify duplicates visually. You can also view song info and look at the “duplicate” status for a definitive duplicate diagnosis.

Removing duplicates

To remove duplicate songs from your music library, you need to be careful to avoid accidentally deleting the wrong files. One method is to use desktop duplicate finder software like Audio Dedupe to scan your library and flag duplicate tracks. You can then review the results before deleting to verify the software has correctly identified true duplicates.

Another option is manually going through your library folder by folder, making note of any file names and metadata that are identical. Be extremely careful with this approach, as it is easy to make mistakes. Only delete a file if you are 100% certain it is an exact duplicate copy.

The safest approach is to first copy all your music files to an external drive as a backup. Then proceed with your duplicate removal, whether manually or using an automated tool. This ensures you have the original files if something goes wrong.

Overall, when cleaning duplicates from a music library, the key things are: 1) backup your files first 2) use a careful, methodical approach 3) manually verify any files before deletion. Follow those guidelines, and you can safely remove the duplicate tracks cluttering up your collection.

Advanced duplicate finding

While simple metadata matching can find many duplicate files, more advanced techniques like checksums can help identify duplicates even when file names or metadata is different. A checksum algorithm like MD5 or SHA-1 generates a unique identifier for a file based on its contents. By comparing checksum values, you can match files that have the exact same audio data but different names, tags, or formats.

Using a program like Advanced Duplicate Finder, you can scan your entire music library and group matches based on checksums. This ensures that even files that look completely different on the surface are correctly identified as duplicates based on their actual audio data. The software will flag these visually so you can dig in and confirm they are indeed the same song before removing duplicates.

Advanced checksum based duplicate finding is useful for clearing out duplicates from different sources, like ripped CDs, downloads, and streaming services. Even if the metadata is inconsistent, the checksums will match on true duplicate files. This gives you a much more reliable method for deduplication than just relying on metadata and filenames.

Syncing software tips

When syncing your music library across multiple devices, duplicates can occur if you don’t sync carefully. Here are some tips for avoiding duplicate songs when syncing your library:

Use smart playlists to consolidate your songs and avoid duplicates. Create a smart playlist in iTunes or Apple Music that looks for duplicate titles and artists. You can then remove the duplicates from this list.

When syncing to iOS devices, make sure to check the “Sync only checked songs” option in iTunes. This will prevent random unchecked songs from getting copied over.

Consolidate your library in iTunes before each sync by going to File > Library > Organize Library. This will gather duplicate songs together.

Turn off automatic syncing in iTunes and only manually sync your devices when needed. This gives you more control over what gets copied.

Check “Sync Music” and “Selected playlists, artists, albums, and genres” under each device in iTunes to selectively sync only certain playlists.

Make a habit of tidying up your library periodically by removing unwanted songs. Reducing clutter makes syncing smoother.

Refer to Apple’s guide on avoiding duplicate playlists when syncing between devices.

Metadata improvements

Improving the metadata of your music files can help reduce duplicates by ensuring each file has accurate and unique identifying information. Specifically, filling out metadata fields like “album artist” can prevent duplicate albums or songs from appearing when compiling music from different sources.

Often duplicates occur when the software tries to combine songs from an album together, but the metadata is inconsistent across the files. For example, some songs might list the band name under “artist” while others just say “various artists.” The software sees these as different albums and creates duplicates.

By properly tagging all the songs in an album with the same “album artist” name, you provide a consistent way for your library to identify those files as belonging to the same release. This prevents the software from mis-grouping the songs and adding extra copies. Services like iTunes or Plex use album artist metadata to organize music cleanly into albums without duplicates.

So taking the time to fill out album artist, artist, album title, track number and other metadata fields consistently can improve how your library handles compiling albums and songs. This reduces the chances of finding duplicate tracks and clutter from mislabeled files. See this Reddit thread for more tips on editing metadata to avoid album duplicates.

Alternative solutions

There are other ways to store your music library that can help avoid duplicates in the first place.
Many people now use streaming services like Spotify or Apple Music which store music in the cloud rather than locally on your device. Since there is only one master copy of each song, streaming services don’t suffer from duplicate issues.

For those who still want to maintain a local music library, cloud storage services like Dropbox or Google Drive allow you to easily sync your library across devices without creating extra copies. Just be sure to use the same cloud folder as the source for all your music apps and libraries.

If you’ve already deleted songs that turned out to be unique, recovery software like CCleaner can help you restore them from the recycle bin or device backups.

While streaming and cloud services prevent most duplicates, they also require an internet connection. Maintaining a local music library is still preferred by many enthusiasts who want full control, but being organized and proactive can help avoid major duplicate issues down the line.

Summary

Handling duplicate songs in your music library can be frustrating, but there are solutions. The main causes of duplicates include importing music from multiple sources like CDs, downloads, and streaming services. This leads to clutter and disorganization. The biggest problems caused by duplicates are wasted storage space, difficulty finding songs, and confusion in playlists. There are various ways to find duplicates such as sorting by metadata or using dedicated software. Once found, duplicates can be removed manually or automatically. Advanced duplicate finding relies on acoustic fingerprinting to identify true song duplicates. Syncing music managing software across devices improves organization. Properly tagging files with correct metadata makes duplicate identification easier. While duplicates can be annoying, solutions like cleaning up your library, being careful when importing new music, and utilizing software tools can help eliminate the issue.