Apple Music WARNING: HLS files cause havoc and m4a files to disappear

[tiger2]

I deeply regret signing up for Apple Music. Many of my m4a files that I ripped from CDs I own have been replaced with HLS files in a folder called Apple Music (Music > iTunes > iTunes Music > Apple Music). The original m4a files are gone.

I understand that if I had added these songs/albums after signing up to Apple Music it would download them and I would lose them after I cancel my subscription. But, why would files from CDs I own be removed? Is this the result of checking the Sync Library box in the Apple Music settings?

Is there a way to get my files back without re-ripping the CDs? I've contacted support several times and been told to choose the file, then convert it to ALAC or AAA, but when I do this I get an error message (-50). My case was elevated to a senior advisor, but we were disconnected and I did not receive a call back. Today being Thanksgiving, I will try again tomorrow unless one of you knowledgable and helpful people has a solution.

Thanks for listening and for any help!

 

[tiger2]

Spent almost 2 hours on the phone with several different Apple "Senior Music and Mac Advisors" . I had to explain what happened to each one despite all of them having access to Case notes. Initially each one thinks the issue is as simple as I downloaded Apple Music files not iTunes files. Once I explained this was not the case (a few of the files were downloaded from iTunes, but many more were m4a files I created by ripping my own CDs that somehow were converted to HLS files) no one has any idea how this happened. Nor any idea why the original m4a files have disappeared.

Oddly, all the m4a files that were converted to HLS come from the same Playlist, but only about half the files from that playlist were converted.

The last advisor I spoke with suggested unchecking the Apple Music box from Music > Settings, but there is no option to do this on my Mac Mini. So, it seems as though the Music app is stuck in Apple Music mode. Though I have canceled the subscription it runs until mid December. He said I need to contact the Subscription Dept and have them terminate the service immediately which should release the stranglehold it has over things. He tried to transfer me to that dept., but of course, closed due to the holiday.

If there is one thing this ordeal has reinforced it's that even Senior Support Advisors just read off scripted checklists and sometimes know less than I do. Frustrating.

 

[deepspacecowboy]

I sympathize with your struggles. I wish I could offer some advice, but once your files are replaced, there's probably no getting them back. I've also had issues with Apple Music messing up my library of purchased/DRM-free music. After the last nightmare, I created a second user account on my Mac that is not logged in to iCloud or Apple Music. I have all of my purchased/DRM-free music in this library as a backup. When I buy something new, I import it into both libraries. If Apple Music ever decided to randomly nuke some tracks, I can retrieve the originals from the second library and re-import them. And, of course, I have both libraries backed up.