iTunes and Match - How do I make a different computer the primary?

I know there are a plethora of tutorials out there for transferring my iTunes library from a pc to my iMac. However, all of them were created before "Match" came into play. My pc is currently the "primary" machine for Match, with the source music files being on it. How do I make my new iMac be the primary machine? Do I have to turn match off (and lose all the uploads), copy iTunes folders over, then turn on Match on the iMac and get it to upload my entire music library again? or do I turn on Match on the iMac and get it to pull everything back down? Neither option is all that exciting. Is there any way I can copy the library over and just have the iMac take over as the primary iTunes computer? Thanks.

I found this article. Apple - iTunes - Match Im not a mac expert but correct me if im wrong - match is an iCloud based? Therefore it will sync to all your devices automatically as long as the devices are setup.

Therefore the first thing to try is to turn on match for your new mac and see if automatically syncs everything over (this should be a duplicate to whats already on your PC) the FAQ says match can be activated on up to 10 devices so I dont think you have to deactivate your PC to use Match, you will simply have to machines synced with your music on Match.

So try this simple step first and see what happeneds: "How do I turn iTunes Match on?
On a Mac or PC, open iTunes and choose Store >Turn On iTunes Match"

If it doesnt work let me know and ill do some heavier research into this for you

good luck!

I finally figured this out, in case anyone is interested. The solution is to just copy your entire iTunes library over to the new computer, and then turn on Match. I got a scary message about how I was switching computers and would not be able to download any music for 90 days. I spoke with Apple who said that was my only option and that there was nothing they could do about the 90 days, as the rule is there to keep people from pirating music. Therefore, I took a deep breath and clicked "OK". As it turns out, the message was fairly harmless. Match went through the process of re-matching again, but everything matched (obviously), so there was nothing to do. It works fine and I have no problem downloading songs on any of my devices/computers. Not sure if I just got lucky, or if that's just a scare tactic that isn't really implemented.

I don't know who you spoke with at Apple, but after moving your iTunes library from one machine to another, all you really needed to do was de-authorize the older computer and authorize the newer one. Your Apple ID and account remains the same so there can be no issue with piracy. Makes me wonder who is providing tech support at Apple these days?

chscag said:

I don't know who you spoke with at Apple, but after moving your iTunes library from one machine to another, all you really needed to do was de-authorize the older computer and authorize the newer one. Your Apple ID and account remains the same so there can be no issue with piracy. Makes me wonder who is providing tech support at Apple these days?

Click to expand...

I figure he (Apple guy) must not have understood. I explained that I only have one Apple ID, that it had been authorized on a Windows pc, but that I had de-authorized it there, then checked my account to see that there were 0 authorizations, then authorized my iMac. The message is really goofy, though. I can't remember the exact wording, but it said that the iTunes library was tied to my Apple ID (which would be correct), and that to move it to this computer (iMac) would mean that I would not be able to download new music or music in Match for 90 days. It made no sense to me, as I had no plans to pirate anything... just wanted everything moved from one computer to the other, and then use the same Apple ID. I explained it several times to the Apple support guy, and he said that anytime you copy/move iTunes music from one computer to another, you have the 90 day waiting period. He said there was no way around it. However, if you just accept this fact as if it were true (i.e. click OK), it all works out fine. I did some reading online, and some people have actually had the 90 day hold put on their music for whatever reason. However, I'm wondering if that's because they moved it to a different Apple ID. Apple support is usually pretty smart, but this guy was struggling a bit.

I should clarify that by copying the library across and authorizing the iMac, everything then worked fine EXCEPT for Match. As soon as I would try to turn Match on, that's when I would get the 90 days warning. I had also turned Match off on the original pc.

I can certainly understand why "Match" wouldn't work as that is where the piracy could easily take place. I guess all is well that ends well.

chscag said:

I can certainly understand why "Match" wouldn't work as that is where the piracy could easily take place. I guess all is well that ends well.

Click to expand...

Yup