iTunes 6.0.2 special report: Slow access to the iTunes Music store

A number of users experience significant slowdown when accessing the iTunes music store after updating to iTunes 6.0.2.

This issue is bizarre in its manifestation. Some users with different systems on the same network running the same version (6.0.2) of iTunes experience the persistent slow-down on one system and not another.

This issue may not be directly related to iTunes 6.0.2, though many users have linked the time of installation with occurrence of the slow-down.

Users are also noting that podcasts -- slow to access in iTunes -- are downloaded with normal speed by other podcast download utilities like iPodder.

One reader writes:

"Since updating iTunes to 6.02, downloading from the music store is slow as molasses in a funnel. I've additionally had to abort downloads altogether and come back to it another day (because I just hadn't allowed hours for 9 songs worth of downloads.)

"I'm curious about any relationship between the new snail's pace, and the new database features."

MacFixIt reader Scott Leddy adds:

"I am also (intermittently) getting the very slow iTunes access and downloads with the latest iTunes. Last night it took me well over 2 hours to download an 18 MB podcast, which I was able to download today in under 3 minutes."

Other readers are reporting stalled music purchase downloads.

One user writes:

"I just had trouble with my iTunes site after updating via software update. I purchased an album, but it got stalled on the first song's download. I stopped the program, thinking it had frozen. I restarted it and checked for purchased music. It started to download 1 of 51 songs (I had only purchased 20) and the titles were completely alien. I stopped the program before it could download, but don't know how to straighten this glitch out. "

Another adds:

"I can't even listen to the demo clips anymore because it can only manage to play about 2 seconds at a time before trying to reload."

One MacFixIt reader writes:

"I'm also having the same problem....very slow downloads from itunes. My connection is fine. When I download podcasts from ipodder the same podcasts are much quicker. Diggnation Video went from seconds with iPodder to minutes with iTunes."

Gladys Pérez-Almiroty adds:

"It is so slow that it has taken me over a week to download s. 1 of lost and i am still not done."

Index:

• Release notes
• Freezes, other problems when synching with iPod
• Reverting to iTunes 6.0.1
• Hiding the music store bar (MiniStore)
• Slow access to the iTunes Music store
• Disk Utility errors, fixes
• Inability to set star ratings, workaround
• Issues with MIDI files
• New "Do not Auto Delete" feature
• Continuously asking for proxy password
• Importing issues
• Blank Library view
• AirPort Express streaming drop-outs
• AirTunes and multiple speaker sets

Resources