My iTunes library lives on our laptop, but I'm often on our other "big" computer and want to listen to those tunes. I could stream between iTuneses, but I want this listening to count — i.e. increment play counts, let me change star ratings, etc. You can't do that with iTunes streaming.
But now, with 2 computers, a wireless network, an iPhone running OS 2.0+, four cross-platform apps (3 of which are free), and a little scotch tape, my dream is possible.
- You'll need the following apps: iTunes, Rogue Amoeba's Airfoil ($25), their companion app Airfoil Speakers, and Apple's Remote for iPhone
- Open Airfoil Speakers on the destination computer.
- Open Airfoil on the source computer and select "iTunes" from the source list.
- In Airfoil, activate the connection to the Airfoil Speakers computer. (iTunes will launch or relaunch, and Airfoil will establish a digital link to the destination.)
- Get your iPhone on your Wi-Fi network
- Open Remote, select a tune, and press play!
Front Row had decided to show me Germany's "Top-Titel" and "Top Musikvideos" under the Music menu. Somehow the Front Row preferences stopped matching the iTunes Music Store country settings. Deleting Front Row's preferences and caches didn't do the trick, it only started a roulette game in which Front Row randomly sent me to another country. I got Japan next. Fun, but what if you want to fix it?
The solution is to edit Front Row's preferences. Open this file in Property List Editor:
~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.frontrow.plist
Expand "Root" and edit the MusicStoreFrontID value to 143441 for US. Save and close, and Front Row will see the change on the next launch.
Naturally, it doesn't have to be the US. Maybe you're bored with the domestic Top 40? For other country values, visit the country selector page in iTunes. Ctrl-click on a country, choose "Copy iTunes Store URL", and paste that into a text editor. Find the "storeFrontId" value at the end of the URL and use that as your MusicStoreFrontID.
