Restrict access to your shared music

To restrict access, you can require other users on your local network to enter a password to listen to your music. To do so, click the Sharing in iTunes Preferences. Then select the “Require password” option, and type a password. When you’re ready, click OK. You can use the radio buttons below the “Share my music” checkbox to share your entire library or just certain playlists.

Authorize other computers to play your purchased music

You can play your iTunes Music Store tracks on up to five different computers. To authorize a computer to play your purchased music, in the Shared Music list, select the computer to which the purchased music was originally downloaded. Select a purchased song, click the Play button, and then enter the Apple ID and password for the account that purchased the song. The second computer is now authorized to play all music purchased with that account.

Host a “bring your own music” party

Why not get all your friends together for a party? Ask them to bring their laptops, and as long as they can connect to your home network, their shared libraries and playlists will appear in your iTunes window. Keep switching from one great playlist to another! You could even connect your computer to your stereo or some great speakers and really add some excitement.

If items appear dimmed in the list of shared music

To share music on your local network, every user on the network must be using iTunes 4.5 or later. Computers using older versions will appear dimmed. Likewise, if you are using an older version of iTunes, any computers using iTunes 4.5 or later will appear dimmed.

If you don’t see any shared music files or can’t access another user’s shared music

Check to make sure that iTunes is open on the other computers on your local network. Sharing music libraries also requires iTunes version 4.0.1 or later on the Mac and iTunes version 4.1 or later on the PC.