How do I re-create my iTunes playlists if my laptop breaks?

[tokenasianguy]

Saving the music is easy enough...Just drag and drop.

However I have at least a dozen intricate playlists that I've spent a lot of time building. How would I recreate those playlists if something happens to my computer?

I'd hate to have to go through my entire library track by track and put them in the appropriate playlist.

[michael133]

best to keep a backup of your itunes library if you can on an external drive

[tokenasianguy]

best to keep a backup of your itunes library if you can on an external drive

The "iTunes Library" file? or the actual library itself?

If it's the former, how would I use the file to restore my playlists?

[michael133]

library file to my knowledge contains playlist data within it but otherwise save playlists as .m3u files then providing the file arcitecture is identical then they should find the mp3s for them

[Jester]

its the library.xml file you need to backup

[tokenasianguy]

its the library.xml file you need to backup

Would you or anyone else be able to briefly explain how this .xml file would restore my playlists?

[akswun]

quick question... only because you said the playlists were intricate. Do you use smart playlists in iTunes? or have you hand selected tracks into a playlist?

[lethal_pizzle]

I use Time Machine on my Mac, so my playlists, tunes etc are backed up and can be easily restored.

[tokenasianguy]

quick question... only because you said the playlists were intricate. Do you use smart playlists in iTunes? or have you hand selected tracks into a playlist?

Smart playslists populate automatically according to preset paramaters like genre correct?

Unfortunately that wouldn't work for me. All my playlists are hand picked, because I play at so many different kinds of events, bars, etc.

[papo]

Smart playslists populate automatically according to preset paramaters like genre correct?

Unfortunately that wouldn't work for me. All my playlists are hand picked, because I play at so many different kinds of events, bars, etc.

I would backup the whole iTunes folder, which include the 'iTunes Library.xml' and 'iTunesLibrary.itl'.
the ITL file is equally important.

Per Apple's info:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1660

About the iTunes Library.itl file

This file is a database of the songs in your library and the playlists you've created. Some song-specific data is saved in this file. If you delete the file, iTunes creates a new, empty copy when you open the application, but any playlists, song ratings, comments, or other information you created is lost. The iTunes Library file is only used by iTunes, and is the only one backed up by Time Machine on OS X.

About the iTunes Library.xml file

This file contains some (but not all) of the same information stored in the iTunes Library file. The purpose of the iTunes Library.xml file is to make your music and playlists available to other applications on your computer. In Mac OS X other iLife applications (like iPhoto, iDVD, and iMovie) use this file to make it easier for you to add music from your iTunes library to your projects.