MusicBee Installation - CoverArt

MusicBee Installation and Troubleshooting steps with Cover Art.

MusicBee is a PC-based music playback program, with more features than Microsoft's abandoned Windows Media Player.  Illustrated for Windows 10 and 11.

This article shows how to install the program and to have your music files on an external drive.  It also shows how to resolve these common installation errors::

• Cover Art not displaying, "No Cover Art"  Coverart missing
  
• MusicBee preferences not "sticking"
• Error: "Unable to save the library database.  Access denied. 
• Installing an application in your profile directory is a sin
  

Installation Comments

I store music on a Synology NAS drive (Network Attached Storage -- an external hard drive), not to my profile's MUSIC folder.  It takes a moment of coaxing to get MusicBee to follow this route, should you want to use this.

Secondly, the program installs to C:\Users\<your profile>\MusicBee, which is not my favorite place to put software -- this causes several problems mentioned above; all of which are resolved below.  Instead, I chose to install to C:\ProgramFiles\MusicBee.

MusicBee does not deal with CoverArt -- leaving that task to another author.  Install a second program to manage the art.  I chose the vendor's recommended "AlbumArtDownloader."  
 

Installation:

MusicBee installs by default to your user's profile folder.  This is inappropriate and unsafe but was easier for the vendor to implement.  A better, more expected location is C:\ProgramFiles but the program crashes if this location is used.  This article shows how to overcome these issues.

Prerequisites:

A. Decide where you want the music files to live.  If using your profile-folder, note this path:
(where <your id> is replaced by your login-id/user-id)*.

C:\Users\<your user-id>\Music  

In my case, the music files live on a SAN drive. For example:
\\synologyNAS\Music

Confirm you can use File Explorer to arrive at the location.  Either location is acceptable.

* Find your Windows user-id by opening File Explorer.  Tunnel to C:\Users and look for a folder that has your account name.  For example, mine is "traywolf".  Or from a DOS Command Prompt (Start, "CMD", type "whoami")


B.  Decide where you want Music Bee to install. 

Choose either:
C:\Program Files\MusicBee  (recommended) or
C:\Users\<your user-id>\MusicBee

The purpose of this article is to re-direct the installation to "C:\Program Files\MusicBee" - instead of the program's default Profile directory.  Music Bee wants to install to your user's profile folder because it was easier for them to write the install -- but this is a poor (and unsafe) place to install an application.  You want Microsoft's built-in virus protection to work on all applications - this only works from the Program Files folders.


Downloads:

1.  Download MusicBee Installer

https://getmusicbee.com/downloads/

Select either the "Get MusicBee Installer"
or "Get MusicBee Portable"

Save to a known location, such as "Downloads".
If the Portable edition is .zip, open the downloaded .zip and copy the contents inside to a separate installation folder (recent versions have been a .exe).

2.  Download Album Art Downloader

https://sourceforge.net/projects/album-art/

Again, save to a known location
SourceForge.net, which in past years was a scary site to download from, has improved.  A few years ago SourceForge was bought by another company they fixed their adware problem.

3.  Manually create program directory

Using File Explorer, pre-create these folders:

C:\Program Files\MusicBee
C:\Program Files\MusicBee\AlbumArtDownloader


4.  Run the MusicBee installer as Administrator

From File Explorer, locate the MusicBee installer.

Right-Mouse-click, "Run as Administrator"  (for all programs, always install as admin)
Select a different installation folder: Browse to "C:\Program Files\MusicBee".

The purpose of this article is to install in the Program Files folder rather than the lazier (and less-secure) C:\Users\<your profilename> folder.

 

5.  Run AlbumArtDownloader installer as Administrator

From File Explorer, locate AlbumArtDownloader installation program
Right-mouse-click, "Run as Administrator"
Choose an installation path, "C:\Program Files\MusicBee\AlbumArtDownloader"
Accept program defaults, as needed.

6.  Set Program Files Security

If you installed to C:\Users\<your profile>, skip to Step 7; otherwise you must complete these steps.

Windows protects 'C:\Program Files' from yourself.  Even though installed as "Administrator", the program runs under your credentials, which may be different than Administrator (You do run your normal day-to-day login as a non-administrative "loser account", don't you?)

a.  Launch File Explorer.  Tunnel to folder:  C:\Program Files\MusicBee

b.  Right-mouse-click folder "MusicBee", choose "Properties"

c.  These next steps to set the permissions are convoluted.  

In the MusicBee's main folder, Properties panel. 
Click the [Security] tab. 
Click button Edit.

Click "Add"
Type your profile name*.  Click "Check Names" and confirm it is found

* Find your Windows user-id by opening File Explorer.  Tunnel to C:\Users and look for a folder that has your account name.  For example, mine is "traywolf".  Or from a DOS Command Prompt (Start, "CMD", type "whoami")

Return to the [Security] tab
Select your newly-added name
Mark checkbox to 'Allow [x] Full Control'
Click OK.

Finally, return to the same [Security] tab
Find your name yet again.  Click button [Advanced]
Select your Name from the "Permissions Entries" list
Click [x] Replace all Child object Permissions

Permissions are now set.
Ok and close all panels.

Continue with MusicBee configuration

7.  Add MusicBee to the Start Menu

a.  From File Explorer, tunnel to C:\Program Files\MusicBee
b.  Scroll and highlight MusicBee.exe
c.  Right-mouse-click, "Pin to Start"

8.  Set MusicBee Preferences

From the Windows Start Tile Menu, launch MusicBee

a.  On first-time launch, dismiss the Scan For Files dialog

b.  From the upper-left "Hamburger menu," select "Edit Preferences"

c.  In the left-nav [Library tab],

Middle of panel; select "Monitored folders", click "Choose Folders"

Add your music library. 

(For most people, this will be your profile's MUSIC folder (C:\Users\<your id>\Music), but on my system, I pointed this to the UNC path on the SAN/NAS drive. In my case, \\synologyNAS\Music)

In "Monitored Folders", "Chose Folder"
Browse to you music folder(or select Network Share)

Click Apply.
Multiple top-level folders can be added, although not particularly recommended.

Additional note:  Music Bee will not allow you to add an external USB drive to the library. Reasons unknown.  Reader comments invited.

 
d.  Important: In MusicBee's CD Ripping tab  (See, Hamburger Menu, Edit, Preferences; left-nav)

Change the "Save To Folder" 
from: "Ripped Files\"
To:  your music folder: 

- in my case  "\\SynologyNAS\Music";
yours may be "C:\Users\<your account name>\MUSIC"

Click Apply.

 
9.  Configure Album Art Downloader

In MusicBee's Edit Preferences menu, 

select Hamburger Menu,
Edit Preferences,
Tools

In the "External Application" grid

a.  Type:  "AlbumArt" in the first column
b.  Click the ApplicationPath's ellipsis and browse to: 
"C:\Program Files\MusicBee\AlbumArtDownloader"
c.  Select "AlbumArt.exe"  (not aad.exe)

In the parameters, backspace and type this string,
including quotes and space, illustrated. Be accurate:

"<Artist>" "<Album>"

Apply
Close

10.  Configure Album Art File Folder Name:

From  Music Bee's top-hamburger menu, select EDIT Preferences.
Select Tags(1)
In the Artwork section, Click button (Edit List...)  (middle, right)
Check [x] Folder.jpg (leaving other checkboxes checked)

Allow it to Scan the folders (Rescan artwork)
Save changes

Close MusicBee.

Re-launch and confirm all settings made above "stuck".  If they reverted, the [Security] steps in Step 6 were not completed properly.

11.  Configure Album Art Downloader

One-time AAD setup:  Separately, launch AlbumArtDownloader by hand.

Open Windows File Explorer.
Tunnel to "C:\Program Files\MusicBee\AlbumArtDownloader"
Double click "AlbumArt.exe"  (not aad.exe)

Click the "Options" link, illustrated below

Uncheck "[  ] Open Search results in new window"

Type this text in the "Set Save Images to"
(type carefully, noting percent symbols!)

\\SynologyNas\Music\%artist%\%album%\folder.%extension%

or, if you are using the Windows default MUSIC folder:
C:\\Users\<your user ID>\Music\\%artist%\%album%\folder.%extension%

Exit the program.

Test RIP a CD

Launch MusicBee.
Insert a CD
Select top pull-down menu, Tools, "Rip CD"

Once the Rip is done, use File Explorer to browse to your music library (e.g.  \\SynologyNAS\Music   or Users\MUSIC, etc.)
- Confirm new folder, by Artist Name
- Confirm interior folder, by album name

If Album Art is not resolving, select the first track (not the Album),
Chose context menu, "Send To"  (AlbumArt)
Multiple sources, with suggested artwork display.
Find a picture; click the little "Save" icon; dismiss the box.

Optionally, add the Tools, RIP CD to the menu bar:
  - Right mouse-click a grey area on the menu, "Configure Tool Bar"
  - Type text "Rip CD"; select "Tools, Rip CD" from pull-down
  - Click Update

Scan Library

In MusicBee
Top Left Menu, near hamburger menu, click "MusicBee" (down-chevron)
(This is on the Title Bar, not the Music Menu directly below)

Select: File, "Scan Folders for New Files"

This completes MusicBee's setup.


Both MusicBee and AAD deserve some money for their good work.  If you can spare the money, help them out.

Comments welcome.

Related links:
MusicBee Download
AlbumArtDownloader Download
Run Windows with a non-administrative account (a "loser account")