Sync ipod (and scrobble to last.fm) with Winamp

I posted a while ago about scrobbling to last.fm without iTunes, so i thought i’d write about how to do this using winamp and the ml_ipod plugin.

Once you have installed winamp all you need to do is download the plugin from the site above and install it. If you want to scrobble to last.fm you need to check the box during the install as this feature is not installed by default.

Once it is installed, connect up your ipod (it supports most ipods) and it will ask you for some details about what model of ipod it is. You will also need to enter your last.fm details into the “Audioscrobbler for Winamp” plugin (found under General purpose plug-ins).

You can then sync your ipod with your winamp library. Each time you sync it will update the playcounts (both ways) and submit any newly played tracks to last.fm. As with any other method of scrobbling you need to make sure you sync before playing any tracks in winamp, otherwise any previously played tracks will not be accepted by last.fm

There is very little configuration required for the ml_ipod plugin although there are a lot of options that you can explore.

Ipod Preferences screenshot

Transfer window

(Screenshots taken from the ml_ipod website)

Scrobble playcount from ipod to last.fm without itunes

I’ve recently bought a ipod classic (80GB) and have hated iTunes ever since. I’ve tried a couple of other programs to manage it but so far not found anything quite right. One of the main things that are lacking in other programs is the ability to upload the tracks that have been played to last.fm. This is no longer a problem after i found…. LastPod.

It’s a little java application which runs on both windows and unix that simply reads the playcount data from your ipod and allows you to upload (scrobble) them to last.fm. It’s very easy to use and i think finally i might be able to ditch iTunes, so long as i can decide on the next best software to use (Windows Media player + MGTek’s dopisp plugin, winamp + ml_ipod plugin, mediamonkey) . Comments on a postcard to the usual address (or in the comment box at least… :))