I'm using iTunes v8.0.1 and ripping my CD collection to WAV. I often have internet drop outs and often rip CDs with generic track name info until I highlight the effected tracks and click on "Get CD track names" under the Advanced pull-down. Now (possibly since the latest iTunes update) this feature no longer works; every time I get an error message that says I didn't rip those tracks with iTunes so I should try and re-rip using iTunes. WTF? Anybody else having this problem? Remember when Apple didn't tolerate !@# like this? Those were the good ole days...
Here's how it works: iTunes (and other ripper applications) utilize the
GraceNote CDDB (Compact Disc Datacase). When a disc is inserted, a unique ID is calculated based on the number of tracks, track duration, TOC, etc. This ID is then compared to the the IDs of all CDs in the online database and the matching CD info is downloaded and displayed in iTunes. Some facts:
1. CD and track info is NOT stored on the disc.
2. CD and track info will NOT be downloaded or available without an internet connection.
3. If a disc is ripped without an internet connection, the disc info will not be available after the fact. The only way to retrieve the data is to re-rip the disc while an internet connection is available, or by manually entering the data.
4. Partial disc, compilation, or playlist track info cannot be retrieved.
5. All available CD info in the CDDB is user-submitted, so not all discs will be in the database.
Also, as an aside, .WAV does not support metadata and tagging, whereas AIFF, ALAC, and FLAC do (as do AAC and MP3, but they are lo-rez options). What this means in your particular case is that if at any point in time your iTunes database gets corrupted (not the actual music files but the library database that iTunes uses to store track info, file locations, etc.), you will lose all associated CD and track info.