Apple Music library vs. linked iCloud folder?

Questions
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1

Hi all,

I’m trying to decide how best to organize my music for djay Pro (iPad + Mac) before I commit to one approach.

My situation:

• Around 110 albums that I ripped from my own CDs years ago via iTunes (DRM-free files), currently only as files in a linked folder (iCloud Drive). I have not imported these into Apple Music yet.
• About 100 individual tracks bought via the iTunes Store over the past year — also DRM-free — already in my Apple Music library.

My main reason for considering Apple Music is search: with the linked folder I get no search function and no combined song list inside djay — only artist-folder browsing. With the Apple Music source I’d get proper text search, a full alphabetical song list, and easy playlists, which would make finding tracks during a set much easier.

My questions:

  1. For a library that’s entirely DRM-free (ripped CDs + iTunes Store purchases), are there real advantages to importing everything into the Apple Music source in djay — especially for search and browsing — rather than keeping a linked Files folder?
  2. Does the Apple Music source reliably play offline (airplane mode) in djay for these tracks?
  3. Any downsides I should know about — duplicate handling, track analysis data, or cue point syncing across Mac and iPad?

Thanks for any advice!