Windows 8 : Music App

After a LOT of experimentation, here is what has worked for me.

Don't use MP3 files, as they are hit or miss. Most work, about 10% don't, and I gave up trying to figure out why. M4A don't work either, nor do WAV.       

Option 1:

1) Use only WMA files, with any custom art being 200x200 album art pasted into WMP.

2) Delete the all tracks in the album from Windows Media Player (from the library, NOT from you hard disk)

3) MOVE them to another directory

4) delete them from XBOX Music

5) Then move them back to their original directory

6) Add the tracks back into WMP

7) Watch them show up into XBOX Music with their correct album art.

Option#2

If you have a LOT of track missing artwork, this option may save you some time.

1.) Use only WMA files, with any custom art being 200x200 album art pasted into WMP. (Transcode the files if you have to, stripping out any extraneous or larger artwork than 200x200.

2.) UNISTALL XBOX MUSIC

3.) Go to the App Store - swipe from the bottom of the screeen (or right click at the bottom of the screen) and select "Your Apps"

4.) REINSTALL XBOX MUSIC

5.) Go back to the START Screen. Watch for when XBOX Music moves from "Pending" to "Installing" and then completes.

6.) As soon as it completes, open XBOX Music and then open the charms bar, selecte preferences and turn off "Automatically Retrieve and Updata Album Art and Metadata."

The above combination of steps seems to work very well, and I now have custom album art in XBOX Music.