diff --git a/beets/art.py b/beets/art.py
index b65838126..e7a087a05 100644
--- a/beets/art.py
+++ b/beets/art.py
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ import os
 
 from beets.util import displayable_path, syspath, bytestring_path
 from beets.util.artresizer import ArtResizer
-from beets import mediafile
+import mediafile
 
 
 def mediafile_image(image_path, maxwidth=None):
diff --git a/beets/importer.py b/beets/importer.py
index 889f1297e..d2943b511 100644
--- a/beets/importer.py
+++ b/beets/importer.py
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ from beets import config
 from beets.util import pipeline, sorted_walk, ancestry, MoveOperation
 from beets.util import syspath, normpath, displayable_path
 from enum import Enum
-from beets import mediafile
+import mediafile
 
 action = Enum('action',
               ['SKIP', 'ASIS', 'TRACKS', 'APPLY', 'ALBUMS', 'RETAG'])
diff --git a/beets/library.py b/beets/library.py
index 9a9d95256..c421500fa 100644
--- a/beets/library.py
+++ b/beets/library.py
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ import six
 import string
 
 from beets import logging
-from beets.mediafile import MediaFile, UnreadableFileError
+from mediafile import MediaFile, UnreadableFileError
 from beets import plugins
 from beets import util
 from beets.util import bytestring_path, syspath, normpath, samefile, \
diff --git a/beets/plugins.py b/beets/plugins.py
index 5ca9ae3bb..edc6d8fe8 100644
--- a/beets/plugins.py
+++ b/beets/plugins.py
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ from functools import wraps
 
 import beets
 from beets import logging
-from beets import mediafile
+import mediafile
 import six
 
 PLUGIN_NAMESPACE = 'beetsplug'
diff --git a/beetsplug/bpd/__init__.py b/beetsplug/bpd/__init__.py
index 5c54c9eab..a4a987a55 100644
--- a/beetsplug/bpd/__init__.py
+++ b/beetsplug/bpd/__init__.py
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ from beets import vfs
 from beets.util import bluelet
 from beets.library import Item
 from beets import dbcore
-from beets.mediafile import MediaFile
+from mediafile import MediaFile
 import six
 
 PROTOCOL_VERSION = '0.14.0'
diff --git a/beetsplug/export.py b/beetsplug/export.py
index 641b9fefc..d783f5b93 100644
--- a/beetsplug/export.py
+++ b/beetsplug/export.py
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ import codecs
 from datetime import datetime, date
 from beets.plugins import BeetsPlugin
 from beets import ui
-from beets import mediafile
+import mediafile
 from beetsplug.info import make_key_filter, library_data, tag_data
 
 
diff --git a/beetsplug/fetchart.py b/beetsplug/fetchart.py
index bfda94670..2583e4c16 100644
--- a/beetsplug/fetchart.py
+++ b/beetsplug/fetchart.py
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ from beets import importer
 from beets import ui
 from beets import util
 from beets import config
-from beets.mediafile import image_mime_type
+from mediafile import image_mime_type
 from beets.util.artresizer import ArtResizer
 from beets.util import confit, sorted_walk
 from beets.util import syspath, bytestring_path, py3_path
diff --git a/beetsplug/info.py b/beetsplug/info.py
index 0f7ccb875..b8a0c9375 100644
--- a/beetsplug/info.py
+++ b/beetsplug/info.py
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ import re
 
 from beets.plugins import BeetsPlugin
 from beets import ui
-from beets import mediafile
+import mediafile
 from beets.library import Item
 from beets.util import displayable_path, normpath, syspath
 
diff --git a/beetsplug/scrub.py b/beetsplug/scrub.py
index be6e7fd1f..a905899da 100644
--- a/beetsplug/scrub.py
+++ b/beetsplug/scrub.py
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ from beets.plugins import BeetsPlugin
 from beets import ui
 from beets import util
 from beets import config
-from beets import mediafile
+import mediafile
 import mutagen
 
 _MUTAGEN_FORMATS = {
diff --git a/beetsplug/zero.py b/beetsplug/zero.py
index 022c2c721..ebe1b486e 100644
--- a/beetsplug/zero.py
+++ b/beetsplug/zero.py
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ import six
 import re
 
 from beets.plugins import BeetsPlugin
-from beets.mediafile import MediaFile
+from mediafile import MediaFile
 from beets.importer import action
 from beets.ui import Subcommand, decargs, input_yn
 from beets.util import confit
diff --git a/test/helper.py b/test/helper.py
index 392d01a55..c6afb063e 100644
--- a/test/helper.py
+++ b/test/helper.py
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ import beets.plugins
 from beets.library import Library, Item, Album
 from beets import importer
 from beets.autotag.hooks import AlbumInfo, TrackInfo
-from beets.mediafile import MediaFile, Image
+from mediafile import MediaFile, Image
 from beets import util
 from beets.util import MoveOperation
 
diff --git a/test/test_convert.py b/test/test_convert.py
index aa0cd0a34..33bdb3b24 100644
--- a/test/test_convert.py
+++ b/test/test_convert.py
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ from test import _common
 from test import helper
 from test.helper import control_stdin, capture_log
 
-from beets.mediafile import MediaFile
+from mediafile import MediaFile
 from beets import util
 
 
diff --git a/test/test_embedart.py b/test/test_embedart.py
index 049e4694d..c465a5a96 100644
--- a/test/test_embedart.py
+++ b/test/test_embedart.py
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ import unittest
 from test import _common
 from test.helper import TestHelper
 
-from beets.mediafile import MediaFile
+from mediafile import MediaFile
 from beets import config, logging, ui
 from beets.util import syspath, displayable_path
 from beets.util.artresizer import ArtResizer
diff --git a/test/test_filefilter.py b/test/test_filefilter.py
index 57310fd2a..0b0da0d3f 100644
--- a/test/test_filefilter.py
+++ b/test/test_filefilter.py
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ from test import _common
 from test.helper import capture_log
 from test.test_importer import ImportHelper
 from beets import config
-from beets.mediafile import MediaFile
+from mediafile import MediaFile
 from beets.util import displayable_path, bytestring_path
 from beetsplug.filefilter import FileFilterPlugin
 
diff --git a/test/test_importer.py b/test/test_importer.py
index 8d6ba425a..980a769f6 100644
--- a/test/test_importer.py
+++ b/test/test_importer.py
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ from beets.util import displayable_path, bytestring_path, py3_path
 from test.helper import TestImportSession, TestHelper, has_program, capture_log
 from beets import importer
 from beets.importer import albums_in_dir
-from beets.mediafile import MediaFile
+from mediafile import MediaFile
 from beets import autotag
 from beets.autotag import AlbumInfo, TrackInfo, AlbumMatch
 from beets import config
diff --git a/test/test_info.py b/test/test_info.py
index f5375e2f6..814205527 100644
--- a/test/test_info.py
+++ b/test/test_info.py
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ from __future__ import division, absolute_import, print_function
 import unittest
 from test.helper import TestHelper
 
-from beets.mediafile import MediaFile
+from mediafile import MediaFile
 from beets.util import displayable_path
 
 
diff --git a/test/test_library.py b/test/test_library.py
index e8cdb0530..4e3be878c 100644
--- a/test/test_library.py
+++ b/test/test_library.py
@@ -30,12 +30,11 @@ import unittest
 from test import _common
 from test._common import item
 import beets.library
-import beets.mediafile
 import beets.dbcore.query
 from beets import util
 from beets import plugins
 from beets import config
-from beets.mediafile import MediaFile
+from mediafile import MediaFile, UnreadableFileError
 from beets.util import syspath, bytestring_path
 from test.helper import TestHelper
 import six
@@ -1169,7 +1168,7 @@ class ItemReadTest(unittest.TestCase):
         with self.assertRaises(beets.library.ReadError) as cm:
             item.read(unreadable)
         self.assertIsInstance(cm.exception.reason,
-                              beets.mediafile.UnreadableFileError)
+                              UnreadableFileError)
 
     def test_nonexistent_raise_read_error(self):
         item = beets.library.Item()
diff --git a/test/test_plugin_mediafield.py b/test/test_plugin_mediafield.py
index 983f6e2c8..a08db4542 100644
--- a/test/test_plugin_mediafield.py
+++ b/test/test_plugin_mediafield.py
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ import unittest
 
 from test import _common
 from beets.library import Item
-from beets import mediafile
+import mediafile
 from beets.plugins import BeetsPlugin
 from beets.util import bytestring_path
 
diff --git a/test/test_plugins.py b/test/test_plugins.py
index b14158699..884aa7875 100644
--- a/test/test_plugins.py
+++ b/test/test_plugins.py
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ from beets.importer import SingletonImportTask, SentinelImportTask, \
 from beets import plugins, config, ui
 from beets.library import Item
 from beets.dbcore import types
-from beets.mediafile import MediaFile
+from mediafile import MediaFile
 from beets.util import displayable_path, bytestring_path, syspath
 
 from test.test_importer import ImportHelper, AutotagStub
diff --git a/test/test_replaygain.py b/test/test_replaygain.py
index 81da7139e..9f14374cc 100644
--- a/test/test_replaygain.py
+++ b/test/test_replaygain.py
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ from mock import patch
 from test.helper import TestHelper, capture_log, has_program
 
 from beets import config
-from beets.mediafile import MediaFile
+from mediafile import MediaFile
 from beetsplug.replaygain import (FatalGstreamerPluginReplayGainError,
                                   GStreamerBackend)
 
diff --git a/test/test_ui.py b/test/test_ui.py
index 8267c9be8..9aae9584b 100644
--- a/test/test_ui.py
+++ b/test/test_ui.py
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ from beets import ui
 from beets.ui import commands
 from beets import autotag
 from beets.autotag.match import distance
-from beets.mediafile import MediaFile
+from mediafile import MediaFile
 from beets import config
 from beets import plugins
 from beets.util.confit import ConfigError
diff --git a/test/test_zero.py b/test/test_zero.py
index 025eaa540..1b7cc92d7 100644
--- a/test/test_zero.py
+++ b/test/test_zero.py
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ from test.helper import TestHelper, control_stdin
 
 from beets.library import Item
 from beetsplug.zero import ZeroPlugin
-from beets.mediafile import MediaFile
+from mediafile import MediaFile
 from beets.util import syspath