Many songs disappear from Spotify

[toogroovy]

How come that so many songs are disappearing? I have lost almost 4 hours of my playlist songs.

[feelikeastrangr]

Hey @toogroovy, can you please share more info here? What exactly happened?

[toogroovy]

Well, I have a playlist with original 1240 songs lasting 101 hours, but 4 hours of the songs are blocked and shady. At least they are taken out of the library of Spotify. And my guess is it's increasing in the last time. I don't know if there are problems with "unpaid artists" or something like that...?

[feelikeastrangr]

Could be a few things:

• the artist's music may no longer be on Spotify

• your local files might not be labeled right

Here are a few things to try:

• reinstall the app on your device (this often helps the error go away)

• Try removing all local file sources, then add them again.

To do this in-app:

• Click Edit (PC) or Spotify (Mac).
• Select Preferences.
• Scroll down to Local Files.
• Deselect all sources.
• Close, and restart the app.
• Select all local file sources once again.

Hope this helps!

[toogroovy]

Must be that point:

• the artist's music may no longer be on Spotify

Because I was looking on the artists music libraries and the records were no longer in there. If you're lucky, they would return later on.

[toogroovy]

It's not the case that I've lost them all at once, but steady over the last months and years. But I think it increases the last time

[darkfirerider]

I noticed the same happening to my playlists. Sometimes even to songs that are several years old like from the 80's and 90's. It's a realy pitty.

Do you (Spotify) try to prevent labels from removing their songs from your library? Isn't it important for you that they don't withdraw their songs?

[Petertosh]

The song “everybody’s gotta learn sometimes” from Beck.

Always on spotify ‘till weeks ago when suddenly desapeared

[swanky-n-spanky]

I know what you mean, toogroovy. I've built up playlists through a broad number of genres, regions, and time periods. In recent months, I've noticed some of them being slowly stripped of songs - it's especially visible in the 1920s and 30s Americana. Many older compilation albums have become gutted, too. I'm now missing dozens and dozens of tracks that were all available less than a year ago.

Due to the random nature, and the fact that some of the songs are still available elsewhere on Spotify (and that many of the tracks I've seen disappear fall under statutory free-use laws in the US and elsewhere), I assumed that it's to do with staff trimming down the number of duplicate songs. That being said, I haven't found even a hint towards that explanation - on the forums, or otherwise.

[GoneApostate]

Spotify, you have got to stop shedding so many songs from the a available list. Dont say "we cant control if an artist chooses to remove themselves for the platform" **bleep**. The problem is you can't find a way to be profitable while paying for the licences. You will lose some and gain some, no matter, what but the huge increase in the number of songs getting greyed out is telling a different story. I get that it's hard. Maybe it's impossible. Cutting my Christmas playlist in half is one way to start losing paying subscribers like me really fast. That might just be how you are choosing to go out if you see no other option. It doesnt seem to be protecting you from lawsuits, however. 

Give us our songs back, or maybe just increase the availability for premium subscribers, I dont know, but if you don't figure it out fast, you will lose a lot of us and you wont get us back. That will really be the end.