Linux: Spotify can't play this right now. If you have the file on your computer you can import it.

[naikin]

Operating System

Linux (Slackware-current)

Spotify Version

1.1.26

My Question or Issue

When I try to play and import local .mp3 files in spotify, I keep getting the error

Spotify can't play this right now. If you have the file on your computer you can import it

Lots of other people have complained about this in the past and none of the solutions I was able to find work for me.  Restarting or clearing the spoltify cache for the local files does not solve it.

Dependent on how the client is written, there might be many places where things are probably going wrong. It is completely not clear if spotify relies on pulseaudio or ALSA or what are the required versions of other 3rd party dynamic libraries. Some other users were suggesting that a specific version of the ffmpeg package is needed, but that version is now actually outdated. Also not clear if spotify requires 32-bit compatible system or pure 64-bit system is fine.

Does anyone know the answers to these questions? Additionally, is there a way to launch spotify in debug mode from the console so that I can at least see some more informative debug messages which might give me a clue what is going wrong(rather than the useless message above)?

[cHDMmFRE]

Well, as you may know, the solution for Arch is to install "ffmpeg-compat-57" package. It has versions 57 of libavcodec, libavdevice, etc. The full list here: https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/ffmpeg-compat-57/

So, in theory, you can get similar libraries on slackware.

[phnbwogyy0uv86j]

I have the same problem: _local_files_never_play_. I repeat _never_. Except: same files would play by spotify on windows 7! They play also from every player that linux assigns to that mp3-files.The files are a download of Woody Guthrie from Internet Archive. Can this be illegal? So I would appreciate very much, if spotify would point out by a sign (red point or whatever) if a file is illegal.
Only to limit to the legal aspect of that struggle.

[naikin]

There is no going around installing the old ffmpeg libraries. Apparently the spotify developers have extensive personal attachment to a 5-year old software and cannot let the new ffmpeg libraries break up this love relationship lol

[acidtoyman]

I don't think there's any way of spotify (or anyone else) knowing if a file is illegal. Keep in mind that what's legal and what's illegal not only differs from country to country, but also changes within a given region as laws are enacted or scrapped, and as copyrighted works fall into to the public domain. None of this can be tracked in an mp3 file.

[Sebasty]

Hey @naikin 

I don't know the answers either, but if you wish to run spotify in verbose mode, here's the command:

spotify --log-file=spotify.log --trace-file=spotify.trace

The log file is in your home directory.

You could try installing spotify classic which has a bit more permissions, at least when it comes to local files. If you use snap, remove the current installation of spotify and install:

snap install --classic spotify

Hope any of this helps 🙂