Changes to Web API

[Loneliest_Cabin]

Folks, some news on changes to the web API has been posted on the Spotify For Developers blog.

We want to reiterate the main message from the blog that we're committed to providing a safe and secure environment for all Spotify stakeholders. As such we have recently made some important changes related to access to some of our endpoints and functionality. You can read the details on the blog: https://developer.spotify.com/blog/2024-11-27-changes-to-the-web-api

We are here to listen to any feedback you may have. 

[josephlegrand33]

Some services exist (such as https://getsongbpm.com), but another way would be to use some recent tempo estimation model or library (that are probably used under the hood by those services, Spotify included) such as DeepRhythm or TempoCNN. However, that last solution requires you to possess the audio version of the song.

[kingosticks4]

What data did you use!? How did you get the mapping of Spotify URIs to your own magic data source, without using their data? Quite frankly, that seems.... impossible.

[Nicolas_CDG]

As many developers here, I'm completely disappointed with these features no more available.

I spent hours - like many of us - to develop a personal app to help me manage play_lists by genre, create accurate personal recommendations and so on... 

Recommendations and Audio_features were a must_have ...

I think you're going against a lot of customers: I may stop my susbscription to Spotify, after years of music.

You can't pretend that it's a progress towards third party apps integration: it's just the opposite of how data are available today.

Please consider it again, and restore back these features. Thanks for your understanding

[Karnay]

soundlens.pro does not have a sign up for even trying to use the Api token generation and trying to use the other things. I also agree that it looks a bit too good to be true 

[spencerthayer]

Yes it is time to cancel your subscription.

[ladida_gbg]

Not cool.
This reduced the usefullness of Spotify for me. Please bring it back.

[spencerthayer]

Dear Spotify Team,

It is with sheer outrage that I write this letter, disgusted by your reckless decision to deprecate essential API endpoints without notice. As a paying premium family subscriber for over nine years, I’ve relied on these APIs—Related Artists, Recommendations, Audio Features, Audio Analysis, Get Featured Playlists, and Get Category’s Playlists—to build tools that made Spotify bearable amid its otherwise mediocre offerings.

These APIs were not just conveniences; they were lifelines. They allowed me to create tailored, innovative applications that filled the glaring gaps in your platform. For instance, Spotify’s app still lacks basic functionality like sorting playlists by BPM or song key—a fundamental feature for any music enthusiast. My Python script, which reorganizes my playlists nightly, solved this deficiency, offering a level of customization Spotify arrogantly refuses to provide.

To make matters worse, your abrupt removal of these APIs, announced and executed on the same day, is a slap in the face to your most dedicated users. This decision reeks of contempt for your audience, particularly developers who have devoted time, expertise, and passion to expanding what your lackluster service failed to offer. Typically, even the most exploitative corporations provide transition periods for such changes. Your decision to forgo even this basic courtesy signals a deliberate disdain for your customers.

The outrage from the developer community is not just warranted; it’s inevitable. Developers like myself have invested years in crafting solutions that not only enhance Spotify but, frankly, make it tolerable. Your unilateral action has sabotaged countless projects overnight, crushed innovation, and shown your utter disregard for the ecosystems we’ve built around your service. This is an unforgivable betrayal of trust.

By refusing to offer any advance notice or alternative solutions, you have willfully chosen to alienate and disrespect the very people who advocate for your platform. Your hostility towards developers is matched only by your arrogance, as you dismiss the immense value these tools bring to Spotify’s ecosystem. The lack of respect for this community’s contributions is appalling, and the damage you’ve inflicted will ripple far beyond today.

This latest move is part of a disturbing pattern of user-hostile decisions. Your abandonment of the Car Thing device—rendering it useless after December 9, 2024—is yet another display of corporate callousness. This reckless act disregards customers who invested in your hardware and contributes to the growing problem of electronic waste, highlighting your irresponsibility on a global scale.

Spotify’s contempt for its users is further evident in your failure to deliver the long-promised HiFi tier, teased over three years ago with no follow-through. Competitors have been offering superior, lossless audio options for years while you leave subscribers in the dark with empty promises and subpar audio quality. You’ve not just fallen behind; you’ve chosen stagnation.

Let me be clear: without the enhanced functionality provided by these APIs, Spotify is no longer worth my subscription. Your platform already lags in audio quality, transparency, and user-centric innovation. This decision to dismantle the API ecosystem is the final insult. If you fail to reinstate these critical endpoints or address the developer community’s concerns by December 18th, I will cancel my subscription and take my business to platforms that respect their users and developers alike.

Spotify’s survival as a platform hinges on trust, innovation, and collaboration—values you’ve aggressively undermined with this decision. Restoring these APIs is the absolute bare minimum to signal any intention of respecting your community. Do better.

[sylvesta]

Joao the issue is not rebuilding the API, the main issue is that Spotify has the freshest feed of music to offer through the API and thus new tracks will go wholly unheard and utterly unnoticed without their help.  Get what I mean?

[Marvinzock34]

Simply deprecating those API endpoints and stating that it’s due to a security issue is not acceptable. Those were crucial API endpoints that are now gone. I built an app that relied on those endpoints, and it’s no longer working. I hope the choices made will be reconsidered, and that the developer community will be respected and listened to.

[juangomezcañon]

Hello,

Is there a way around this in cases of non-profit use of the API data? For example, if I want to use all this information for research purposes? It's really sad to lose access to such a long standing source of data for researchers - a lot of past research in my field (MIR and music cognition) has relied heavily on Spotify data. 😓

[MrAndiK]

Thanks for nothing—this will only make Apple Music more appealing. Hopefully, this change encourages more apps to expand to other platforms, ultimately reducing reliance on Spotify subscriptions. Complaining to the EU won’t help then either.

[A83]

I have also been working on an app that used several of these endpoints. Wish there was a way for smaller apps to still apply for extension. 

As the Apple Music API still provides previews for several tracks at the time and related artists (they call it similar artists) I plan to migrate my app.

[31em]

Dear Spotify Team,

I hope this message finds you well. As a dedicated developer working with Spotify's API, I’ve built applications that rely significantly on its functionality. However, I’ve noticed that a recent API disablement has disrupted several essential features of my application, creating considerable inconvenience for both me and my users.

I fully respect and understand that decisions regarding API management are made with broad considerations. That said, the sudden removal of this functionality has had a noticeable impact on a user base that has grown dependent on my application. I kindly request the team to reassess this decision and explore the possibility of restoring access to the disabled API.

I am more than willing to provide detailed information or support to demonstrate the API’s significance to my application and to ensure its responsible and compliant usage.

Thank you for your time and understanding of the urgency of this matter. I look forward to your response and hope to discuss this further at your earliest convenience.

[BringBackTheDataAPI]

This was probably the most unethical decision y'all could have made; the community will never be the same. Revert it!

[velshnia]

This is tragic. I've taught how to use the Spotify API in a college class on data science for 8 years now, and have had students make great projects and apps with the data. While concern over AI and training models on Spotify seems a legitimate concern, I don't understand why Spotify doesn't just vet projects using the API to ensure they are not being used that way. 

[holamau]

@velshnia That would be "way too much work". It's easier, cheaper, faster to prevent anyone from accessing these formerly awesome features.

That would also mean Spotify actually cares about the 3rd-party developer community... they don't — Spotify, change my mind.

[SamMed]

This is completely unjustified. I need the Audio Analysis (remember The Echo Nest?) endpoint for an app I'm working on, and with your decision, you ruined my project and those of many other developers that wanted to use Spotify in a way that was equally advantageous for us and for the company. Removing access to those endpoints surely isn't the best measure to "augment security" and is probably just a way to protect your data from AI crawler bots. I get it, but at least don't hinder developers from making their applications. After all, they even bring more traffic to your services. Please revert your decision and listen to your user base and developers more.

[jdlennoxs]

I am dissappointed.

Using security as an excuse for these changes but then not providing a time for resolution or alternative endpoints that maintain the existing behaviour (which is obviously secure enough already to continue being used by current production applications) is just another greedy and community unfriendly move I have now come to expect from Spotify as standard.

The fact we have courses on how to take photos on an iphone but no hifi audio further illustrates the cash grab mindset that has taken over the platform and I will be reevaluating my presence as a fee paying sibscriber on it.

[Nugget56]

I was working on a project that rely on these APIs, and just now, when its 95% complete, i see i cannot complete the project and the time invested has gone to waste. Is there a way to provide some grace period where the people who have been working on their projects submit them for review and can use the APIs? since it works for existing applications.

[rhythmicbass]

I recently finished building a Spotify-connected metronome / tact counter, which I couldn't find online. Now I know why it suddenly stopped working.

I heard Spotify laid off a large portion of their algorithmic team, and maybe the depreciation is due to the analysis being unmaintainable / lower quality for new songs. However even if some of these endpoints become less reliable they would still be useful in many cases for the development community