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. 

[funemployed]

Hey all, 

In light of the recent changes we are all aware about, with regards to the sudden deprecation of the Spotify recommendation and audio-feature API endpoints, among others. 

Does any body know any workarounds, or alternatives to this? 

Will Spotify be replacing these endpoints with anything moving forward?

The way this deprecation has been handled, has left seemingly hundreds of developers without answers, with broken applications, and having lost months of work. 

A path forward here would really be appreciated. 

[gooday]

I have a personal project app using the recommendation API that I've been working on for quite a while, and it's heartbreaking to have it suddenly be rendered useless. What started as a passion project to learn web development became something I could be proud of to put on my resume. Overnight, it went from a fully functioning app that I can show friends and employers to nothing, its core functionality deprecated.

I hope there is some way for this to be reverted. I truly love Spotify and its functionality that allows small hobbyists like myself to build cool things.

[LeeCo]

The loss of get-audio-features really hits me hard. I could probably live with the loss of get-recommendations, but I really like to sort my playlists by things like Energy and Key, to create a smooth flow across the playlist, with minimal sudden changes between adjacent songs. I am extremely bummed that I can no longer sort my playlists any more. I also like to filter my playlists to create, for example, playlists specifically for relaxation, reading, exercising, etc. I have used Energy, Valence, and Tempo extensively to create playlists that fit a specific mood or energy level.

@Spotify, if you're listening: Please at least create an endpoint that will SORT a list of tracks by specified audio features, and another to FILTER a list of tracks by specified audio feature ranges, even if you don't make the audio feature values themselves visible through the API.

[sylvesta]

Hey, our application Remuse.co was still in development mode, and we are planning to apply for extended quotas for the recommendation endpoint.  We implore you to make this endpoint available to developers.

[Psbales]

Why is Spotify actively working to kill applications and effectively chasing away users??

[s2t2]

This was a poorly executed change.

How does one get access to audio features now?

Does extended quota mode have access to audio features?

Why were they deprecated in the first place? Is this a play for more revenue? Is it possible to pay to access these features?

Why would they just be deprecated without recourse? Not cool.

[thesystemera]

This is literally INSANE! I've spent six months on PLAiR.fm and was LITERALLY in the process of submitting my application for extension yesterday. 20k lines of code! There must be someone at Spotify I can talk to about this. We were literally in talks with major parties and established brand names that we were about to submit our use-case to Spotify in the form of our submission. This feels anti-competitive. We will try reach out via other means, but I'm just gobsmacked. What's got me shocked is that even the SDK doesn't seem to be working anymore. So its not just audio analytics we seem to have lost.. You might as well close your API full stop, as its essentially useless now for any new developer!

[thesystemera]

Absolutely looking that way. PLAiR.live in a nutshell. We even had real-time AI DJs with next to zero latency!

[lemonsh]

This is outright crazy, I just can't believe Spotify could behave so irresponsibly. Lesson learned not to rely on the platform anymore.

[sylvesta]

To be honest, I was singing Spotify's praises the last six months because I thought they were very intelligent in: building a platform, and allowing developers to engage with their API creatively to expand on their offerings.  Clearly, I was mistaken, since at any time the rug can be pulled, and countless dev hours go down the drain.  Appealing to "security concerns" does not really make sense, there is not much that can be done with the metadata other than enrich user experiences.  Please reconsider this egregious decision, as it is leaving a bad taste in many a developer mouth and a sore ringing in the developer ears.

[hftf]

Thanks a lot Spotify for shutting down the basic 5-line script I built for myself to organize a playlist by key. I'm not competing or training any AIs. Access to your locked-behind-a-paywall API is LITERALLY THE REASON I BEGAN PAYING FOR SPOTIFY

[2s_0]

Spotify API was one of the core centers for my Major Project, all those months of Hardwork gone :(. At least a HeadsUp would have been helpful. I don't think there is any other app out there who would provide us with this much data. At least a way to bring back these functionalities would be appreciated 

[chezzercherry]

I was absolutely flabbergasted to randomly click on the community updates tab when trying to solve this issue to see that it's not my application, it's Spotify deciding to brick EVERYONE's development applications. This is unheard of and truely hurts developers. This is another instance of Spotify not caring about developers making cool stuff with their products. This reminds me of the constant battle for websockets on the public api, which are a pipe dream.

It's heartbreaking reading all these replies of people literally sinking thousands of hours and money in development time, just for Spotify to leave them in the dust. Luckily, I have only been working for a couple of weeks on my application, but this is a major loss of trust for some on here. I wouldn't be surprised if Apple Music's subscriptions suddenly go up as this hammers in the fact that Spotify don't care about developers and never will.

This has obviously come from up top and not the development team behind the public web API. None of the documentation has been updated. Right now, you can try the playlist example endpoint on the playground, and it 404s (lol). The typescript module doesn't even have the ability to accept 404s coming from certain endpoints, which then dumps ugly errors in my console saying so.

I hope this is fixed for New Year's, when I plan to use my Spotify request application. 

Do better Spotify.

[emv299]

Like everyone else, I've just lost months of hard work and this overnight change has rendered my work pointless.

[SergioS04]

3 days from my project's due date that revolved around the get recommendations request. Some notice would have been nice given that this just rendered my project for school useless and is a major inconvenience for other developers as well I'd imagine. Disappointed.

[oksimplyalex]

You're announcing this like you've simply corrected a typo on a web page...

By eliminating core Web API features like this you've trashed MONTHS of work for so many developers who had respect for your services, including myself.

As a loyal multi-year duo plan subscriber I am profoundly disappointed. This is *infuriating* to say the least. I had put so much time and efforts in the last years in developing and maintaining a browser extension to help me prepare choreographies based on songs BPM, renewed every few months, and now my workflow has just been destroyed. No alternatives offered. I can't express how unbelievable I think this is, especially as a developer and security professional. What happened? Begging the responsible people to bring back those Web API features!

And this comes right after you increased the fees of your plans... honestly, I don't know what to think anymore and I feel powerless. Such an impact and lack of consideration for the users...

[mherger]

Add my voice to the list of really frustrated developers. With all the new limitations we've gone from some of the best music related APIs (Spotify & The Echo Nest!) to something useless. It's sad, whatever the reason for the action taken.

[thesystemera]

Yeah, I had long planned to migrate this to Apple Music and many of my friends have YouTube Premium and looking at their API's. I'd rather not though, I mean, Spotify Premium is required for our app, so I don't understand why they are doing such things. Best to have optiosn, is what I'm feeling today. AARRGG!!!

[thesystemera]

I couldn't agree more. Six months of coding. 25k lines of it. I can't even get a promo video out of what I've put together, I feel like that's the most painful part! Like was literally adding the polish to the user-experience. This is my first MAJOR coding project and it break my heart!!! Was actually excited to show it off to Spotify as I feel they'd actually been quite impressed. Certain beats their Spotify DJ 🙂

[greedymau5]

This is so disheartening. Two months and 10k lines of code have gone to waste as my app's use case was heavily reliant on playlist endpoints. Now I can't even fetch all the playlists I follow because most of them are Spotify generated ones. The whole app was coming together really well as I was planning to add it to my resume.

Thank you Spotify for the gracious stab in the back.