Playlist Takedown Notification

[lukesp_]

Plan

Premium

Country

Brazil

Device

(Samsung Galaxy A71, Windows 10)

Operating System

(Android)

My Question or Issue

I got emails saying my playlists had been taken down. Below is the text of one of the emails:

'Hello,

We have found the following content to be in violation of our content policies, and we have removed it. Please see our Spotify Terms and Conditions of Use for more information.

(Playlist url code)
Regards,

Spotify'

The big question is: What is it about? What was the violation and why am I allegedly in breach of Spotify's Terms and Conditions of Use?

I've been using Spotify on the Premium plan for years, and that's just now (and with my biggest playlists). They lost their name and photo. My playlists have become the second largest in the category they are in, so I have strong suspicions that the takedowns are due to malicious reports.

I humbly and kindly ask for an explanation of what happened and why it happened and a solution.

Sincerely,

Lucas.

[HolgerRadecke]

There is no reason other than a bot or a person reported it. This issue is around for ages but apparently very low prio for the devs. All you can do is open a ticket to the support to get it restored. They may also put some protection on it. Good luck, we have all been there and it is frustrating to see no progress for years now. 

[Uday04]

Hey ,

Same problem i am facing 

My playlist has more than 25k follower 

Pls help me 

It is for the 2nd time in a day spotify has taken down my playlist 

Pls reply asap

[yaktam]

Hi Jeremy,

Something tells me, that you don't exist anymore, but I'll try anyways.

I believe that 99% of the people that are on this post, are here because Spotify created a reason for reporting (playlists) called:

"I just don't like it."

If you removed that reporting reason, 99% of your reports would disappear, along with the headaches that go with it.

Imagine if you had that option at Spotify's Human Resources (HR) department?

Why should we let Jeremy go?
Is he a sexual deviant?
Has he displayed violent or dangerous tendencies?
Has he been hateful or abusive towards you?
Is he a boldface liar?
Or do you simply not like him?

You'd be gone in a heartbeat.

[yaktam]

So the battle continues.

I have 2 playlists among the 30 or so that I've curated over the past 5 years or so, being taken down once or twice a day, only recently.

No reasons given. Other than it's up to us to figure out. On our own.

Nice.

Only thing missing after the takedown is the name of the playlist. So someone out there just doesn't like what its called.

Running @ 130 BPM.
Running @ 140 BPM.

It doesn't really bother me, other than having to rename the two playlists everyday. Sometimes twice a day.

The real bother comes back as WHY? No reason given. 

And the crazy thing is, all it takes on my part is to rename it and save it and the playlist is back in action.

In the real world, that would be like someone coming around daily, ripping my business sign down (without any apparent reason) and then me nailing it back up at the end of the day. Of course in the real world, I'd be sitting outside my business waiting to catch the guy. Here we're left to posting about it and Spotify sitting back and laughing at us.

If it was an artist, then only one of the playlists would be targetted. As the only common link between the 2 playlists are the words Running and BPM. I have 8 other websites with BPM in them and 4 other websites with the word RUNNING.

So that ain't it.

Which leaves me with the logical conclusion that someone wants THEIR playlist to show up first.

That should not be a reason to take down anyone's playlist. 

So everyday that the playlists are taken down. I will post that in this thread. Until it becomes the #1 thread.

How to know if YOU'VE been affected?

Login to https://spotify.com.
Click on "Your Library"
Sort by "Alphabetical" order
Click on "Playlists"

If one of your playlists has been "DELISTED" it will show up near the top of this sorting, as a "greyed out" playlist with no name. You can simply click on it, rename it, save it, and the playlist is back in action.

I have two playlists in my list of playlists, that are not mine, but ones I followed. 

I have NO way of alerting these poor blokes as to their dilemma, as Spotify won't let us talk to playlist creators (another freaking sore spot, but let's not get ahead of ourselves). 

So I'll post their usernames here. And maybe they'll eventually read this thread, when it reaches #1 and fix their playlists.

If they're still alive of course.

Inge Norden - that person's playlist had over 3,000 likes. Was likely called something like "Billboard Top 100 1965." Has exactly 100 songs in it.

Adenip Yooy Esoj - that person's playlist had over 25,000 likes. Was likely called something like "Top Musicals" and ONLY had 25 songs, the majority of which were the songs from Mama Mia! 

Both were likely targetted for the same reason.

Someone wants their playlist to show up first.

Talk to you tomorrow!

[Sven_O]

I just had the same problem and your suggestions were great and helpful, thank you so much!I I can't believe Spotify lets people report playlist based on not liking the (playlist) title 

[yaktam]

Hi Uday04,

Login to https://spotify.com
Click on "Your Library"
Sort by "Alphabetical" order
Click on "Playlists"

If one of your playlists has been "DELISTED" it will show up near the top of this sorting, as a "greyed out" playlist with no name. You can simply click on it, rename it, save it, and the playlist is back in action.

Let us know if it worked!

[yaktam]

Yes, we've figured out how to get your playlist up and running again.

Login to https://spotify.com
Click on "Your Library"
Sort by "Alphabetical" order
Click on "Playlists"

If one of your playlists has been "DELISTED" it will show up near the top of this sorting, as a "greyed out" playlist with no name. You can simply click on it, rename it, save it, and the playlist is back in action.

Let us know if it worked!

[yaktam]

Login to https://spotify.com
Click on "Your Library"
Sort by "Alphabetical" order
Click on "Playlists"

If one of your playlists has been "DELISTED" it will show up near the top of this sorting, as a "greyed out" playlist with no name. You can simply click on it, rename it, save it, and the playlist is back in action.

Let us know if it worked!

[yaktam]

Login to https://spotify.com
Click on "Your Library"
Sort by "Alphabetical" order
Click on "Playlists"

If one of your playlists has been "DELISTED" it will show up near the top of this sorting, as a "greyed out" playlist with no name. You can simply click on it, rename it, save it, and the playlist is back in action.

Let us know if it worked!

[yaktam]

Login to https://spotify.com
Click on "Your Library"
Sort by "Alphabetical" order
Click on "Playlists"

If one of your playlists has been "DELISTED" it will show up near the top of this sorting, as a "greyed out" playlist with no name. You can simply click on it, rename it, save it, and the playlist is back in action.

Let us know if it worked!

[yaktam]

Login to https://spotify.com
Click on "Your Library"
Sort by "Alphabetical" order
Click on "Playlists"

If one of your playlists has been "DELISTED" it will show up near the top of this sorting, as a "greyed out" playlist with no name. You can simply click on it, rename it, save it, and the playlist is back in action.

Let us know if it worked!

[elli_jayne]

I’ve renamed it about 1000 times now. I change the name, I use a similar
name, I use a completely different name, but no matter what it always gets
taken down! It’s my own photo too so it’s not violating any policies.

[yaktam]

Amazing. Good for you.

But it does take time to do what you, myself and countless others are doing. And we're the "fighters." Imagine how many people give up after a few renames. 

At one point you hope the rascals doing this go away. But if they are just running a script, then it's up to us to create a counter script. 

I know there are a lot of smart people out there. If anyone can automate the renaming of our own playlists, please post in here.

If Spotify won't help us, let's help ourselves!    🙂

[yaktam]

So today is November 25, 2023. 

My playlists, 
07ES6vW19SNAPFNxMnuGMd 
3pRv8t2iXYOsTwbavacMpX  

were taken down today again.

@ @2:07PM ZULU time and
@ 9:25AM ZULU time respectively.

Doesn't feel like a bot.

I just restored them to
 
Running @ 130 BPM
Running @ 140 BPM

Pretty innucuous if you ask me. But someone out there doesn't like them.

Spotify, can you please either "innoculate" or "white list" these playlists? Or tell me what is wrong with the Title (the picture is your own creation and never gets deleted).

Respectfully,
yaktam61

[yaktam]

Hi Holger,

It's easier than that. Read my posts. Find it in your PLAYLIST section in the web version of Spotify. It will be the one that is "greyed out." Rename it. Save. Done.

[yaktam]

Hi Sandtmann. I'd love to see your script! yaktam61.

[yaktam]

Hi everyone,

Lol. Not sure why it took me 5 days to come up with an answer for this. But here goes.

The a*sholes that are doing this to "us" are having to do it manually. Frustrating to us, because we're having to carve out a little bit of time each day to "clean up" Spotify. 

What can we do?

Automate the renaming of our playlist.

How?

Luckily Spotify has a Web API. I can copy and paste all the instructions here (, but suffice to say, all you have to do is ask ChatGPT the following question:

"Could you help me create a script that would help me rename a Spotify playlist?"

ChatGPT's answer:

"Sure, I can help you with that! To rename a Spotify playlist using a script, you'll first need to use the Spotify Web API. The process involves several steps:"

I'll play with it this weekend and let you all know how it goes. 

Unless one of you beat me to it. 🙂

[yaktam]

Wow. ChatGPT for the win!

Using Python (free download), ChatGPT created a script for me, that uses Spotify's Web API and changes my Playlist name at will. I've tapped Windows 10's Task Scheduler and have the script running every morning now at 9:00 AM. 

Thankfully, the poor sods that are doing this to us can't automate their "reporting."

Let me know if anyone needs the script. Once again, ChatGPT is your friend. 🙂

[yaktam]

(this is part 2 of a 2 part thread - broken in 2 due to Spotify's 20,000 character limit for posts)

ChatGPT

Receiving a notice from Spotify about your playlist being automatically removed due to a report can be frustrating, especially if the reason for the removal isn't clear and your playlist name, "Running 130 BPM," seems to be within their content guidelines.

Here are some steps you can take to address this issue:

1. Review Your Playlist Content Thoroughly

• Ensure that not just the title, but also the songs and their content, do not violate Spotify's content policies. Sometimes, it's not the playlist title but a specific track or tracks that might be causing the issue.

1. Consider the Description and Image

• If your playlist has a description or custom image, review them to ensure they're also compliant with Spotify's guidelines.

1. Contact Spotify Support

• Since the email states not to reply, you should contact Spotify's customer support through their official channels. Explain your situation and ask for specifics regarding why your playlist was reported and removed.
• You can reach out to Spotify Support via their Spotify for Artists page or through the Spotify Community.

1. Gather Feedback

• If possible, gather feedback from your followers or audience. They might provide insights into what might be causing the reports.

1. Check for Misunderstandings or Malicious Reports

• Sometimes, content gets reported erroneously or due to misunderstandings. In rare cases, it could be due to malicious reporting. Clarifying with Spotify can help determine if this is the case.

1. Re-upload with Modifications

• If no specific issue is pointed out, consider re-uploading the playlist with slight modifications to the title, description, or the selection of songs.

1. Documentation and Follow-up

• Keep records of all communications with Spotify, and follow up if necessary. If the issue persists without clear explanation, keeping a log of occurrences can be useful for further discussions with Spotify's support team.

It's important to get a clear understanding from Spotify about the specific reason for the removal. Since your playlist title seems innocuous, the removal might be due to other factors related to the playlist content or potentially an error or misuse of the reporting system.

If you require further assistance after contacting Spotify or have other questions, feel free to ask.

Me

Unfortunately, Spotify support doesn't exist. I am not an artist, so I cannot complain directly to support. And no one really monitors the Community channels. So every morning I have been manually renaming my Spotify Playlist.

Which is where you come in.

You have helped me automate the renaming, as I feel there is one malicious soul out there that is "reporting" my two playlists (They are also reporting "Running 140 BPM") on a daily basis, perhaps to promote their own playlist. In either case, by automating the renaming of the playlist, I don't have to worry anymore. I can simply run the script once a day and its done. The malicious person can continue wasting their time. I won't have to. 🙂

ChatGPT

It's really unfortunate to hear about your situation with the repeated reporting of your playlists on Spotify. Dealing with what seems to be targeted, malicious reporting can be quite frustrating, and it's disappointing that there isn't a straightforward support channel for resolving such issues for non-artists.

Your approach to automating the renaming of your playlists is an innovative solution to this problem. By automating the process, you're effectively reducing the impact this situation has on your daily routine, which is a smart way to handle it. While it doesn't solve the root problem of malicious reporting, it does help to mitigate its effects on you.

Here are a few additional suggestions you might consider:

1. Alternate Names: Consider having a set of alternate names for your playlists and rotate through them. This might make it less predictable for the person reporting them.
2. Engage with Your Audience: If you have a follower base, communicate with them about the issue. Sometimes, having a supportive community can help deter malicious behavior, as they can report the issue as well.
3. Document the Incidents: Keep a record of each time you have to rename your playlist. If Spotify does eventually offer a way to address your situation, this documentation will be helpful.
4. Explore Other Platforms: While Spotify is a major player in the music streaming industry, there are other platforms where you could potentially share your playlists. This might reduce the impact of the issue on a single platform.
5. Stay Updated on Spotify Policies and Features: Keep an eye on any changes to Spotify's policies or new features they might introduce that could help in situations like yours.

Remember, while the script provides a workaround, it’s always good to be on the lookout for more permanent solutions. Should you need any more assistance with the script, or if there's anything else you'd like help with, feel free to reach out. Your resilience in this situation is commendable!

[yaktam]

(This is part 1 of a 2 part thread - part 2 is below)

This is me, talking (okay, I need to get out more) to ChatGPT:

In case you are wondering, the reason I (hardly) created this (script) is because Spotify allows their members to "Report Content on Spotify", in regards to its members' Playlists. In other words, if my playlists meet any of the following criteria, my playlist will be "Taken Down" or "un-named" and not available for the general public to view it or play it.
Sexual Content
Violent or Dangerous
Hateful or Abusive
Deceptive Content
I just don't like it

ChatGPT

It's good to be informed about Spotify's content policies, especially if you're creating and sharing playlists with the public. These policies are in place to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all users on the platform. Here's a bit more context and some tips for managing your playlists:

Understanding Spotify's Content Policies

1. Sexual Content: Avoid titles or descriptions for your playlists that contain explicit or overly suggestive sexual content.
2. Violent or Dangerous: Refrain from using language that promotes violence or dangerous behavior.
3. Hateful or Abusive: Ensure that your playlist names and descriptions do not contain hate speech, discriminatory remarks, or abusive language.
4. Deceptive Content: Be truthful and clear in your playlist descriptions and avoid misleading titles.
5. General Dislike: While you can't control everyone's taste, focusing on creating high-quality, engaging playlists can minimize negative reactions.

Tips for Playlist Creation

• Be Creative but Appropriate: Choose names and descriptions that are creative and reflect the theme or mood of your playlist, but always keep Spotify’s guidelines in mind.
• Target Audience: Consider your target audience and what might be appropriate or appealing to them.
• Regular Updates: Regularly update your playlists, not just in content but also in names and descriptions, to keep them fresh and engaging.
• Engage with Your Audience: If you have a following, engage with them to understand their preferences and get feedback.

Dealing with Playlist Takedowns

• Understand the Reason: If a playlist is taken down, try to understand the specific reason why it didn’t comply with Spotify’s policies.
• Edit and Republish: You can often edit the playlist to make it compliant and then republish it.
• Contact Spotify: If you believe there's been a misunderstanding, you might be able to contact Spotify for clarification.

Your script to quickly rename playlists can be very handy in managing your playlists, especially if you need to make swift changes to comply with Spotify's guidelines.

Me

Now the reason I mentioned this, is because the name of my playlist is "Running 130 BPM." Does it fall into any of those categories?

ChatGPT

Based on the name "Running 130 BPM," it doesn't appear to fall into any of the problematic categories outlined by Spotify's content policies. Here's a quick breakdown:

1. Sexual Content: The title "Running 130 BPM" doesn't contain any explicit or suggestive sexual content.
2. Violent or Dangerous: There's nothing in this title that promotes violence or dangerous behavior.
3. Hateful or Abusive: The title doesn't contain hate speech, discriminatory remarks, or abusive language.
4. Deceptive Content: The title seems straightforward and relevant, especially if the playlist contains songs with a tempo around 130 beats per minute, which is common for running playlists.
5. General Dislike: This is subjective, but the title is neutral and specific to a particular type of music (based on tempo), which is unlikely to cause general dislike.

Considerations for "Running 130 BPM":

• Clarity & Relevance: The title clearly suggests that it's a playlist suited for running, with songs that have a tempo of around 130 beats per minute. This is helpful for users looking for workout music that matches their running pace.
• Audience: Runners or individuals looking for exercise music will likely find this playlist relevant and appealing.

In summary, your playlist title seems well within the guidelines set by Spotify and should not be a cause for concern regarding the mentioned content policies. If you have any further questions or need assistance with anything else, feel free to ask!

Me

Exactly. Except everyday I get this message from Spotify.

Hello,
We have automatically removed the following content after receiving a report:
URI/URL: spotify:playlist:07ES6vW19SNAPFNxMnuGMd
Content Type: PLAYLIST
Please see our Platform Rules for more information.
Please do not reply to this email.
Spotify