Why can I not play local files on connected network devices (HEOS, Denon, etc.)

[krustysean]

Plan

Premium

Country

United Kingdon

Device

(Windows PC, Samsung Galaxy S10+)

Operating System

(Windows 10, Android)

My Question or Issue

Hi

I have the app installed on my Windows 10 machine and I have a number of HEOS devices conencte to the same network.  I am able to connect to Spotify and stream music to these speakers / receivers from my PC and my mobile phone (Android).

I was looking for a song on Spotify and did not find it active (it was greyed out), so I bought it on Amazon and downloaded the MP3's for the album.  I extracted the folder in Downloads and added the files after enabling local files.  I am able to play the files locally on my PC, but I am unable to listen to them on my connected speakers, even if I add them to a playlist and set it as the next song.  It just skips past it.

Is this a rights isuse?  If so, I can provide recent proof of purchase ruling out the dumb Apple DRM issue from 10 years ago (not sure if it is something else, but the file does play fine on my desktop with different apps)

I see a few people have had this issue, but I have not seen a fix for this.  I have also seen suggestions for this going back to 2014, but picking up massively since 2017.  I can only assume this is an issue on the client side and we are missing something?  Apologies if not, I am new to Spotify and the forums.

[dinomight · Accepted solution]

Hi @krustysean,

Thanks for posting! Unfortunately, it's not possible to stream local files this way via Spotify Connect enabled devices. Only tracks that you're listening to from Spotify's library will work when playing to another device remotely over a network. While I can't speak directly to the specific devices you mentioned, that is generally the way Spotify Connect functions, and it sounds like that's exactly the situation you're encountering.

The only way to play local tracks on this type of device using Spotify as a remote would be if it allows you to connect and play over Bluetooth. 

[krustysean]

Thanks for replying, that clarifies it nicely.  

[dinomight]

No problem, glad to help!