Local Files not available to stream in UK - can't sync

[benmaries]

I recently purchased an copy of an album which is on Spotify but not available to steam in the UK. I uploaded the album to my computer and added it to a playlist from Local files in Spotify. Despite being local, the files link through to the actual version of the album on spotify (which I normally can't search for) although all tracks are greyed out. 

I can play the songs on my laptop, however when I go to open the playlist I added them to on my phone (android), the playlist is empty (although the information on my mobile shows the length of the playlist). I can't even see the songs greyed out. I'm connected to the same internet on both devices, have downloaded the playlist offline on both devices and nothing works.

This is extremely frustrating as I've purchase the album with the intention of listening through Spotify. If anyone knows a way round this I'd be really grateful 🙂

[Joe · Accepted solution]

Can you just check that "Show unplayable songs" is enabled in your android's spotify settings. If it is and the tracks aren't showing, you'll need to change the artist name and track titles in the metadata to stop them being linked to spotify's database - adding a simple prefix such as "xxx" should do it. Hopefully they'll then appear in your android playlist and you'll be able to sync.

[benmaries]

THanks for the response Joe. Are you referring to android metadata? As the songs are on my PC, i've tried changing the track title, artist, album etc in the properties - details tab but this still doesn't seem to work.

[Joe]

Yes, on your PC as that's where the files are. Just to make sure everything is fresh, delete the playlist on PC and create a new one. The new names should show and no longer link to spotify database.

[benmaries]

Thanks Joe. This has worked now (songs no longer link to the Spotify version) but now stuck as greyed out on the phone and won't download like other local files. I'll keep trying for the time being! (I'm using the same wifi for both devices)

[Joe]

Getting there! I remember going through this myself in exactly the same circumstances. Let me drop my list of things to look at if a playlist won't sync.

• Your PC and mobile must be connected to the same Network/SSID and spotify should be running on your PC.
• In your router settings, check that UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) is enabled.
• Make sure that Windows shows your network as private and not public.
• Set exceptions for spotify in any firewall or internet security programme. If you are unsure how to do this, temporarily disable them.
• Check that you haven't already hit the limit of 3,333 downloads per device or 9,999 downloads across all devices.
• If you are using a wifi network outside of your home, there is every chance that the protocols used by spotify for downloading are blocked.

If you still can't make it work, you can create a mobile hotspot on your mobile and connect your PC to this hotspot via wifi. Syncing the local files should then work.

[benmaries]

Lo and behold. It was the firewall causing me grief all this time. Explains why I'd had trouble with other songs in the past. Joe, you're a top guy. Thanks for helping me sort this.

[Joe]

Awesome. Enjoy your music 🙂