Music Library Compilations not playable in new app
Several of my compilations (stored for many years on a NAS) now show up ‘empty’ like this in the new app (also missing album art)… I am not able to play them thru the app. However, with the pc controller I can play them normally (even though the order of songs is random). (With SonoPhone I can play the whole compilation but not the songs individually?). What is going on… miss the old app so much. (‘Error - try again’ it says in Danish). I enclose tags from Mediamonkey.
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These albums are just as they were copied into iTunes. I didn't change anything. They worked just fine in two homes with two different generations of Sonos equipment until July.
There were changes, post-May, as referenced in this message released via the Sonos S2 App in April. (Attached). So if using the HTTP/SMBv1 protocol to share your local library folders, the you may want to switch to using SMBv2, or higher as outlined in the links I posted.
However if the issue is just affecting compilation album tracks only, then ensure your Sonos App/Firmware are each updated to the latest version and set the ‘Grouping’ in the Desktop App as described in my earlier post.
As far as I know the issue should be resolved for many (not all) users, if you are on latest 16.4.2 firmware AND use „album artist“ with correct id3 tag settings. There seem some users to be left still running into the issue. I don’t know about the reason…
So that might be the point why Sonos still isn’t talking about the latest update as a final fix.
Going to album artists from Itunes album restored the content. But more of the compilations (some of them aren’t really compilations) now appear as multiple albums, each with some of the tracks that should be one album. For instance, my several versions of Beethoven’s 9th symphony now each appear as 4 separate albums, each with one movement. Dinah Washington’s 20th Century Masters collection has all but one song together. The one that is on a separate “album” was recorded with Brook Benton at the same recording session as one that is grouped with the rest of the songs. Frailty, thy name is Sonos.
Going to album artists from Itunes album restored the content. But more of the compilations (some of them aren’t really compilations) now appear as multiple albums, each with some of the tracks that should be one album. For instance, my several versions of Beethoven’s 9th symphony now each appear as 4 separate albums, each with one movement. Dinah Washington’s 20th Century Masters collection has all but one song together. The one that is on a separate “album” was recorded with Brook Benton at the same recording session as one that is grouped with the rest of the songs. Frailty, thy name is Sonos.
Not sure why your Beethoven 9th albums have only one movement, but I think the fact there are 4 separate albums is a good thing. The way I would tag the different Beethoven 9th symphonies is…. Artist=Beethoven - Album Artist=Beethoven - Album=Symphony No. 9. Leonard Bernstein. Obviously the other 3 would have different conductors.
This is an example of the results:
@MoPac - Aaarrrgghh! No, no, no, no!
Beethoven was never a recording artist! This outrageous error can not be permitted! Re-edit all your tags immediately.
Naaah. When I started all the tagging there was no Composer category in the controller software I was using. I know who Beethoven is. Excuse me…. Was.
Incidentally, my previous comment about missing album art may be an Android issue. I was infuriated to see that my wife and her iPhone have the album art displayed. I just have the grey placeholders for tracks, albums, artists on my Pixel 7. More investigation called for I fear.
Walter, you’re quite right about the album art, I have the Windows app, Android app (on a Pixel 7 just like you) & iPad app. The only one with missing artwork is the Android app.
Incidentally, my previous comment about missing album art may be an Android issue. I was infuriated to see that my wife and her iPhone have the album art displayed. I just have the grey placeholders for tracks, albums, artists on my Pixel 7. More investigation called for I fear.
Walter, you’re quite right about the album art, I have the Windows app, Android app (on a Pixel 7 just like you) & iPad app. The only one with missing artwork is the Android app.
Since I wrote that (incidentally, as I said) I realised that there are very few SONOS issues that only affect one person. So I searched in other threads and, sure enough, missing album art is a common issue to all Android users. There's no cure or workaround or network setting or room temperature or brand of coffee that fixes this. It just is. I hate to say it: "we're in the hands of SONOS".
There's no cure or workaround or network setting or room temperature or brand of coffee that fixes this. It just is. I hate to say it: "we're in the hands of SONOS".
As far as I know the issue should be resolved for many (not all) users, if you are on latest 16.4.2 firmware AND use „album artist“ with correct id3 tag settings. There seem some users to be left still running into the issue. I don’t know about the reason…
So that might be the point why Sonos still isn’t talking about the latest update as a final fix.
My speakers are on 16.4.4 firmaware (which I believe is the latest) and I updated my iPhone app to 80.11.51 yesterday but my Music Library is still showing (most but not all) compilations as one album per artist. Can I just ask what you mean by “correct ‘Album Artist’ id3 tag settings”> I can see no discernable difference between the tags of my tracks which correctly display as part of a compilation album and those which incorrectly appear as albums in their own right.
As far as I know the issue should be resolved for many (not all) users, if you are on latest 16.4.2 firmware AND use „album artist“ with correct id3 tag settings. There seem some users to be left still running into the issue. I don’t know about the reason…
So that might be the point why Sonos still isn’t talking about the latest update as a final fix.
My speakers are on 16.4.4 firmaware (which I believe is the latest) and I updated my iPhone app to 80.11.51 yesterday but my Music Library is still showing (most but not all) compilations as one album per artist. Can I just ask what you mean by “correct ‘Album Artist’ id3 tag settings”> I can see no discernable difference between the tags of my tracks which correctly display as part of a compilation album and those which incorrectly appear as albums in their own right.
Do you have your ‘Album Artist’ tag/field set to ‘Various Artists’ for your compilation albums and the actual Artist listed in the ‘Artist’ tag …or do you have something different to that? It seems to work fine if the compilation albums are tagged in this way.
@essenby
Ken was faster than myself to answer. But to add: you just have to fill in anything identical you like to the „album artist“ tag for all tracks of the compilation. Don’t leave it empty. I also did it long time ago the way @Ken_Griffiths suggested and set the tag to „various“.
@Ken_Griffiths@Schlumpf Thanks for your sugeestions and i can confirm on the compilation I have just checked that the ‘Album Artist’ tag is identical on all tracks and is set to “Various Artists”, and the each ‘Artist’ tag is complete with the name of the respective artists.
I actually have another issue in that “Your Sources” no longer appears in my app Home page and therefore I cannot access the library from the apps. This happened some time back and Sonos support told me it is a recognised issue for some, but not all, people but that they do not have a timeframe for a resolution (Semms to be a common theme there!) I can see it as an option on the Windows desktop app and Web Controller, but of course I can’t re-index from there. If I try scanning for new content from the iPAD - tells me it’s doing it, then after a suitable time tels me it’s finished but I still have th multiple entries when I look at the library from the Windows app. It’s getting quite tedious now,
@Ken_Griffiths@Schlumpf Thanks for your sugeestions and i can confirm on the compilation I have just checked that the ‘Album Artist’ tag is identical on all tracks and is set to “Various Artists”, and the each ‘Artist’ tag is complete with the name of the respective artists.
I actually have another issue in that “Your Sources” no longer appears in my app Home page and therefore I cannot access the library from the apps. This happened some time back and Sonos support told me it is a recognised issue for some, but not all, people but that they do not have a timeframe for a resolution (Semms to be a common theme there!) I can see it as an option on the Windows desktop app and Web Controller, but of course I can’t re-index from there. If I try scanning for new content from the iPAD - tells me it’s doing it, then after a suitable time tels me it’s finished but I still have th multiple entries when I look at the library from the Windows app. It’s getting quite tedious now,
Are you sure you are setting up an SMB v2 (or higher) library share, rather than trying to setup a HTTP shared library in the App? - Perhaps just to be sure, I would remove the current shared library link and setup the library again via the mobile Sonos App only and see what happens, rather than using the old Windows Sonos App.
The new Sonos mobile App will definitely setup using an SMB share, as that’s the only protocol it supports. Just report back what happens when you try that. Note you must remove the old share first, before trying the mobile App setup - if no joy, then perhaps go onto try a different folder share with just a few ‘copied’ albums and compilation albums and see what happens in that case too.
@essenby
Maybe we asked before… but to be sure: Firmware of your devices is on latest version?
Btw… indexing the library is also possible from within Sonos desktop controller for Win or Mac. Just open the menu on top and you’ll find it.