Question

How to solve the Error 913 (Music Library) on a Mac

S
Userlevel 4
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There is a reported bug fix coming mid-June 2024. If you can’t wait until then…

(I did this running Sonoma 14.4.1) And thanks to folks in a separate thread on the details - just tried to put them all in one place.

I made a video of the process if you prefer that way: https://youtu.be/kjhKhDuvgDY


Part 1 - Set up the share (System Settings/Preferences)

  1. Open System Settings (in earlier MacOS it’s called System Preferences).
    • Click on the apple in top left of your screen to find that option.
  2. Choose General
  3. Select **Sharing**.
  4. Enable **File Sharing**
  5. Click the "i" symbol
  6. Click the "+" symbol.
  7. Add a shared folder by choosing the folder where your music is stored and selecting Open
    • The name of the folder here will be the ShareName that you’ll use in Part 3.
  8. Under ‘users’, confirm that the list includes an ‘everyone’ option, and that you set ‘everyone’ to *Read Only* at a minimum (or “Read & Write”)
  9. Ensure the customer's account is set to **Read & Write**
    • I’m not 100% sure ‘customer’s account’, but I took it to mean the account I login with on the computer.
  10. Click the Options button
  11. Ensure that both SMB and the customer's account below are checked and choose Done. 

Part 2 - Find your computer’s name

  1. At the bottom (or sometimes top in earlier versions of macOS) of the Sharing page, you’ll see Local hostname. Everything before the .local is the hostname. Copy that down - that will be your MacName that you’ll need in Part 3.

 

Part 3 - Add the share to Sonos

  1. Open the Sonos app on your mac.
  2. Choose Manage > Music Library Settings
  3. Choose the + for your music folders.
  4. Instead of ‘another folder or drive’, choose Networked Device
  5. Type the network path name when prompted, and press Next. The format will be \\MacName\ShareName
    • Remember the ShareName and MacName you captured earlier? This is where you’ll use them. Make sure the \ are the right ones (not /, but \).
  6. Enter the Mac username and password. The password is the same as when you login opening your laptop.
    • If you’re not sure about the username, you can find it this way:
      • Open an app called ‘Terminal’ on your macbook. (Go into Launchpad and type ‘term’ and it’ll show up)
      • Type whoami and press enter. 
      • The result that shows is your username. (e.g. Perhaps my computer shows my login name as Salami Slices but my username technically is different (salamislices)). Copy and paste that into the username that Sonos is asking for.
  1. If that doesn’t work, someone had mentioned trying the following:
    • From System Settings, on left side, choose ‘users and groups’
    • Click on the ‘i’ next to Guest User
    • Enable “Allow guest users to connect to shared folders” and choose OK.
    • Now, from Sonos app, when get prompted for username and password, leave them blank and just choose enter.
      • The idea is it would treat it as a guest and since gave access to guests, will work.

 

151 replies

E
Userlevel 2
Badge

This is so pathetic. None of these replies got what they wanted. Just endless work arounds, which never really work. Fkg pathetic. Sell all your overpriced gear and move on already. 😳

D

Thank you so much Salami Slices for posting this, it worked for me and I now have my music back! I had to also add my music folder and the folder above with playlists to get those back too. 

Cheers

 

J

This is great, thanks.🤛

One tip the local host name cannot be more than 16 characters. You can edit the local host name in Settings/General/Sharing and at the bottom of the tab the Local Host Name is shown like “JimJimmy’s-Mac-Book-Pro” - use the edit option and just change to in this example “Jim’s-MBP”.

T

Thank you!!!! 

I tried similar suggestions before.. the key step (and what I was missing) is not the host name (comp name) it was my user name !! I got it wrong every time until I watched this video!!

 

Thank you again!!

Now SONOS: every time I get the “update available” message, now I fear something will go wrong.. and it usually does!!!

 

 

B

Thank you for this. I cannot believe how painful this update experience has been, and despite any further fixes from Sonos, I don’t think I can ever trust their update process going forwards. It’s a textbook example of how not to update your software, nor how to treat your customers...

M

Finally. This worked. I did need to allow Network Sharing for the Guest user under Users and Groups. Then just clicked through on the username/password page leaving blank. The indexing process inexplicably stopped the first time. But restarting the app and trying again it finally worked. Playlists came back too.

Thanks to the guy that figured this out.

S

Okay, so call me crazy, or as Einstein said, insane, for trying the same thing over and over while expecting different results... 

However, the last time I tried it with FILE SHARING TURNED OFF and my MacBook pro (sonoma 14.5) froze for some reason causing me to restart. First thing after restart, I turned FILE SHARING ON and tried the above steps again and instantly got an “indexing library” Sonos message and now all is functional including folders with playable files!  One out of about 25 playlists is empty but I’ll try rebuilding it.

My guess is the restart with file sharing turned off updated something. I’ll let you know if this stays cool.

 Thanks for the initial instructions, Salami Slices!

Tubabill
Badge +1

So, it’s past mid June and there is no Sonos bug fix for code 913 for Mac users that I am aware of. Has anybody found a fix for this debacle yet?

T

As dinosaurs with our own digital music collections and playlists… some of us may need to seek alternative solutions to Sonos. (ideas?) I’ve invested a lot of $$$’s on Sonos and my ever-growing digital (ripped CD’s) collection that keeps me in tune with old/new music… I don’t need or want Spotify, Apple Music, etc.

Biggest problem is that I don’t see the Sonos support for this common issue. I loved my Sonos for years, and have overlooked a few minor flaws. i.e. Beam purchased at original release date. Weird and common issue. IR only has a range of 5 ft. Minor inconvenience. Use app instead of remote. I was too busy with work to arrange warranty replacement… when I found time, Sonos ignored that issue.

And my original and 2nd generation speakers still sound great, but app updates weren’t developed to be backwards compatible (‘not saying that there may be good reasons.). It’s nice to be offered the 15% discount to upgrade… but…  

Maybe I’ll succumb to the beast, and simply spend more on latest Sonos equipment and donate the old to my nephew and/or niece (for them to toss?)? That won’t give me a 913 fix, but at least I’ll have Apple Play for my iPhone and iPad (don’t get me started on Apple and iTunes… I’ve cried enough). What’s the best solution to be able to hear our ‘old and decrepit’ digital music collections on previous generation Sonos speakers? Buy a new Sonos or alternative solution? Or keep begging and whining for Sonos to fix 913?

Note: my host name is 17 characters. If that’s the issue… I’m gonna be pissed! (I may this later… procrastinated too much on this ridiculously long and whiny garbage)

jgatie

So, it’s past mid June and there is no Sonos bug fix for code 913 for Mac users that I am aware of. Has anybody found a fix for this debacle yet?

 

Sonos has revamped their instructions to add a music library.  Note, you cannot use the old “Add My Music folder” selection, you must share and add a network drive, even if your library is on a PC or Mac:

https://support.sonos.com/en-us/article/add-your-music-library-to-sonos

S

Thanks for the heads-up jgatie. I tried this again just to see what happens (have followed the same instructions many many times before as per this thread) and no go for me still. I get a 1002 error though, not a 913 though...

jgatie

1002 is a network http request fail.  It would appear you are still trying to add the folder as an http share.  You need to add it as a network share (choice #3).  Also, make sure any current share is removed using the PC/Mac app.

S

Nope, afraid not - I’ve been using choice 3 (networked device) all the times I’ve tried it as per the instructions….

Tubabill
Badge +1

I followed the instruction link provided by jgatie and I get nowhere. It could be that I’m entering incorrect information. I’m not savy with this stuff. For the amount of $$$$$ we all paid for Sonos, I would expect, or demand, that they provide  a clear cut solution that anyone who was able to set up a Sonos system in the first place, could understand. 

Tubabill
Badge +1

I finally fixed  it so my library is on Sonos again on my Mac. I followed the link that jgatie posted that I pasted below:

https://support.sonos.com/en-us/article/add-your-music-library-to-sonos

 

When I still couldn’t log in at the final step, I tried this that salami slices suggested a while back. It worked for me, but I don’t know if it’s unwise to be logged into Sonos as a guest. 

  1.  
    • From System Settings, on left side, choose ‘users and groups’
    • Click on the ‘i’ next to Guest User
    • Enable “Allow guest users to connect to shared folders” and choose OK.
    • Now, from Sonos app, when get prompted for username and password, leave them blank and just choose enter.
      • The idea is it would treat it as a guest and since gave access to guests, will work.
Tubabill
Badge +1

I logged out as a guest and logged in as myself and all is working, except Sonos didn’t include my playlists, only artists, songs, albums, etc.

jgatie

I logged out as a guest and logged in as myself and all is working, except Sonos didn’t include my playlists, only artists, songs, albums, etc.

 

Imported playlists work, Sonos playlists are hit or miss.  

T

I finally found the time to try again. This time, I reduced my local hostname from 17 characters (read 16 was max. Thanks to that person!). Used the NAS process, and it worked. Really!?!? I’m not 100% sure that was the issue, but it’s probable. Unbelievable… that should be an easy programming adjustment. (?) Did I screw up something else by changing my hostname? Later, I’ll open AutoCad and poke around… with trepidation.

So be it. I don’t have playlists, but will tinker later to get them. I directed my Sonos library directly to the music files… probably not included my playlists. I just transferred my entire library from PC/iTunes to Mac/Apple_Music. ‘still learning. Later, I’lll figure out where playlists are kept and add as a separate Sonos_library (I think).

I don’t completely forgive Sonos… but, I’ll work towards acceptance. Good luck to those still library-less. Us ‘librarians’ should all persevere and unite! To [heck] with Spotify… and the other music services! Sonos take note and respect us on the next update!.. please!

K
Userlevel 2
Badge +1

So be it. I don’t have playlists, but will tinker later to get them. I directed my Sonos library directly to the music files… probably not included my playlists. I just transferred my entire library from PC/iTunes to Mac/Apple_Music. ‘still learning. Later, I’lll figure out where playlists are kept and add as a separate Sonos_library (I think).

I got this off of Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/comments/1cuasf1/comment/l4qucju/?context=3

  1. Open ITunes (Music), click on Home in the upper left, then go to File -> Library -> Eport Library

  2. This will create a "Library.xml" file. Save it to your Desktop

  3. Make a Folder and name it "iTunes" on your Desktop

  4. Rename the "Library.xml" file to "ITunes Music Library.xml" and put it in the folder you just created.

  5. Move this Folder to where your music is. And I mean that literally. Like where you have all the artists listed in your iTunes Musics files.. Put it there.

  6. Remove and Re-import via Sonos and you "should' be all set. You should be able to just "Update Music Library" instead of removing/re-adding, but I'm not 100% sure.

The above steps will need to be repeated whenever a playlist is changed.

I found that the folder was not needed - just putting the XML file with my music does the job.

T

Thanks krez56! I was thinking along those lines… When I have time, I’ll poke around and let you know what I do… and how it works.

Ken_Griffiths

Just fyi, I tried this twice and successfully added my music folder.  That’s the good news.

The bad news:  I can search by artist, album, etc-- but playlists are still blank.  Painful.  Especially since there’s a ton of Christmas music mixed in!!  Uggghhh.

I see my library playlists, but I’m using my own .m3u playlists but they do work okay. See screenshot attached from my local library folder in the new App. I store them all in the one folder.

1 Attachment
press250
Userlevel 7
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I see my library playlists, but I’m using my own .m3u playlists but they do work okay.

Hi Ken, can you outline how you create .m3u playlists? I’d like to crib your formula!

Ken_Griffiths

I see my library playlists, but I’m using my own .m3u playlists but they do work okay.

Hi Ken, can you outline how you create .m3u playlists? I’d like to crib your formula!

A .m3u playlist is a simple text file with the .m3u extension.

I personally now find that straightforward UNC paths direct to each of the chosen local music library tracks, as a single ‘one-line’ entry, seems to work best for each .m3u playlist.

Here are a couple of ‘example’ entries (as seen in a text editor) to hopefully demonstrate what I mean, but clearly your own network path will be different:

\\192.168.0.1\MyNAS\MyLibraryShares\Music\Genesis\Trespass\The Knife.flac

\\192.168.0.1\MyNAS\MyLibraryShares\Music\Genesis\Trespass\Stagnation.flac

I also chose to strip out everything else from the usual .m3u playlist file, including these ‘directive extensions’… I mention this in case you use an App to create/export .m3u playlists such as MusicStreamer in the iOS App Store. (Just one of many Apps).

  • #EXTM3U - file header
  • #EXTINF: - track information/title

Note: Some .m3u playlist files may contain other types of ‘extensions’, which can all be removed. See this link :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M3U

The extensions are not required for Sonos use, so I personally found removing ALL worked best for speed of loading the playlist.

In addition to the format stated above, the netbios name of the host NAS/PC also works well in place of the LAN IP address. Example:

\\MyWindowsPC\MyNAS\MyLibraryShares\Music\Genesis\Trespass\The Knife.flac

I have gone onto convert all my playlists to the above format and have just opted to place them in a separate folder within the local library, but they can be stored anywhere in the library that you’re indexing when using the UNC path for each track.

Using the above method I was able to get a 25,000+ playlist load to a Sonos player queue in a matter of a few seconds, well within the 15 second timeout period.

Anyhow, I hope that assists.

Ken_Griffiths

If you’re an iOS user @press250 then the MusicStreamer App (it’s not a free App) can be helpful for creating/exporting .m3u playlists, that can later be manually edited to remove the directive extensions. I’ve attached a screenshot of the App, but there is a tiny bit of a learning curve, but I suspect you will quickly get your head around it. It can export playlists from .xml files too.

1 Attachment
R
Badge +1

My AlbumArt is still missing, is there a solution?

My First Sonos@2012

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