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Contributor I
February 25, 2013

Feature Request: Export and Import Sonos Playlists

  • February 25, 2013
  • 216 replies
  • 29980 views
Like many users, we use Sonos in two different houses. We have two NAS's of music that I'm planning on keeping synchronized with RSYNC. What doesn't sync or cant get exported are Sonos Playlists. It would be great to be able to ad-hoc export them and then to import them as well. Using the UPnP interface, I've noted a Java program that can export playlists, but importing them is a bit troublesome. It would be great to have this feature.
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216 replies

Lyricist I
July 23, 2017
I want to export a list so I can easily create the same list with iTunes for my kids iPod
Lyricist III
September 21, 2017
The is a python Sonos Play Lists controller on GitHub. https://github.com/stu247/spl
Lucid AV
Prodigy I
September 22, 2017
Another vote for a way to back-up or export. Something that doesn't require me or my clients to become computer programmers because I have no clue what to do with Python. Sorry, but life's too short.
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Lyricist III
September 23, 2017
A solution to exporting your Sonos native playlists, but not for the faint hearted...

I am on a MAC, but PC process would only differ by installing python on the PC. Here goes:
My requirement was to get my Sonos playlists exported and then imported to iTunes to ensure I had a backup outside of Sonos in case of system reset. I organise my music in iTunes so it makes sense to do this for me.

First install pip. Go into the Terminal app and type: sudo easy_install pip
In Terminal now cd to a new folder under Documents called soco and type: "pip install soco -t .
finally get a copy of SPL.py from Github and put it in the same folder (https://github.com/stu247/spl)
in terminal you can now type python spl.py x PLAYLISTNAME -f
the last comment will create a file PLAYLISTNAME.xspf
Open this file in TextEdit and replace all "x-file-cifs://HOSTNAME/" with "file:///Volumes/"
Note: your HOSTNAME will be the server where you store music if a NAS
save the file, open in VLC player.
if the files play in VLC, go to file, save playlist and save the playlist as an M3U file
in iTunes, import playlist and after some time, the Sonos playlist will appear in iTunes.

I hope this helps some of you. it really irritated me a long time, but i feel quite accomplished have got this to to work. I know nothing about python and very little about MACS, much of this was trial and error, but in the end, it works perfectly.

Good luck all, James
phobden
Trending Lyricist I
December 18, 2017
Please consider my Dear Sonos people
Lynn T.
Lyricist III
December 23, 2017
Now that iTunes has wiped out the music in most of my playlists with their latest update, but it still shows up in my Sonos controller, I would love to be able to export those Sonos playlists to iTunes to correct the problem - but I can't. You have no way to export playlists from Sonos! How could this be? I thought Apple was bad about not wanting to share. Now I can't add any more music to my library because I don't want iTunes knocking all the music out of my Sonos playlists that should be in both of them. I'm stuck with the status quo in both my Sonos and my iPod, and nothing is usable from iTunes in my PC. The files for the missing songs are still there in my iTunes Music folder, but the songs are not in the playlists in iTunes. Sonos, please come to my rescue!
Lyricist I
December 23, 2017
Plus 1!
Contributor I
May 21, 2018
Any news ...
Contributor I
August 26, 2018
Yes please - useful for converting itunes / media player / etc. playlists.
Retired4Good
Lyricist I
August 27, 2018
As per the posts by mintchop (26 Aug 16) and beynym's response on 28 Aug 16, I'd like to add myself to the request for a self-managing playlist in the Sonos app, whether it's a Windows or iOS version (both would be nice...)

There are several (dozens probably) other posts I found on the Sonos forum with clients asking for this particular feature, all of which are being ignored by Sonos, except for a few platitudes offered by Ryan S

I cannot begin to imagine why a senior Sonos employee hasn't been made aware of the level of dissatisfaction this software omission is making to their so called "valuable" customer. Come on Sonos, get your act together