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Contributor I
April 23, 2023
Answered

Sonos stops playing Spotify commercials

  • April 23, 2023
  • 90 replies
  • 11892 views

I’ve had my system set up for over a year now. This past weekend, when a Spotify commercial comes on, the system goes silent. Both Spotify and Sonos look like the ad is playing but there is no sound and it doesn’t actually play down and start playing again (the ad or music). I have to pause Sonos then hit play again. Any idea what is causing this? It's annoying to have to stop and start whenever a commercial comes on. 

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Best answer by Kevin107

Acknowledged by Sonos on another thread

 

Sotiris C.Sonos Staff:

“

We’ve identified this issue and currently working on a fix. Unfortunately I don’t have an ETA for this.

As you mentioned, pause and play is the available workaround.

”

90 replies

Airgetlam
January 12, 2024

I think the solution needs to come from Spotify, not Sonos. The data is on a Spotify server, and Sonos isn’t being told, to my knowledge, that an ‘ad’ is being played. All Sonos knows is the data is stopped from Spotify’s server. 

I fully support your concern, but I think you should be directing it to Spotify, not to Sonos. Sonos just isn’t aware that there is a change in data…it is either there, or it isn’t. 

Bruce
Lyricist I
January 14, 2024

I think the solution needs to come from Spotify, not Sonos. The data is on a Spotify server, and Sonos isn’t being told, to my knowledge, that an ‘ad’ is being played. All Sonos knows is the data is stopped from Spotify’s server. 

I fully support your concern, but I think you should be directing it to Spotify, not to Sonos. Sonos just isn’t aware that there is a change in data…it is either there, or it isn’t. 

 

Thanks for the reply. I’m sure there’s a Spotify help forum. I’ll go there or to their main website to ask the question.

Regards,

Tom

Lyricist I
January 31, 2024

Is Sonos working on a solution, considering it has already identified the problem? Does it take that long to fix this? I don't think the problem is Spotify because it works well with other devices.

I was thinking about buying more Sonos products, but seeing this long-standing issue, I'm not sure it would be a good idea.

Airgetlam
January 31, 2024

How does Sonos ‘know’ that there is an advertisement playing?

Bruce
Lyricist I
January 31, 2024

How do other sound devices ‘know’? I've never had any issues playing Spotify on other devices like Sonos.

If after all this time Spotify and Sonos are still deciding who is to blame, perhaps they can join forces and solve the problem together.

Airgetlam
January 31, 2024

Spotify sets up a server for Sonos, Sonos has no control over anything. When you select a Spotify stream in the Sonos controller, your speaker(s) are directed to a server location on Spotify’s servers to play. Sonos is never ‘told’ when Spotify is playing one thing or another, other than the title of what is playing. Check the Sonos partners page for more details, if you’re interested.

This is a Spotify issue to fix. Unfortunately, Spotify maintains no official presence here, and honestly, I have to wonder if any one there reads anything here unofficially. I’m confident that Sonos has communicated this issue to Spotify, but am unsure, since there is any financial relationship between the two companies, that they are listened to. You, on the other hand, pay Spotify a subscription fee, I would expect, were you to complain directly to them, they may give more weight to your complaint. 

Bruce
Lyricist I
January 31, 2024

This was reported on the Spotify forum: https://community.spotify.com/t5/Other-Podcasts-Partners-etc/Spotify-stops-randomly-on-my-Sonos/td-p/5505776

Either way, it seems very unprofessional of both companies not to have a say in this matter.

Airgetlam
January 31, 2024

It doesn’t change the fact that Sonos has no idea what is playing in the stream, it is all data to Sonos.

Certainly unprofessional for Spotify to have it unfixed, though, hard to argue that. 

Bruce
Lyricist I
February 1, 2024

If Sonos doesn't bother to say anything, they are unprofessional too. No need for Sonos fans to come and defend a company that can't defend itself.

If Spotify works well with other devices but not with Sonos, it sounds like Sonos is part of the problem.

Airgetlam
February 1, 2024

This is a community forum, not a place for Sonos to come to make announcements. This forum is for interested parties to share information with each other. 

I certainly agree it ‘sounds’ like a Sonos issue, until you understand the way that Sonos works. I’d love to blame Samsung for the difficulties I’m having with HBO Max, but it doesn’t make any sense. Samsung just tunes to a data stream. Just like Sonos does. 

It would, however, be an issue for Sonos if all streams were equally affected. Then we could blame Sonos. The fact that this is restricted to Spotify is a pretty good indicator that the issue is on the Spotify servers, since that data stream never resides on a Sonos server.

And I certainly hope, and expect, that Sonos has contacted Spotify repeatedly, referencing this thread, and others. Sonos won’t share that information, as it isn’t good business sense to throw a partner ‘under the bus’. So we have to assume, and filter our beliefs on good business sense, tempered with knowledge as to how Sonos operates as a system. 

Bruce