Topic: XMPlay Last.fm/Audioscrobbler plugin (xmp-scrobbler)

[yagood]

Hello all.

There's only one thing that keeps me from using xmplay constantly and it is the audioscrobbler feature
I installed the plug-in but I'm having some problems submitting the tracks correctly.

In the log file it says :

2007-05-19 01:34:03   [DEBUG] Submitting...
2007-05-19 01:34:03   [DEBUG] Submission failed: bad authorization.

But, of course, the login/password are correct. Actually, many tracks were submitted at the beginning and then it stopped working. :/
Any idea?

Sometimes Last.fm servers are overloaded and submitting fails. This results in various error messages, from my experience, it could be one of the following:

- "Could not connect to server."
- "Plugin bug: Not all request variables are set - no POST parameters."
- "bad authorization"

Probably other messages can be seen as well. Xmp-scrobbler has a cache feature - when submitting fails, track data is stored in xmp-scrobbler.cache file in XMPlay directory. Then xmp-scrobbler tries to submit contents of the cache file, in 10 tracks chunks. That way all tracks user listens to should get submitted, sooner or later.

So in your case, if xmp-scrobbler worked OK before and you haven't changed any settings (user/password are correct), you shouldn't worry too much about failed submissions, because of the cache. Check if you xmp-scrobbler.cache file is created when tracks don't appear on your profile page. Also if you could send log file to yagood@o2.pl, I would just want to make sure that there's no bug somewhere.

Also, I have this other line that shows after every track:

2007-05-19 01:52:45   [WARNING] No valid MusicBrainz ID found, consider using MusicBrainz taggers to tag this file properly!

What does it mean?

MusicBrainz.org (http://musicbrainz.org/) is a database that contains... data about music Everyone can edit the database and enter correct track titles etc., it works just like Wikipedia. Anyway, MusicBrainz has also a software (Picard or Classic Tagger) for tagging music files using the data from their database. When this software is used, MusicBrainz ID is saved in music files. Xmp-scrobbler sends this ID to Last.fm. Last.fm uses this ID to access MusicBrainz database and verify the tag data in the track submitted with given MusicBrainz ID. In general, this is nothing to worry about, of course Last.fm accepts submissions without ID, in fact vast majority of people probably don't use MusicBrainz taggers which results in faulty track titles etc., but that's another story

[KaMan]

Thanks for answering!

I tried XMPlay again, it submitted the cached files OK. Played some music, submit OK. Closed XMPlay.
Open Foobar, played music, submit OK. Closed Foobar. Opened XMPlay, a few tracks submitted OK but then, it started displaying errors in the log file again.
Re-opening XMPlay fixed it.

The reason I did this is because the foobar plug-in used to have the same problem.
With the version just before the actual one, if one opened the last.fm music player, submitted a few tracks and then came back to foobar, there was an error.

A few more details here : http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=44320&hl=audioscrobbler&st=175

Maybe it's totally different. Just a guess

[yagood]

It's most probably a server side problem, not a plugin bug. I experience it from time to time, when Last.fm servers are too busy to process submissions. The biggest problem is that they output these confusing error messages when servers are down and each time that happens people go to the forums asking questions about incorrect username/password etc.

So my recommendation is to just keep listening to the music and wait until Last.fm servers are up and working again, then cache file contents will be submitted. If you still see error messages about failed submissions in your log file after several hours/days of listening, please send me xmp-scrobbler.txt, I'll have a look, maybe there's some bug sitting in the corner after all...

[Craw]

I've got a question: how does XMPlay scrobbler actually submit data from CDAudio? I'm asking since I've changed tracks data on my playlist into correct ones but the plugin submited incorrect freedb data :/

[KaMan]

Yagood : I did some packet sniffing and I think the problem comes from the MD5 challenge part.
Let's say I open XMPlay, it performs the handshake and the server sends back the MD5 challenge.
The tracks submit fine.
Then, without closing the app, I open foobar. It does a new handshake with the server thus getting a new MD5 challenge.
When I go back to XMPlay, the server sends back BADAUTH as the MD5 used to mix the password isn't the same anymore.
The foobar plug-in tries a new handshake a few seconds after receiving a BADAUTH.
I've sniffed a few BADAUTH's with XMPlay without seeing a Re-Handshake.
Do you think it could be implemented?

Thank you for your quick answers and this plug-in

[yagood]

Yagood : I did some packet sniffing and I think the problem comes from the MD5 challenge part.
Let's say I open XMPlay, it performs the handshake and the server sends back the MD5 challenge.
The tracks submit fine.
Then, without closing the app, I open foobar. It does a new handshake with the server thus getting a new MD5 challenge. (...)

Well, I didn't realize that you run XMPlay and foobar at the same time :-) If that's the case, then of course you're right - after foobar does its handshake, xmp-scrobbler's session is no longer valid - it sends invalid response to the challenge (invalid from server's POV) resulting in BADAUTH error messages.

When I go back to XMPlay, the server sends back BADAUTH as the MD5 used to mix the password isn't the same anymore.
The foobar plug-in tries a new handshake a few seconds after receiving a BADAUTH.
I've sniffed a few BADAUTH's with XMPlay without seeing a Re-Handshake.
Do you think it could be implemented?

Sure, I'm putting in on "to do" list right now. Thanks for reporting this.

I've got a question: how does XMPlay scrobbler actually submit data from CDAudio? I'm asking since I've changed tracks data on my playlist into correct ones but the plugin submited incorrect freedb data :/

Check contents of XMPlay's Message window for tags - this data is being submitted. For Audio CDs that's the data retrieved from freedb. If you manually override tags (enter correct ones in your case), there is a new section in Message window called "Library" (if you enabled "Show overriden tags in Message info" in Options and stuff). But xmp-scrobbler will submit freedb data, because they appear first in the contents. I guess I can make an option to always use overridden tags if present.

[KaMan]

Well, I didn't realize that you run XMPlay and foobar at the same time :-)

Oh I see, sorry for the misunderstanding

Sure, I'm putting in on "to do" list right now. Thanks for reporting this.

Thank you very mucho sir!

[Craw]

Check contents of XMPlay's Message window for tags - this data is being submitted. For Audio CDs that's the data retrieved from freedb. If you manually override tags (enter correct ones in your case), there is a new section in Message window called "Library" (if you enabled "Show overriden tags in Message info" in Options and stuff). But xmp-scrobbler will submit freedb data, because they appear first in the contents. I guess I can make an option to always use overridden tags if present.

It'd be nice to have such an option ;] Unfortunately freedb is not the most reliable place to get tags for one's cd audio (grenacode's cddb also isn't ).

[Zarggg]

I'd still like Ian to change the CD plugin to use the MusicBrainz API, rather than FreeDB.

[Aux]

yagood, I will try to send You broken CUE today, but I have hell of a work...

[amit]

Hello Yagood,

After I play this cue:

Code: [Select]

CATALOG 0094635293326
PERFORMER "Royksopp"
TITLE "Royksopp's Night Out (Live EP)"
REM REPLAYGAIN_ALBUM_GAIN -5.43 dB
REM REPLAYGAIN_ALBUM_PEAK 0.999939
FILE "Royksopp - Royksopp's Night Out (Live EP).flac" WAVE
  TRACK 01 AUDIO
    TITLE "What Else Is There?"
    ISRC FRS940500155
    REM REPLAYGAIN_TRACK_GAIN -5.14 dB
    REM REPLAYGAIN_TRACK_PEAK 0.954956
    INDEX 01 00:00:00
  TRACK 02 AUDIO
    TITLE "Only This Moment"
    ISRC FRS940500150
    REM REPLAYGAIN_TRACK_GAIN -1.55 dB
    REM REPLAYGAIN_TRACK_PEAK 0.954956
    INDEX 01 03:19:22
  TRACK 03 AUDIO
    TITLE "Remind Me"
    ISRC FRS940100141
    REM REPLAYGAIN_TRACK_GAIN -5.54 dB
    REM REPLAYGAIN_TRACK_PEAK 0.939117
    INDEX 01 07:24:05
  TRACK 04 AUDIO
    TITLE "Sparks"
    ISRC FRS940300210
    REM REPLAYGAIN_TRACK_GAIN -4.81 dB
    REM REPLAYGAIN_TRACK_PEAK 0.944031
    INDEX 01 11:11:49
  TRACK 05 AUDIO
    TITLE "Poor Leno (Istanbul Forever Take)"
    ISRC FRS940500153
    REM REPLAYGAIN_TRACK_GAIN -4.50 dB
    REM REPLAYGAIN_TRACK_PEAK 0.999939
    INDEX 01 16:21:26
  TRACK 06 AUDIO
    TITLE "Go Away"
    ISRC FRS940500154
    REM REPLAYGAIN_TRACK_GAIN -6.11 dB
    REM REPLAYGAIN_TRACK_PEAK 0.999939
    INDEX 01 21:45:26
  TRACK 07 AUDIO
    TITLE "Alpha Male"
    ISRC FRS940500152
    REM REPLAYGAIN_TRACK_GAIN -4.80 dB
    REM REPLAYGAIN_TRACK_PEAK 0.999939
    INDEX 01 27:21:05
  TRACK 08 AUDIO
    TITLE "Go With The Flow"
    ISRC FRS940100140
    REM REPLAYGAIN_TRACK_GAIN -6.52 dB
    REM REPLAYGAIN_TRACK_PEAK 0.999939
    INDEX 01 35:23:74
  TRACK 09 AUDIO
    TITLE "Tepperfall"
    ISRC FRS940500156
    REM REPLAYGAIN_TRACK_GAIN -2.19 dB
    REM REPLAYGAIN_TRACK_PEAK 0.999939
    INDEX 01 38:37:32

In last.fm the names of the tracks that have just been played looks like this:

1.
What Else Is There? 3:19 Only This Moment 7:24 Remind Me 11:11 Sparks 16:21 Poor Leno (Istanbul Forever Take) 21:45 Go Away 27:21 Alpha Male 35:23 Go With The Flow 38:37 Tepperfall – tle Royksopp's Night Out (Live EP)

2.
Only This Moment 7:24 Remind Me 11:11 Sparks 16:21 Poor Leno (Istanbul Forever Take) 21:45 Go Away 27:21 Alpha Male 35:23 Go With The Flow 38:37 Tepperfall – tle Royksopp's Night Out (Live EP)


3.
Remind Me 11:11 Sparks 16:21 Poor Leno (Istanbul Forever Take) 21:45 Go Away 27:21 Alpha Male 35:23 Go With The Flow 38:37 Tepperfall – tle Royksopp's Night Out (Live EP)


etc..

Any Idea why its happening?

[yagood]

Thanks for reporting this, new version will be out soon.

[amit]

Another Issue : Network streams with tags that were previously sent to last.fm site currently are not sent and not appearing in cache file.

[yagood]

Another Issue : Network streams with tags that were previously sent to last.fm site currently are not sent and not appearing in cache file.

Could you attach your xmp-scrobbler.log (in debug mode) and, if possible, post addresses of problematic streams?

[yagood]

Oh, and BTW, I decided to make next release a 1.0 release. I don't exactly know why, but I also decided to rewrite almost everything from scratch I guess I just like to contribute to XMPlay community If someone has an idea / need for a plug-in, let me know, maybe I'll be able to focus my energy on something more productive then

Anyway, given the amount of my free time lately, it's probably going to take couple of weeks at least until 1.0 is released.

[snatcher]

Hello yagood, congratulations on your great work!

XMPlay has been a lifesaver for me when listening to my mp3's on my pen drive on work - even MP3 decoder codecs are banished in the standard installation of WMP here...

As I am not authorized to access internet, even scrobbling, what I have been doing is listening to my song while I work and having the plugin try to handshake purposefully whithout having the right config for the firewall - later, at home, I connect again, and without a firewall all my listening habits are uploaded finally. The problem is that, during all the day, the software tries to request the local network, which is monitored, and that worries me (besides being a huge waste of logs real state )

Thinking on colleagues that may have the same problem as me, I would like to suggest a "offline mode" feature for the 1.0 ver, or even maybe a 0.8 while we wait. Activating that, the cache mode would be activated by default, without the plugin even trying to contact the network until the "offline mode" is deactivated. Do you think that would be possible?

Thanks a lot!

[yagood]

Great idea, definitely adding it to the "to do" list!

Unfortunately, there probably won't be 0.8 as I would rather finish 1.0 than spend time on tweaking old code base. I'll try to release 1.0 ASAP. It turns out that I'm leaving for a few weeks in the beginning of July, so I hope to finish 1.0 in June.

[amit]

Another Issue : Network streams with tags that were previously sent to last.fm site currently are not sent and not appearing in cache file.

Could you attach your xmp-scrobbler.log (in debug mode) and, if possible, post addresses of problematic streams?

It works fine now. Maybe I just didn't have enough patience earlier.

[snatcher]

Hey yagood,

I'm happy you liked the idea!

Talking about caching, a strange issue has been hapening repeatedly around here. I am using XMPlay on my U3 pen drive, having installed DFX plugin but nothing more tha this (in fact, the player does have almost everything needed built-in ). However, after I listen through the day to more than 20-30 tracks, when I get home and start the player again it not only does not send the cached file, but also complains in the log that the cache has a wrong format and simply erase it.

I preserved last log and cache file so you can review it and maybe find what went wrong. Tha case has a pattern, being the standard characteristic the listening to more than 20/30 songs (it seems, by the pattern of the file, that when data starts to be written beggining at the extreme left of the screen again, something goes wrong with tab-like formatting)

Can you take a look on that? Maybe something to be addressed on 1.0 ver (but don't forget my precious offline mode!  )

Thanks!

[yagood]

I've already fixed "Wrong cache file format" bug and it works OK, unfortunately you have to wait until 1.0 is released, sorry for the inconvenience, technically this bug is a result of very small and stupid mistake on my part, but as you said - it can be very dramatic to the user - whole day of listening gone...

There is also a bad news on version 1.0... I finally decided to switch to Ubuntu, finalized migration through the weekend and now I'm booting Windows very rarely... unfortunately, XMPlay doesn't work with the current version of Wine, so I can only work with it through VirtualBox. I'll try to finish 1.0 ASAP, or at least release a bugfix version which will contain fix for "Wrong cache file format" bug... I'm sorry that things turned out this way, but I just got sick and tired of Windows and I regret now all these years I spent fighting in Windows with spyware, firewalls, antivirus software...

Anyway, this of course doesn't mean that work on xmp-scrobbler has stopped! It just got even slower than it was before Also I would like to still use XMPlay for playing music, even in Linux, so I'll do what I can to get it working again under Wine, then development sure will be faster.

BTW nice music taste

[snatcher]

Hum... that's ok then, happy to know prob its not on my side. Please don't leave the plugin dev, XMPlay came as a lifesaver for me in my workplace.

If you feel like only releasing a bugfix, I think that an "offline" mode will have to wait too... (you have no idea how long I have been searching for this, no plugin for any player has such functionality....)

An tks for the compliments on taste! I am currently rebuilding my last.fm under nickname metaphored (the previous nick, named after this nick on the forum, was being soooooo much stalked by an ex-girlfriend that I had to delete it). Come for  a visit if you like

[yagood]

Hum... that's ok then, happy to know prob its not on my side. Please don't leave the plugin dev, XMPlay came as a lifesaver for me in my workplace.

If you feel like only releasing a bugfix, I think that an "offline" mode will have to wait too... (you have no idea how long I have been searching for this, no plugin for any player has such functionality....)

Just like I said - I'm not by any means leaving the development. There's just a temporary disruption because of the problem with Wine. I still want to use XMPlay so obviously I still want to develop xmp-scrobbler 

An tks for the compliments on taste! I am currently rebuilding my last.fm under nickname metaphored (the previous nick, named after this nick on the forum, was being soooooo much stalked by an ex-girlfriend that I had to delete it). Come for  a visit if you like

Check your Friend Requests section 

Oh, and don't forget to join XMPlay Users group on Last.fm!

[Zarggg]

How does a Last.fm account get "stalked"? For that matter, why should your ex care what you listen to?

[snatcher]

(heh, heh) - Zarggg, she was a natural-born expert on Social Engineering - by scanning her ex-boyfriends' life through orkut (main social relation network around here in Brazil), google, blogs, and last.fm, she could get a really good picture of how their lives were going on (even those who would not give away information in their profiles were constantly "betrayed" by their contact friend's pictures, messages, shouts etc). I learned to do that as well, just for fun. When I noticed that she did that to their "ex" I started to worry.

Now that I am an "ex", everything is password-locked, and I deleted or locked all main profiles and blogs due to the contacts I had (imagine an old friend commenting about how much you drank last night or even how was the girl you were with). So, music was a minor problem. the main problem was the social networking capabilities of last.fm (which I love) that would allow her to keep up to date of what was going on with my life...

(as a last example, I tracked on my portuguese-spoken websites stats that some inbound clicks were originated by links clicked on an e-mail she sent to a friend of her, listing all my websites, more than 5 months after we broke up. Creepy. Why list all my websites to other person? Why so much control?)

UPDATE: Nice profile Zarggg, good to find Nobuo Uematsu lovers (I am almos all alone here in Brazil for that kind of music) - my past profile would be soo much more compatible with your hehe.

Sorry for the huuuuuge OT guys. Explained, Zarggg?  In fact, I am really happy you didn't get the problem. It shows that you never had it. Nobody deserves that hehe.

Coming back to the topic, Yagood, is there anyway I can work around the cache bug while I wait for the fix? I need to fill my profile with good music again!!! 

[Sajadi]

hmm.. worked very nice in the past.. but since some days it stopped working :/

Handshaking with last.fm server failed or could't connect to host or couldn't connect to server - unable to handshake: sleeping

anybody else have at the moment such problems?

SaphJD