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Spotify users report problems playing songs

(Image courtesy Spotify, Graphic by The Desk)

It wouldn’t be Friday the 13th unless someone was having a bout of bad luck — and, this time around, it appears to be one of the biggest music streaming services on the Internet.

A widespread outage is affecting some users of the streaming music application Spotify, with customers in the United States and elsewhere reporting they are unable to stream or download songs or podcasts.

The issues started Friday around 8 p.m. Eastern Time (5 p.m. Pacific Time), with Spotify acknowledging that a “minor” glitch affecting the service’s API was affecting the player software used for the application.

The problem appears to be internal, and not part of an issue connected to a third-party or a cyberattack afflicting the company.

Customers are reporting mixed experiences with Spotify, with some saying they’re able to play content on their phones and tablets, but not their website; others are reporting the precise opposite, and some say they’re unable to use the service at all.

This is a developing story — check back here for the latest…

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About the Author:

Matthew Keys

Matthew Keys is an award-winning journalist with more than 10 years of experience covering the business of television and radio broadcasting, streaming services and the overall media industry. In addition to his work as publisher of The Desk, Matthew contributes regularly to StreamTV Insider and KnowTechie, and has worked for several well-known news organizations, including Thomson Reuters, McNaughton Newspapers, Grasswire, Comstock's magazine, KTXL-TV and KGO-TV. Matthew is a member of IRE, a trade organization for investigative reporters and editors, and is based in Northern California.

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