MP3 playlist example

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May 21, 2025 | 09:01 AM

Dan Hintz

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From: Glenelg MD

MP3 playlist example

Would someone mind posting up the first few lines of a playlist that works in their car? I'm looking for example syntax that works so I can debug why mine always says there's nothing recognizable. I can select and play via artist, band, etc., but playlists are a no-go.

May 23, 2025 | 12:21 PM

Dan Hintz

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From: Glenelg MD

184 views, and not a single person is willing to cut-and-paste a few lines from their own working playlist? Surprising given how people here usually help everyone else...

May 23, 2025 | 12:36 PM

Walt White Coupe

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From: Phila Suburbs 2023 C8 & 2013 650ix

Dan,

Attached is how I use iTunes to create playlists that worked in my C7 & now my C8. When I hit browse I get, Playlists, Artist, Album, etc.

Hope this helps.

Attached Images

Using iTunes to create Stingray Playlists.pdf (975.5 KB, 202 views)

May 23, 2025 | 01:00 PM

RKCRLR

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Joined: Aug 2016

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From: Garden Valley CA

Sorry, meant to do this and forgot. I have a folder called "Music" at the top level. I have a subfolder folder for my playlists called "Playlists" and a subfolder called "Scattered Music" (don't know how it got called that) below that where there are some subfolders for some albums and a subfolder called "Shared Music" where a majority of my albums reside (each album is its own subfolder).

#EXTM3U
..\Scattered Music\Shared Music\The Beatles - 1967-1970 Disc 1\01 The Beatles - Strawberry Fields Forever.mp3
..\Scattered Music\Shared Music\The Beatles - 1967-1970 Disc 1\02 The Beatles - Penny Lane.mp3
..\Scattered Music\Shared Music\The Beatles - 1967-1970 Disc 1\03 The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.mp3
..\Scattered Music\Shared Music\The Beatles - 1967-1970 Disc 1\04 The Beatles - With a Little Help from My Friends.mp3
..\Scattered Music\Shared Music\The Beatles - 1967-1970 Disc 1\05 The Beatles - Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.mp3
..\Scattered Music\Shared Music\The Beatles - 1967-1970 Disc 1\06 The Beatles - A Day in the Life.mp3

Last edited by RKCRLR; May 23, 2025 at 01:12 PM.

May 27, 2025 | 09:56 AM

Dan Hintz

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Drifting

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From: Glenelg MD

Thanks, guys. For clarity, this is for a 2024 C8, where GM pushes GooglePlay on you...

I thought the extended M3U format header (and associated extended data) was causing the issue, but I can see Rock is using it without issue. I removed the upper-level directory "C:" stuff in my initial attempt (I think I created the original playlist with Windows Media Player), but as I'm imagining the file in my head, I'm thinking I started the lines with "\" rather than "..\". My folder structure looks similar (a slew of folders with the CD's name in the root directory, with a bunch of numbered mp3s in each), so I should be able to get rid of the initial "".

So, right now my file looks similar to this (using Rock's and Walt's example data)... extended header, followed by extended info and location of each song:
#EXTM3U
#EXTINF:187, Strawberry Fields Forever - The Beatles
\The Beatles - 1967-1970 Disc 1\01 The Beatles - Strawberry Fields Forever.mp3
#EXTINF:201, Penny Lane - The Beatles
\The Beatles - 1967-1970 Disc 1\02 The Beatles - Penny Lane.mp3

I will continue playing with it...

Last edited by Dan Hintz; May 27, 2025 at 09:58 AM. Reason: Forum keeps getting rid of my backslashes

May 27, 2025 | 10:07 AM

RKCRLR

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Joined: Aug 2016

Posts: 12,866

Likes: 10,274

From: Garden Valley CA

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan Hintz

Thanks, guys. For clarity, this is for a 2024 C8, where GM pushes GooglePlay on you...

I thought the extended M3U format header (and associated extended data) was causing the issue, but I can see Rock is using it without issue. I removed the upper-level directory "C:" stuff in my initial attempt (I think I created the original playlist with Windows Media Player), but as I'm imagining the file in my head, I'm thinking I started the lines with "" rather than "..". My folder structure looks similar (a slew of folders with the CD's name in the root directory, with a bunch of numbered mp3s in each), so I should be able to get rid of the initial "".

So, right now my file looks similar to this (using Rock's and Walt's example data)... extended header, followed by extended info and location of each song:
#EXTM3U
#EXTINF:187, Strawberry Fields Forever - The Beatles
\The Beatles - 1967-1970 Disc 1\01 The Beatles - Strawberry Fields Forever.mp3
#EXTINF:201, Penny Lane - The Beatles
\The Beatles - 1967-1970 Disc 1\02 The Beatles - Penny Lane.mp3

I will continue playing with it...

My playlist generally works fine in my 2020 with a couple of caveats.
I usually select random playback. I've found that I would sometimes hear some of the same songs over again but other songs often would never play. However if I did some skipping forward and back through songs then other songs that I haven't heard in a while would play randomly.
Sometimes the car loses it' memory and random playback gets deselected, and songs start playing from the first song of the first album until I select random again. Then the above process starts over.

May 29, 2025 | 08:16 AM

Dan Hintz

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Drifting

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From: Glenelg MD

Removed the initial backslash on each file location... no dice there, either. No reason not to, so I'll add in "..\" to the front of each and see if it is happy with that.

I can play all of the mp3s, so that's not it. It recognizes the playlist file itself, as the playlist itself shows on the playlist tab. It just displays "USB device cannot be found" yadda yadda yadda on the playlist tab under the playlist filename.

May 29, 2025 | 09:30 AM

RKCRLR

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Joined: Aug 2016

Posts: 12,866

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From: Garden Valley CA

I initially used Windows Media Player to rip CDs and make my playlists. I then switched to Mediamonkey because I wanted album art and the C7 supported that. I then got my C8 and went back to using WMP for updates since the C8 doesn't support album art using the same USB flash drive.

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May 29, 2025 | 08:07 PM

TonyC6Go

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Joined: Jun 2006

Posts: 363

Likes: 7

From: Pflugerville TX

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan Hintz

....It just displays "USB device cannot be found"

My 2025 has been doing this quite often displaying the "device cannot be found" message even if the USB device has not been removed from the car and I just got done listening to it the day before. 2-3 days will go by with that same message and then all of a sudden it magically starts playing, and then a day or so later, same thing.

On another topic, which I have brought up, has to do with being able to scroll past more than 9 items while the car is moving. I don't use Play Lists, so I am curious if you are able to scroll past more than 9 items (songs, albums, artists, etc...) while the car is moving. I get the "Scrolling locked while the car is moving" message on my screen.

Jun 2, 2025 | 07:26 AM

#10

Dan Hintz

Thread Starter

Drifting

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From: Glenelg MD

Rock, I'm seeing album art on my C8 (well, at least the ones properly linked). I initially saw nothing beyond the colored square put up by default, but when I chose ABBA, the album cover art popped up

Tony, No, I'm locked out of scrolling while in motion, too. The device not found message has been a constant under the playlist tab... it will show the playlist filename, so it recognizes the list itself, but there's nothing but the error message below it.

Someone PMed and suggested that this being GooglePlay (and and Android, a.k.a. Linux app) might be the cause, so I swapped all of my Windows-style backslashes with forward slashes. No joy. My next attempt will be to surround directory names with quotes to deal with spaces, and then a test with escaping the spaces using additional backslashes.

Perhaps I should try to find a connection within Google to ask this question...

Sep 9, 2025 | 12:09 PM

#11

Dan Hintz

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Drifting

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From: Glenelg MD

An update...

So I got something to work, but I don't know what it was.

My last attempt seemingly failed... choosing it from the menu brought up nothing of consequence. And I selected it multiple times over the next few days without change.

But here we are months later, and I accidentally selected it while trying to hit one of the other menu options... and it populated the screen with the songs. One would think that a playlist, coming in at a few kB in size, would be easy/fast to read (digitally). But evidently it was taking its own sweet time indexing the files.

Now I need to pull the stick back out and look at what format I used to create it.

Oct 24, 2025 | 12:51 PM

#12

Dan Hintz

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Drifting

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From: Glenelg MD

I looked a few days ago, so my memory is a bit fuzzy, but it looks like I removed the initial '\':

#EXTM3U
#EXTINF:187, Strawberry Fields Forever - The Beatles
The Beatles - 1967-1970 Disc 1\01 The Beatles - Strawberry Fields Forever.mp3
#EXTINF:201, Penny Lane - The Beatles
The Beatles - 1967-1970 Disc 1\02 The Beatles - Penny Lane.mp3

Oct 24, 2025 | 02:21 PM

#13

Steelguin66

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Joined: Jul 2024

Posts: 183

Likes: 188

I know its not what you're asking but I don't get why people don't use Apple car play with Spotify.

I hit the steering wheel button and say "Play this song or this album" and it plays. No drama. Every song album there is for like 12 dollars a month.

Oct 24, 2025 | 02:24 PM

#14

RKCRLR

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Posts: 12,866

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From: Garden Valley CA

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steelguin66

Until you go out of cell phone range...

And why should I pay $12 per month for music I already have and paid for?

BTW, I also use Spotify both on the car's built-in app and on my CarPlay AI box (although not the paid version).

Oct 24, 2025 | 02:26 PM

#15

Steelguin66

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I've yet to be "out of range" in over a year. 12 a month to have all music you can think of at the push of one button? I'm ok with it.

Oct 24, 2025 | 02:29 PM

#16

RKCRLR

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Joined: Aug 2016

Posts: 12,866

Likes: 10,274

From: Garden Valley CA

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steelguin66

I've yet to be "out of range" in over a year. 12 a month to have all music you can think of at the push of one button? I'm ok with it.

You must not live in a rural area or take trips across desolate areas. As I mentioned I also use spotify but there are areas around me without cell service and Spotify cuts out. That's when I switch to my USB stick.

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