I’m working on a Spotify app to create party playlists based on multiple users’ listening habits. Right now, I’m using social.getToplist() to fetch their top tracks, but it only gives me 20 songs per user. That’s not enough for a good mix.
Is there a way to get more tracks from this function? Or maybe there’s another method to access public playlists that aren’t mine?
I’ve looked through the docs but can’t find a clear answer. Any tips or workarounds would be super helpful. I’m trying to make this app awesome for group listening sessions!
Here’s a snippet of what I’m currently doing:
function getPartyPlaylist(users) {
let partyTracks = [];
users.forEach(user => {
let topTracks = spotifyApi.social.getToplist(user);
partyTracks = partyTracks.concat(topTracks);
});
return partyTracks;
}
But this only gets me a limited number of tracks. How can I expand this?
I’ve tackled similar challenges in my Spotify projects. One effective strategy is leveraging the ‘Get User’s Playlists’ endpoint (/v1/users/{user_id}/playlists) to access a user’s public playlists. This opens up a wealth of tracks beyond just their top 20.
For each playlist, you can then use ‘Get Playlist Items’ (/v1/playlists/{playlist_id}/tracks) to fetch the tracks. This approach allows you to gather a much larger pool of songs that reflect users’ varied tastes.
To manage API rate limits, implement a queue system for your requests. This helps avoid hitting limits while still processing all the data you need.
Here’s a basic structure you might consider:
async function getExpandedUserTracks(userId) {
const playlists = await getPublicPlaylists(userId);
let allTracks = [];
for (const playlist of playlists) {
const tracks = await getPlaylistTracks(playlist.id);
allTracks = allTracks.concat(tracks);
}
return shuffleAndLimit(allTracks, 100);
}
This method should provide a more comprehensive selection for your party playlists.
I’ve encountered similar limitations when working with Spotify’s API. One effective approach I’ve found is using the “Get User’s Top Items” endpoint (/v1/me/top/{type}). This allows you to fetch up to 50 tracks per request, and you can make multiple requests with different time ranges (short_term, medium_term, long_term) to get a more diverse selection.
Additionally, consider implementing a seed-based recommendation system. Start with a few top tracks from each user, then use the “Get Recommendations” endpoint to expand the playlist. This method often yields a good balance of familiar and discovery tracks, perfect for group listening.
Remember to handle rate limits carefully when making multiple API calls. Implementing proper error handling and request throttling will ensure your app remains stable during high usage periods.
I’ve been working on a similar project and found a few tricks that might help. Instead of just using getToplist(), try combining it with the getRecentlyPlayed() endpoint. This gives you a mix of top tracks and what users are currently into.
For more variety, I’ve had success with the getPlaylistTracks() method on users’ public playlists. You can fetch multiple playlists per user and sample tracks from each. This approach gives you a much larger pool to work with.
One thing to watch out for is API rate limits. I batch my requests and use setTimeout() to space them out. It takes longer but prevents hitting the limit.
Here’s a rough idea of how I structure it:
async function getExpandedUserTracks(user) {
let tracks = [];
tracks = tracks.concat(await getTopTracks(user));
tracks = tracks.concat(await getRecentTracks(user));
let playlists = await getUserPlaylists(user);
for (let playlist of playlists.slice(0, 5)) {
tracks = tracks.concat(await getPlaylistTracks(playlist));
}
return shuffleArray(tracks).slice(0, 100);
}
This approach has given me a good mix for party playlists. Hope it helps!
hey man, have u tried the getRecommendations() API? it can give u more tracks based on seeds from ur users’ top songs. also, u could try fetching users’ public playlists with getPlaylistTracks() and grab songs from there. might give u more variety for ur party mix!
yo, try the getRecommendations() endpoint! it can give u way more tracks based on the top songs u already got. also, check out getPlaylistTracks() to pull from users’ public playlists. that’ll give u tons more variety for ur party mix. just watch out for those pesky API rate limits!