quixotic/.serena/memories/soundcloud_failure_final_summary.md

SoundCloud Integration Failure - Final Summary

Date: August 27, 2025

Problem

SoundCloud integration also failed - both for track resolution and download attempts.

Error Details

• 404 Not Found errors from SoundCloud API
• Client ID appears to be working but tracks not found
• Both direct ID and URL-based approaches failed
• Error message: "could not find the song... it may be private - check the URL"

Root Issue

YouTube video ID 4JkIs37a2JE is not a SoundCloud track ID. The frontend is still passing YouTube video IDs to the backend, but the backend now expects SoundCloud track IDs.

What Was Attempted

1. YouTube Integration - Completely abandoned due to bot detection

   • Removed: play-dl, ytdl-core, youtube-dl-exec
   • All anonymous methods blocked by YouTube

2. SoundCloud Integration - Failed due to ID mismatch

   • Installed: soundcloud-downloader
   • Created: SoundCloudService class
   • Updated: server.js to use SoundCloud

Critical Realization

The fundamental problem: Frontend still searches YouTube and sends YouTube IDs, but backend expects SoundCloud IDs. This is an architectural mismatch.

Required Next Steps (Not Implemented)

1. Frontend Update Required: Update search to use SoundCloud instead of YouTube
2. API Consistency: Ensure frontend and backend use same service
3. Alternative Approach: Consider hybrid approach or different strategy

Current State

• Backend: SoundCloud-ready but receives wrong IDs
• Frontend: Still YouTube-based
• System: Completely broken due to service mismatch

Final Recommendation

Either:

1. Update frontend to search SoundCloud, or
2. Revert to YouTube with better bot evasion techniques, or
3. Consider completely different approach (local uploads, different platforms, etc.)

The project needs architectural decision before continuing.