Troubleshooting Common Media File Upload Issues

Uploading your media files is a key part of getting your station running. If you're encountering issues with uploads failing, this guide will help you understand the common causes and how to resolve them.

We currently only support uploading MP3 files. While we have zero size limits on your MP3s, there are a few reasons why an upload might not complete successfully.

Here are the most common reasons for media file upload failures and how to troubleshoot them:

1. Upload is Taking Too Long

• Cause: Your internet connection might be too slow, causing the upload to exceed our maximum allowed time of 45 minutes.
• How to identify: The upload progress might seem stuck or eventually show a failure after a long period.
• Solution:
  • Check your internet connection speed. Websites like Speedtest.net can help you determine your current upload speed.
  • If your connection is slow, try uploading smaller files first to see if they succeed.
  • Consider uploading during off-peak internet hours if possible.
  • If you consistently experience slow upload speeds, you may need to contact your internet service provider.

2. You Closed Your Browser Tab

• Cause: Although Radio Cult is a modern web application and allows you to navigate between different sections within the application while an upload is in progress, closing the browser tab or window will interrupt and cancel the upload.
• How to identify: The upload immediately stops when you close the tab. You won't see a specific error message related to this other than the upload disappearing or failing.
• Solution: Keep the Radio Cult browser tab open and active until your upload is 100% complete. You are free to navigate to other pages within Radio Cult in the same tab, but do not close the tab itself.

3. The Media File is Corrupt or Incorrectly Formatted

• Cause: The MP3 file itself might be damaged, missing necessary metadata (like duration), or it might be a different audio format (like M4A or MP4) that has simply been renamed with a .mp3 extension. We only support genuine MP3 files.
• How to identify: The upload may fail relatively quickly or fail at the 99% mark (where we perform integrity checks on the file). If you expand the failure notification or look at the error details provided in the upload interface, you might see a specific reason related to file processing or metadata. Common reasons include "Missing duration metadata" or "Invalid file format detected."
• Solution:
  • Verify the File Type: Double-check that the file you are trying to upload is genuinely an MP3 file. Sometimes files downloaded from various sources might be mislabeled.
  • Check File Integrity: We recommend using a free audio player and library manager like FooBar2000 (available for Windows and Mac). FooBar2000 has a built-in function to verify the integrity of audio files.
    • Install FooBar2000 if you don't have it.
    • Add the problematic MP3 file to its library or open it.
    • Right-click on the track.
    • Look for an option like Utilities > Verify Integrity (the exact path might vary slightly depending on your version and setup).
    • Run the integrity check. FooBar2000 will report any errors in the file structure or metadata.
  • Fix Metadata/Re-encode: If FooBar2000 or another tool indicates the file is corrupt or missing metadata, you may need to use audio editing software (like Audacity) or a media converter program to open the file, ensure the metadata is correct (especially duration), and potentially re-save or re-export it as a new MP3 file.

If you have checked all the above points and are still experiencing issues with uploads, please contact our support team with details of the file you are trying to upload and any specific error messages you received. We'll be able to take a look and diagnose what's going wrong.