Skip to content

EXP-00 - Exploratory Session - Deezer Preview Expiry

Date: 2025-09-14
Build/Commit: 9c876c9 (main branch)
Environment: melodx.io (Prod), Firefox (desktop)

Charter:
Explore reliability of Deezer preview links in /rankings, focusing on expired links in older data.

Setup

  • Accounts:
  • Legacy account with older ranking data
  • Main account with recent rankings
  • Browser console and network tabs monitored for media requests and enrichment calls.

Heuristics

  • CRUD tour — compare create/view behavior for old vs. new data
  • Consistency oracle — cross-account preview reliability

Notes & Findings

  • Some /rankings items show broken preview links until new songs are ranked or enriched.
  • Expiry appears tied to Deezer’s preview URL lifespan.
  • Console logs show attempted enrichment retries but inconsistent triggers.

Evidence

  • Screenshots: reports/screenshots/exp00-preview-expiry.png
  • Logs: logs/exp00-preview.txt

Bugs / Issues

  • DEF-002 — Expired Deezer preview links
    Impact: Playback fails for older data and sometimes new items.
    Root cause: Preview URLs expire; enrichment not always re-triggered.
    Severity: Critical
    Status: Resolved
    Report: DEF-002
    PR: #3 - fix: DEF-002
  • DEF-003 — Songs load on /rank without filter (out-of-scope)

Learned

  • Expiry most reproducible with legacy data.
  • Freshly ranked songs always get valid previews.
  • Enrichment triggers inconsistently across accounts.

Risks

  • R-05 — Deezer preview URL expiry breaks audio
    Users returning after inactivity may lose playback.
    Could undermine perceived reliability.

Outcome

  • Status: Completed
  • Follow-ups:
  • Investigate Deezer preview TTL.
  • Ensure enrichment executes every /rankings load.