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# Raven Scott Music
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**Raven Scott Music** is a sophisticated, dark-themed web application designed to curate and display music playlists from SoundCloud across three genres: Metal, Alt Rock, and Rap. Built with Node.js, Express, and EJS, this project combines server-side rendering, efficient caching, and a responsive front-end to deliver a seamless music discovery experience. Whether you're a developer looking to explore the code or a music enthusiast browsing tracks, this app offers a robust foundation with plenty of room for customization.
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## Table of Contents
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- [Features](#features)
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- [Live Demo](#live-demo)
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- [Prerequisites](#prerequisites)
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- [Installation](#installation)
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- [Usage](#usage)
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- [Technical Overview](#technical-overview)
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- [Backend](#backend)
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- [Frontend](#frontend)
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- [Caching Mechanism](#caching-mechanism)
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- [File Structure](#file-structure)
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- [Tech Stack Rationale](#tech-stack-rationale)
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- [Configuration](#configuration)
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- [Deployment](#deployment)
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- [Development](#development)
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- [Enhancement Ideas](#enhancement-ideas)
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- [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting)
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- [License](#license)
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- [Acknowledgments](#acknowledgments)
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## Features
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- **Genre-Specific Playlists**: Dynamically fetches and displays tracks from SoundCloud playlists for Metal, Alt Rock, and Rap.
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- **Efficient Caching**: Stores playlist data in local JSON files, refreshing only after a week to minimize API calls and improve load times.
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- **Responsive UI**: Leverages Bootstrap 4.5.2 and custom CSS for a mobile-friendly, dark-mode interface with orange accents.
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- **Track Pages**: Dedicated pages for each track with embedded SoundCloud players, titles, and descriptions.
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- **SEO Optimization**: Generates a `sitemap.xml` dynamically for better search engine visibility.
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- **JSON API**: Provides a RESTful endpoint (`/json/:genre`) for programmatic access to track data.
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- **Custom Styling**: Features a slim dark-mode scrollbar, animated navbar hover effects, and a cohesive aesthetic tailored for music lovers.
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- **Sorting Logic**: Tracks are sorted by play count (descending) and then by publication date (newest first) for a curated experience.
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## Live Demo
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Explore the live site at [raven-scott.rocks](https://raven-scott.rocks). Check out the Metal, Alt Rock, and Rap sections, dive into individual track pages, or inspect the sitemap at `/sitemap.xml`.
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## Prerequisites
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To run this project locally, ensure you have:
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- **[Node.js](https://nodejs.org/)**: Version 14.x or higher (includes npm).
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- **[npm](https://www.npmjs.com/)**: Package manager for installing dependencies.
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- **SoundCloud Access**: The playlists specified in `music_site.js` must be public and accessible via the `soundcloud-scraper` library.
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- **Git**: For cloning the repository (optional but recommended).
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## Installation
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1. **Clone the Repository**:
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```bash
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git clone https://git.ssh.surf/snxraven/ravenscott-rocks.git
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cd ravenscott-rocks
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```
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2. **Install Dependencies**:
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```bash
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npm install
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```
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This installs `express`, `soundcloud-scraper`, `ejs`, and other required packages listed in `package.json`.
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3. **Optional: Environment Variables**:
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- Create a `.env` file in the root directory to customize the port:
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```bash
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PORT=6767
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```
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- Alternatively, set the `PORT` variable in your terminal:
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```bash
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export PORT=6767 # Linux/macOS
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set PORT=6767 # Windows
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```
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4. **Start the Server**:
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```bash
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node music_site.js
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```
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The app will run on `http://localhost:6767` (or your specified port). Open this URL in your browser to begin exploring.
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## Usage
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- **Home Page (`/`)**: Displays all genre playlists with embedded SoundCloud players and "More Details" links.
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- **Genre Navigation (`/#genre`)**: Use the navbar to jump to specific genres (e.g., `#metal`, `#altrock`, `#rap`).
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- **Track Details (`/:genre/track/:slug`)**: Click "More Details" to view a track’s page with its SoundCloud player and description.
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- **JSON API (`/json/:genre`)**: Fetch raw track data for a genre (e.g., `http://localhost:6767/json/metal`) in JSON format.
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- **Sitemap (`/sitemap.xml`)**: Access a dynamically generated sitemap for SEO purposes.
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Example API response:
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```json
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[
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{
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"title": "Heavy Riffs",
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"description": "A brutal metal track.",
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"url": "https://soundcloud.com/snxraven/heavy-riffs",
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"playCount": 1200,
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"publishedAt": "2023-05-10T12:00:00Z",
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"slug": "heavy-riffs"
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}
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]
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```
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## Technical Overview
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### Backend
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- **Framework**: Uses Express.js to handle routing, static file serving, and API endpoints.
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- **SoundCloud Integration**: The `soundcloud-scraper` library fetches playlist data, including track titles, URLs, play counts, and publication dates.
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- **Routing**:
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- `/`: Renders the home page with all genres.
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- `/:genre`: Redirects to the home page’s genre section (e.g., `/#metal`).
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- `/:genre/track/:slug`: Renders individual track pages.
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- `/json/:genre`: Returns track data in JSON.
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- `/sitemap.xml`: Generates an XML sitemap.
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- **Slug Generation**: Converts track titles into URL-friendly slugs (e.g., "Heavy Riffs" → `heavy-riffs`).
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### Frontend
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- **Templating**: EJS renders dynamic HTML with data from the backend.
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- **Styling**:
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- Bootstrap 4.5.2 (via CDN) provides the grid system and card components.
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- Custom CSS adds a dark theme, orange buttons, a fixed navbar with hover animations, and a slim scrollbar.
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- **Scripts**: jQuery, Popper.js, and Bootstrap JS (via CDN) enable navbar toggling and other interactive elements.
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### Caching Mechanism
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- **Purpose**: Reduces API calls to SoundCloud by storing playlist data locally.
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- **Implementation**:
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- Cache files (`cache_metal.json`, etc.) store tracks and a timestamp.
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- The `getTracks` function checks if the cache is older than 1 week (configurable via `oneWeekInMs`).
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- If outdated or missing, it fetches fresh data and updates the cache.
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- **Sorting**: Tracks are sorted by play count (highest first) and then by publication date (newest first).
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## File Structure
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```
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raven-scott-music/
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├── public/ # Static assets
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│ └── css/ # Custom CSS (currently empty; styles are inline in EJS)
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├── views/ # EJS templates
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│ ├── index.ejs # Home page with genre sections
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│ ├── layout.ejs # Base layout (not fully utilized in this setup)
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│ └── track.ejs # Individual track page
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├── cache_metal.json # Cached Metal tracks (auto-generated)
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├── cache_altrock.json # Cached Alt Rock tracks (auto-generated)
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├── cache_rap.json # Cached Rap tracks (auto-generated)
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├── music_site.js # Core server logic and routing
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├── package.json # Project metadata and dependencies
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├── package-lock.json # Dependency lock file
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└── README.md # This documentation
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```
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## Tech Stack Rationale
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- **Node.js & Express**: Lightweight and fast for building a server-side application with minimal overhead.
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- **soundcloud-scraper**: Chosen for its simplicity and ability to scrape public playlist data without requiring an official API key.
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- **EJS**: Offers server-side rendering with easy integration into Express, ideal for dynamic content like playlists.
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- **Bootstrap**: Speeds up development with pre-built components and ensures responsiveness out of the box.
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- **File-System Caching**: A simple, effective solution for persistence without the complexity of a database.
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## Configuration
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- **Playlists**: Modify the `playlists` object in `music_site.js`:
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```javascript
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const playlists = {
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metal: { url: 'https://soundcloud.com/snxraven/sets/raven-scott-metal', ... },
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// Add new genres here
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};
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```
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- **Cache Refresh**: Adjust `oneWeekInMs` (in milliseconds) in `getTracks`:
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```javascript
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const oneWeekInMs = 7 * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000; // Change to 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000 for daily refresh
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```
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- **Port**: Set via `.env` or directly in `music_site.js`:
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```javascript
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const PORT = process.env.PORT || 6767;
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```
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## Development
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### Getting Started
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1. Fork and clone the repo.
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2. Install dependencies (`npm install`).
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3. Run locally (`node music_site.js`).
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4. Make changes and test in your browser.
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### Enhancement Ideas
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- **Database Integration**: Replace file caching with MongoDB or SQLite for scalability.
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- **Search Functionality**: Add a search bar to filter tracks by title or description.
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- **User Accounts**: Implement authentication (e.g., with Passport.js) for favoriting tracks.
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- **Additional Platforms**: Integrate Spotify or YouTube using their APIs.
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- **Analytics**: Track page views or play counts with a tool like Google Analytics.
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- **Lazy Loading**: Optimize the home page by loading tracks incrementally.
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## Troubleshooting
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- **SoundCloud Fetch Fails**:
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- Verify playlist URLs in `music_site.js` are correct and public.
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- Update `soundcloud-scraper` (`npm install soundcloud-scraper@latest`).
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- **Cache Issues**:
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- Delete `cache_*.json` files and restart the server to force a refresh.
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- Check file permissions if cache files aren’t being written.
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- **Port Conflicts**:
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- Change the `PORT` value or kill the conflicting process:
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```bash
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lsof -i :6767 # Linux/macOS
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kill -9 <PID>
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```
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- **404 Errors**:
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- Ensure genre or slug matches the data (case-sensitive).
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- Check console logs for errors during playlist fetching.
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- **Styling Problems**:
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- Clear browser cache if CSS changes don’t appear.
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- Verify CDN links for Bootstrap and jQuery are accessible.
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