Rhythmbox doesn't (always) play when started from indicator

[Alan Pope 🍺🐧🐱 🦄]

Motivation: Just logged onto computer, need music to work by.

Logon to Ubuntu
Press 'Play' media key on the keyboard
Observe Rhythmbox doesn't open

Press 'Play' button in the sound indicator
Observe Rhythmbox opens but doesn't play (the point of pressing 'play' is to play music)

Press 'Play' media key on keyboard or 'Play' icon in sound indicator and rhthmbox starts playing.

Close rhythmbox
Press 'Play' media key on the keyboard
Observe Rhythmbox doesn't open

Press 'Play' button in the sound indicator
Observe Rhythmbox opens but this time _does_ play.

So basically the 'play' button doesn't do what I expect it to do, until I have already opened rhythmbox.

This video shows it:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rI6Dn8p17mQ

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
Package: rhythmbox 2.96-0ubuntu3
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-20.32-generic 3.2.12
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-20-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 1.95-0ubuntu1
Architecture: amd64
Date: Tue Mar 27 12:00:08 2012
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 12.04 LTS "Precise Pangolin" - Alpha amd64 (20120102)
SourcePackage: rhythmbox
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Laura Cowen (lauracowen)]

This happens to me with Banshee in 11.10. The first time I press the play button, Banshee starts but doesn't start playing. The second time, Banshee starts and starts playing.

[frizzle21 (frederik-nnaji)]

same here in 12.04:
after boot, i press play once, no launches but doesn't play.
then, after quitting rhythmbox via File>Quit, i can launch & start playing automatically with a single click onto the play button in indicator sound.

[Mike Williamson (sleepycat)]

Rhythmbox integration with the sound applet seems to be dead in Raring too. I am running a clean install of Raring beta 2.

Back, forward play/pause: none of them work.
Choosing the Rhythmbox option in the sound applet does launch Rhythmbox but even when it is running the sound applet controls do nothing.

mike@sleepycat:~$ apt-cache policy rhythmbox
rhythmbox:
  Installed: 2.98-0ubuntu5
  Candidate: 2.98-0ubuntu5
  Version table:
 *** 2.98-0ubuntu5 0
        500 http://ca.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ raring/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
mike@sleepycat:~$ lsb_release -rd
Description: Ubuntu Raring Ringtail (development branch)
Release: 13.04

[Markcortbass (markcortbass)]

Rhythmbox integration with the sound applet seems to be dead in 13.10. I am running a clean install. http://ubuntuone.com/3q57JLpLulBi6KwPhESFAM

[TomasHnyk (sup)]

This is similar from the dash (rhythmbox open - dash plays a file, otherwise it just opens rhythmbox). It seems rhythmbox-client is called and it spawns rhythmbox but it does not wait enough to pass the file to be played to the freshly started Rhythmbox. See bug 1201016 for details.

[TomasHnyk (sup)]

This has just been fixed: https://git.gnome.org/browse/rhythmbox/commit/?id=0deaaa6655ba966c52ae9d6bde92088f67253cd2
would it qualify for an SRU?

(the description mixes two bugs however - that keyboard not launching rhythmbox is bug 779544)