Rockstar Games is removing a number of songs in Grand Theft Auto IV due to music licensing issues, as a pretty-large patch for the game started to go live this past weekend, resulting in eliminating A LOT of songs across all the radio stations. For example, the Vladivostok FM station was predicted to be particularly hard hit, and that turns out to be very true.  In the place of some of the missing tracks, Rockstar will add a few more newer, lesser-known Russian songs, mostly by Seryoga.

Unfortunately, there seems to be no way to escape the update. While playing on PC, some players suggested keeping Steam in offline mode until backup files of the game can be created. According to a few posters on GTA Forum, they claim to have been successful in keeping the removed songs by doing this, as long as you overwrite the new files later. Also, if you own the physical version of GTA IV on PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, you’re going to want to disconnect from the internet when you prepare to play the game. Plus, there’s the option of using your favorite music streaming service on various devices while you play, should you be so inclined to do so.