diff --git a/osu.Game/Beatmaps/BeatmapImporter.cs b/osu.Game/Beatmaps/BeatmapImporter.cs
index e463492e2b..237088036c 100644
--- a/osu.Game/Beatmaps/BeatmapImporter.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/Beatmaps/BeatmapImporter.cs
@@ -177,8 +177,17 @@ namespace osu.Game.Beatmaps
             }
 
             Beatmap beatmap;
+
             using (var stream = new LineBufferedReader(reader.GetStream(mapName)))
+            {
+                if (stream.PeekLine() == null)
+                {
+                    Logger.Log($"No content found in first .osu file of beatmap archive ({reader.Name} / {mapName})", LoggingTarget.Database);
+                    return null;
+                }
+
                 beatmap = Decoder.GetDecoder<Beatmap>(stream).Decode(stream);
+            }
 
             return new BeatmapSetInfo
             {
diff --git a/osu.Game/Beatmaps/Formats/Decoder.cs b/osu.Game/Beatmaps/Formats/Decoder.cs
index aad29f46fb..ca1bcc97fd 100644
--- a/osu.Game/Beatmaps/Formats/Decoder.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/Beatmaps/Formats/Decoder.cs
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Beatmaps.Formats
             }
 
             if (line == null)
-                throw new IOException("Unknown file format (null)");
+                throw new IOException("Unknown file format (no content)");
 
             var decoder = typedDecoders.Where(d => line.StartsWith(d.Key, StringComparison.InvariantCulture)).Select(d => d.Value).FirstOrDefault();