Unofficial Spotify client

Spotifyd

For those of us cynical about proprietary IoT devices, there was some schadenfreude to enjoy recently. The expensive music streaming speaker manufacturer, Sonos, bribed its users with a 30 percent discount if they went through the process of enabling recycling mode on their old equipment. Enabling this effectively disabled perfectly usable devices, prohibiting their resale and secondhand use and effectively condemning them to the landfill. Disabling perfectly usable hardware is audacious, but yet another example of us having no control over the hardware we're effectively licensing the use of (see Logitech Harmony, Philips Hue, and Google Nest for other prime contenders). Which is why it's so important to find alternatives that don't compromise on quality or convenience.

Fortunately, when it comes to streaming music, there are plenty of options. There are simple Bluetooth devices you can wire into your preexisting system, and something like a Raspberry Pi with a decent USB audio interface or DAC is another good option. But when it comes to software, there's nothing that can really compete with Spotify, which is why it's one of the best reasons for using a proprietary piece of hardware. There is an official Linux client, and in the past you could use a plugin with Logitech's SqueezeBox platform, but spotifyd is an even better option. Spotifyd is a background daemon that can run on any Linux box, effectively turning it into a sink for your Spotify client. After it's installed, it requires no further configuration if you're on the same network. It appears as a playback device from your official Spotify app, just like a Sonos speaker or other official destination. You can then remotely control the music streaming to your Linux box, or turn any Raspberry Pi into a superior smart speaker.

Project Website

https://github.com/Spotifyd

Turn any embedded Linux system into a high-quality streaming server with unlimited access to music.

Music platform