[ubuntu-uk] Heads-Up For Spotify Users

[alan c]

On 18/09/13 15:46, Nigel Verity wrote:
> I've been a Spotify user for the last 2 or 3 years; ever since its library overtook Napster's in terms of depth and coverage. Officially the only desktop clients are for Windows and Mac. However, there is also a "preview" version of a Linux client which has never been formally released. It's available on a "no warranty or official support" basis for use on Debian-based distros.
> 
> Over the last year or so, this Linux client has improved dramatically. It used to freeze or crash so often that I had to rely upon the Windows client running in a Virtualbox VM. I've had no problems of that nature in the last 6 months or more and, despite its unsupported status, the Linux client it is now my standard means of using Spotify.
> 
> The ability to download tracks for local off-line playback is a real boon when you have a poor or slow connection. It avoids the buffering that you might otherwise encounter with the web-based stream.
> 
> The only problem I occasionally encounter is with the indexing. The list of albums and tracks for a given artist may lack a particular item of interest to you. An explicit search for that item by title will often find it. I suspect that this problem could well be at the server end, in which case it will not be unique to the Linux client.
> 
> I know that FLOSS purists will not want to run proprietary software such as this, but I am one of those people willing to turn a blind-eye when it provides superior functionality.
> 
> The Clementine media player for Linux now provides an add-on to give access to Spotify for Premium Service members. This is a significant improvement on browser-based streaming, as each track is copied to a local cache before playing, thereby avoiding buffering with slow connections. It doesn't, however, offer the off-line playback facility, which can be so useful if you are on the move, away from an internet connection.
> 
> For any Linux users who may have tried the Spotify client in the past, and given up in frustration, I would highly recommend giving it another go.
> 
> Regards
> 
> Nige

Interesting and for us, timely.
On a PC that we have, we have a free account on Spotify (linux
preview). We just started to make use of it after a long period of non
use. Unfortunately, after a minimal use, it timed out saying we had
reached the time limit. This seems to be 2.5 hours per week, which I
am sure we have not used. So, this is a second chance for Spotify, and
it is rather unlikely we will continue. Internet searches suggest
Grooveshark, which seems to offer a free use, and so far Grooveshark
works via the browser, ok. Probably goodbye to spotify.
-- 
alan cocks