Headliner II

Spotify Connect, serious competition

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Spotify today announced Spotify Connect, which will be a series of hardware from well-known hardware to seamlessly integrate spotify onto devices where the control is from the regular Spotify application on your phone or similar.

Streaming is still done directly through internet, so the phone isn't in charge of it, just controls it.

I really do hope that Sonos will follow this approach as well, I believe there are a lot more like me that primarily uses Sonos for Spotify, and being able to use the same app as always would be awesome.

Seems like there is already a feature request over at ask.sonos.com https://ask.sonos.com/sonos/topics/support_spotify_connect_to_allow_users_to_use_the_spotify_app_as_the_controller

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danc27

Trending Lyricist I

Techcrunch updated their article:

Update: Spotify says the quote is taken out of context, in that it cannot share future plans, not that it doesn’t have any at all. “We will continue to support and improve the Spotify experience on Sonos,” a spokesperson noted, once again not confirming any timescale or specifics.

http://techcrunch.com/2013/09/02/spotify-makes-its-biggest-hardware-play-yet-with-spotify-connect-synching-music-at-home-and-beyond/

I was already skeptical of that quote - not sure why Spotify would want to alienate Sonos users. They don't want to lose anyone and they can't afford to.

I'm not all doom and gloom on this yet, but it sure makes me think twice now about getting another Sonos speaker.

I really hope that Sonos is direct with their customers about whether or not they would allow this to be built-into the system. I'm not sure they are going to want to though, because they want you to use the Sonos controller.

Who knows... we need to let this play out.

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the_lhc

Avid Contributor I

Techcrunch updated their article:

http://techcrunch.com/2013/09/02/spotify-makes-its-biggest-hardware-play-yet-with-spotify-connect-synching-music-at-home-and-beyond/

I was already skeptical of that quote - not sure why Spotify would want to alienate Sonos users. They don't want to lose anyone and they can't afford to.

I'm not all doom and gloom on this yet, but it sure makes me think twice now about getting another Sonos speaker.

I really hope that Sonos is direct with their customers about whether or not they would allow this to be built-into the system. I'm not sure they are going to want to though, because they want you to use the Sonos controller.

Why do you think Sonos would have any say in the matter? This is Spotify driving this, not Sonos.

THIS is exactly the reaction I was afraid of, Spotify make a decision and people blame Sonos for it and go elsewhere.

There are plenty of other music services you could choose, there's nothing as good as Sonos, the logic of this kind of reaction defies belief.

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danc27

Trending Lyricist I

I agree that Sonos doesn't have any say - they completely rely on whatever the API allows access to. I'm definitely not blaming Sonos for this, it is all on Spotify and I completely understand that.

This move in general by Spotify makes me worried that they aren't going to spend the time to expand Radio, Collection (still upcoming...), to the API and just use Spotify Connect.

Either way, who knows what is going to happen really, certainly puts everyone in an interesting situation.

jgatie

Personally, I consider all of the services to be more or less interchangeable. I'm more interested in the content and reliability than any single feature. If one service makes my life miserable, I'll fix that problem at the end of the billing cycle.

I too am of the opinion that services are basically interchangeble. However, it seems that more and more users are becoming fans of a service (or that service's UI) than they are of the hardware. I'm sure Sonos has more marketing info than I, but it is a trend I see happening where someone becomes married to a UI, or a service, or a function (Spotify radio) with the fervor of an Apple fan, and then hardware becomes secondary. There are enough quotes like "I should have bought a Bluetooth speaker so I could play through my app!!" that Sonos should be a little concerned.

buzz

Grand Maestro

I don't think that SPOTIFY will suddenly dump all SONOS users, but there will not be any new developments.

And, anyone who wants to use the SPOTIFY integration on the announced platforms must purchase a new receiver. Further, unless this deal was done months ago, users must wait at least months for the next design refresh cycle to complete. In my observation users are not so keen on replacing their audio equipment in order to accommodate the feature of the week. Therefore this new order will require years to play out.

Given my experience with the traditional manufacturers user interface, this development will introduce yet another layer of remote control. You'll have the traditional "black remote", 3rd party universal remotes, vendor specific "apps" for smart phones and pads, and now, music service apps -- and this is only for the audio. It is no wonder why there is a developing class of "no technology for me" users.

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danc27

Trending Lyricist I

I don't find them interchangeable at all. Spotify has the best streaming infrastructure, best selection and quality out of any of the services like it (I've tried all of the "big" ones, except Rhapsody).

I've invested a lot of time making playlists on Spotify as well.

But yes, I agree that there's no way Spotify will just totally throw Sonos out.

At least de Mul is now saying this on Twitter:

@chrigu No this is not correct. We will continue to develop and even expand that relationship. We are trying to get this rectified.

jgatie

I don't find them interchangeable at all. Spotify has the best streaming infrastructure, best selection and quality out of any of the services like it (I've tried all of the "big" ones, except Rhapsody).

I've invested a lot of time making playlists on Spotify as well.

But yes, I agree that there's no way Spotify will just totally throw Sonos out.

At least de Mul is now saying this on Twitter:

Sounds to me like de Mul was going scorched earth in support of his new tech baby and got spanked by the lawyers/suits. In my experience, this type of backtracking usually means that the first statement was much closer to the truth than the subsequent waffling.

nicka99

Local Superstar

if they do a 'chromecast' equivalent dongle I can feed it into my playbar and thus the rest of the sonos gear. or a standalone unit with optical output (like sonos connect). the ideal of course would be to allow sonos speakers to be controlled within the Spotify app but this is now even less of a possibility than before.

ratty

if they do a 'chromecast' equivalent dongle I can feed it into my playbar and thus the rest of the sonos gear. or a standalone unit with optical output (like sonos connect). the ideal of course would be to allow sonos speakers to be controlled within the Spotify app but this is now even less of a possibility than before.

A Chromecast-like device would make sense for Spotify, to allow existing HiFi kit to be 'Spotify Connect enabled'. Their hardware partners on the other hand would want to see 'Spotify Connect inside' to help them sell upgrades...

ratty

http://gizmodo.com/spotify-connect-sonos-like-powers-that-bend-to-your-bu-1228510223

In theory, you don't even need to buy any of the hardware—just buy an iPod Touch, plug it into the gear you've already got , and use your phone as a remote. (Speaking of which, one thing that's noticeably missing is a product like the Sonos Connect: A little Spotify Wi-Fi base-station that lets you convert your existing stereo into a cloud-powered sound system.)

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