Spotify Connect, serious competition

And now spottily has added the long awaited "Your Music" feature which allows you to organise your music by artist and album rather than playlists. Guess what - not available on Sonos.

There's a request for this over on the ask.sonos site - https://ask.sonos.com/sonos/topics/your_music_feature_on_spotify

However, I wouldn't hold out much hope - spotify are concentrating on Spotify connect and don't seem to be adding new functionality to their API (spotify radio being another example).

I've now cancelled my spotify subscription. I'm just not prepared to continue paying for a premium subscription when I'm not able to get access to all the features.

Mike

I don't understand why Spotify is going the old Apple route of a proprietary protocol, like Airplay. Why not do what all the other streaming services are doing, adopting Google's open ChromeCast protocol? Or at least UPnP, which Sonos can render.

I've stayed far away from Apple for their proprietary ways, and will do the same with Spotify. Lots of better alternatives.

Rdio and Google are both superior, IMO. Google is just getting started. They own Android, and their player is installed by default on millions of devices. If they can integrate Songza's simple curation method, add a few more features, and get Chromecast into more homes, Spotify will be looking less attractive.

Spotify has really mucked up their UI with the black background. What's up with that?

What better alternatives are you speaking of? I've pretty much tried them all and for the desktop and mobile experience beyond Sonos, I don't think anyone can touch Spotify unfortunately. Google Music came REALLY close for me, though.

I'm with you on this - I've tried all those available in the UK. Spotify provides the best all round experience across desktop, mobile and sonos. However with the recent change to 'my music', the gap is growing between what spotify offers vs sonos' integration. I spend the most time in my car using the mobile app so this is more important than anything for me. Google comes close of all the rest but the mobile app is pretty poor on IOS. If spotify and sonos worked together to get sonos working with spotify connect I would quit bashing them over the terrible new UI (5.0) as I'd never have to use it again other than the occasional setting.

I've found that the mobile apps for all of the services can't touch Spotify in terms of streaming reliability and quality (per MB). This is a deal breaker as I use Spotify in the car all the time.

On another note, I actually really like the new Spotify UI.

agreed - the spotify mobile app is the most 'robust' for recovering from poor data coverage, good buffering and resuming from where it left off when it hasnt been used for a few hours. The others (Rdio, Google, Deezer, Napster) all fall short one way or another. Im also used to the colour scheme now but its not so easy to read in bright conditions.

If Spotify can get "Connect" happening in Sync with multiple devices.... why is there any need for Sonos at all?

Sonos:

No 24 bit
No software zone
No throw track from iphone to another device..
Locked down development: inhibiting embedment of playback into other devices

Spotify Connect (with multiroom sync)

Potentially 24 bit
Software (win/ios/android/OSX) zone
Pick up from iphone and throw to another zone..
Open source encouragement of embedment into other hardware

http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/09/spotify-now-handles-multi-room-streaming-on-samsung-devices/

I posted this in another thread, but it is interesting that you can now play to multiple rooms at once with Spotify Connect on the Samsung Shape speaker system.

^ ...Yes and with Bluesound as well.. (24 bit capable)

The SONOS control API has been open since day one. Anyone who understands UPnP can control SONOS. Check The Unsupported Area for some project ideas.

Also, SONOS has used 24 bits internally since day one. While 24 and 32 bits are very handy during production in the studio, other than satisfying a fundamentalist marketing "check box", no one has been able to construct a peer reviewed experimental protocol that can demonstrate any benefit to rendering the music in 24 bits. Sending 24 bits over the network, particularly a wireless network, will downgrade overall system scope and robustness. One of the reasons why a SONOS works as well as it does is because the networking is so robust. This is the real reason why SONOS is the market leader.

If the fundamentalists win the 24-bit "check box" war, we will experience more connectivity issues and it will be a hollow "win".

Besides, why settle for 192/24 when 384/32 is available and playback equipment already exists?

Because suddenly the entire Sonos experience becomes irrelevant...

A Spotify user doesn't need Sonos anymore...

Next it will be a Pandora user who doesn't need Sonos..

Then a Rdio user..

(...if All the streaming services start following Spotify with a similar "connect" offering......)

We should have a special part of the Forum where every disgruntled / disillusioned Sonos owner can sell their equipment cheaply to the rest of us (happy/contented Sonos customers) ... while they still have the chance and the market crashes 😃

^
It's a very fast changing world out there..

Sonos is crazy not to take this extremely seriously.....

You're right on the first part, in five years time Spotify could be bankrupt, they still haven't made a profit yet (far from it). I'll take them seriously when they start showing they can make enough money to survive, their backers won't allow the losses to continue indefinitely.

Have you used Spotify Connect? What do you like about it?

I don't know what else to say..

If Sonos users can't see why Spotify Connect isn't a serious threat to Sonos's very existence: if/once Spotify get multizone sync happening...

Well..

I don't know what else to say..