Spotify Connect Is Like Chromecast for Music

What's This?

By Christina Warren2013-09-03 04:01:02 UTC

Spotify is launching a new way for users to wirelessly send music to their home audio or wireless-speaker systems; it's called Spotify Connect.

The tool is a collaboration between Spotify and many of the biggest players in home audio. Think of it as a cross between AirPlay and Chromecast, but for Spotify.

See also: 11 Tips and Tricks for Spotify Power Users

Spotify Connect will be coming to speakers and home-audio systems from Argon, Bang & Olufsen, Denon, Marantz, Pioneer, Philips, Revo, Teufel and Yamaha, with more brands coming in the future. Some manufacturers are even bringing Spotify Connect to certain existing products. The tool is expected to be available across both inexpensive and higher-priced product lines.

In practice, the solution is similar to the way Bluetooth or Wi-Fi speakers work. Using the Spotify app for iOS, you can send an album or playlist to a stereo system or wireless speaker. That's pretty standard stuff, and Spotify has had AirPlay and Bluetooth support for quite some time. What makes Spotify Connect different, however, is that the music is actually authenticated and played back from a connection on your speaker or receiver, and not your phone or tablet. This means you can shut your phone off — or leave the room entirely — and the audio will continue to play.

You can control the listening experience on the speaker or receiver, or from the Spotify app, but the playback itself is happening on the speaker; this is similar to the way Chromecast works.

Spotify Connect's goal is to improve the home-audio experience. The company told Mashable that many users complain about dropped and poor connectivity with existing Bluetooth connections. What's more, playing music directly from your phone can drain the battery, and if someone wants to take a call or play a game, the audio experience can suffer.

"We wanted to return to the experience of when a speaker was a just a speaker. Something that just played your music, without having to worry about lots of other stuff," Spotify said.

Because Spotify authenticates over Wi-Fi, the tech is super easy for home-audio manufacturers to implement, it said. Increasingly speakers, receivers and home-theater systems are becoming equipped with built-in Wi-Fi, which simplifies adding support for Spotify Connect.

Spotify Connect support will start out on iOS. Support for Android and the desktop apps are coming later this year, and the company ultimately hopes to support all Spotify platforms in the future.

What do you think of Spotify Connect? Tell us in the comments, below.

Image: Spotify

Topics: Apps and Software, Gadgets, IFA2013, Mobile, Music, spotify, spotify connect, Tech