Spotify for browsers

[djazz]

From this getsatisfaction thread: https://getsatisfaction.com/spotify/topics/please_make_browser_based_spotify

Andres (Employee) over 3 years ago:

"We have no plans to make a browser based version, we feel we can provide a much better product with an app and offer features which wouldn't be possible via a web browser."

Today, webapps are the most spread apps, as they work the same across devices (cross platform).

Three years ago, it would be difficult to build Spotify for browsers, because it would require APIs that you could not simply access from JavaScript. Today, with HTML5, APIs exists for:

• Bi-directional secure (TLS) WebSockets with UTF8 or binary 
• Native audio playback
• A whole new types of input types such as "search" and "range"
• 2D Canvas Context for advanced dynamic drawing of 2D elements (lines, gradients, text, images, shapes, raw pixels)
• Realtime audio processing/analysis with the Web Audio API
• Sandboxed FileSystem access (e.g. for offline playlists, local settings)
• Application Cache for offline usage of the app
• Drag & Drop API (e.g. for dragging tracks to playlists)
• History API for sessions and bookmarking
• Binary data: Typed arrays/ArrayBuffer, Blobs and File API (for reading files, writing files)!
• XHR2: Binary data with Ajax/XHR requests
• WebWorkers, multithreaded JavaScript
• CSS3: Keyframe animations, smooth transitions, shadows, custom fonts, new selectors.
• PeerConnection API for Peer-To-Peer connections!!

Today, Google Chrome (the world's second largest browser) got all of these APIs and more (except WebRTC, but it's in the dev build, so it will soon be here too). Chrome even have it's own built-in appstore (Chrome Web Store) where users can install extension/apps, without having to restart their browser.

Another approach to get Spotify to the web is to use Native Client (NaCl) to compile C/C++ code for the web. An example is the game Bastion that was compiled with NaCl to run in Chrome.

This would be the easiest way for the Spotify developers, as they only had to tweak their code very little to make it compile with NaCl.

( Offtopic: I made a chrome extension for Spotify, which convert spotify links to links with mouseover info, for example image of the album, artist name, title of track, popularity. Get it HERE. Thank you :] )

[blau]

I was a simfy customer before I started to use Spotify. So I could listen to music via simfy, when I was visiting friends. On their computer, without installing a software a non spotify user don't want to install.

This is a feature I hardly miss since I switched to Spotify. A feature nearly every other musc streaming service offers.

At the moment I'm paying for Spotify, because the usabillity is much better. But when the spotify competitors improve their interface to a level where Spotify is (somethng that will definitly happen), this would be my reason to switch to another service.

The homepage version doesn't have to be on the same level as the desktop version, their don't have to be apps and stuff like this. But it's definitly a must have.

[Spyke]

Or indeed, like Napster or Zune.

[ant1]

A webapp version of Spotify would be great even if the webapp version doesn't support all the features of the desktop client.

This would be useful when you want to use your Spotify on someone else's computer without the need of installing an standalone application.

Alternatively, you could develop a Native Client for Chrome that would run directly inside the browser.

[javadrum]

I would love this

[javadrum]

Booo.  it's a poor decision not to develop a web app.

I am disappointed by this decision.  I use spotify at work and I can't log on with the local client, but i could get through if i used a browser.  A simplified version of the web app would be very helpful.

Please re-consider in light of HTML 5.

[kigurai]

Too bad. I had to cancel my Spotify subscription since Spotify is not installable on my machine at work (which is were I mostly used Spotify before). A web app would fix the problem. Either that, or you could fix the Linux version.

Until then I am forced to use Grooveshark, which sucks in comparison. Come on! I want to give you my money! 😉

[LionLeo]

Agreed with the last post. I'd be buying a subscription if I was able to access Spotify via a browser for use at work. 

At the currennt level of what browsers can do, there is no excuse not to have some form of a web player. Even if it's something as simple as only being able to access the playlists you build at home. If there are licensing concerns with the music labels say so as that's the only thing I can realistically see holding something like this up. Other than that, a simple web app isn't too much to ask and Spotify is being unrealistic in their concern that it won't offer a 'better experience'.

[MattSuda]

This idea is NOT PLANNED

Go here for more information:

http://community.spotify.com/t5/Spotify-Ideas/Spotify-for-browsers/idi-p/1583

[squint]

So glad Spotify is not browser-based. Bandcamp doesn't get it

[1125029261]

for that reason  i will switch to http://www.deezer.com ...

than i can hear music in the company network too, without installing a client.

and conecting to facebook for login etc.