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 :] )

[tetefolle]

Dear Spotify-people,

I would pay for Spotify if I could listen to spotify via a web browser. If you are at at friend's place you don't want to install always the spotify software. Also, at many work places this is often impossible.

Please make Spotify available through web browsers (chrome, firefox, etc). Any argument like " We feel we can provide a better service with an application, instead of a browser based version" is ridiculous and you know it.

tetefolle

[user-removed]

We need a browser bases player ASAP!

[mdh]

Thanks Maga,

Here is the story of one user lost: - signed up to try Spotify yesterday... "this looks great" I said...  tried it in a quiet moment at work.... found I can't play anything at work... looked here.... read Maga's post.... typed Deezer into google.... will never go to spotify.com again.  I get all the benefits and it doesn't matter what computer I'm using.

Sorry Spotify, you've made the wrong call on this one.

[user-removed]

I wish me a web-based Spotify-App for Google Chrome. 

It's the future, what else?

[pepsi262]

There should be a way to stream Spotify music from inside your internet browser instead of having to download the program/app/whatever it's called. I think it would be more convenient for people who have unsupported operating systems. I mean, Pandora does it... why can't you?

I have Mac OS X 10.4.11 with a PowerPC processor. The Mac version isn't supported by my computer and I think it would be nice to still be able to use it. I use Spotify on my Windows computer at home and it's wonderful. But I don't see why a download is necessary unless you have Spotify Premium (where you can listen offline and everything. That wouldn't really work that well, considering you have to be online to use the internet...).

In other words, free users should be able to log into Spotify and listen to music inside their browsers. I don't really think it's that much to ask. 🙂

[Sam]

Pepsi262 - I've just moved your Idea over here, as it's already been suggested.

[Dontrelle4]

Totally agree-many employers DO NOT want you installing software on their computers. I actually am paying the $5/month for MOG and am thinking of switching over altogether just because they have a web browser. It doesn't have to be fully functioning-just have playlists and be able to search for music. I really can't emphasize what a huge error this is on Spotify's part. You are basically surrendering a chunk of listeners for no good reason.  

[krikelin]

It's coming I believe. Spotify HAS to agree with the current development, virtually all other services except WiMP (which is bad) is web browser based. If the people want it on the market, the service HAS to provide it. I believe it IS possible to customize the spotify backend so a native html5 app could use it, while protecting it (though MD5s and other oauth-based things) from the security concerns keeping.

 To be honest I believe a coming Spotify HTML5 client is already in development in secret, Spotify has expanded their time hugely this years (there is virtually raining job vacations every week) and I think a html5 player is in progress. I think we'll se net result in the end of the year or beginning of next. Anything else would make Spotify highly obsolute.

[user-removed]

I would to keep my spotfy! I'm in need of a web application or Google App 😞

[nachonacho]

Hey, I am just thinking if accessible thru HTML5, it will open up all mobile users as mobile browsers get better and better to access the 'mobile' service for free. Currently only Iphone Ipad users can get this premium service without the monthly cost. Yes Pandora is a crappy experience on WP7 thru the browser but at least I can get my music on the go for free.

$$..... Probably the real reason.