In an apparent raising of the middle finger towards thousands of users who have asked for the feature, Spotify has explained that it won’t be integrating Google Cast features into its music service, instead preferring to focus on Spotify Connect instead.
Instead of opening their service so users of the $49 Chromecast dongle can stream their music to their TV or stereo without spending big, Spotify has opted to stick with Spotify Connect, so that users can buy expensive (and often single-feature) speakers, HiFi units, and more to stream music. Missing the point completely, a Spotify spokesman told Pocket Lint:
“We launched Spotify Connect because we believe that by owning the technology end-to-end, we can deliver the best connected home music experience. Connect’s advantages are already evident, with hundreds of devices from the world’s leading brands integrated.
Several of these partners, including Gramofon and Philips [Ed: Both of which aren’t available in Australia], are already building devices which remove the mobile/tablet from the experience altogether, meaning picking up where you left off is as simple as tapping a button on your device.
Additionally, as Connect offers a faster experience than other solutions it can provide near-instant response times, and lets users who haven’t invested in new hardware control their existing devices. For example, by using a mobile to control their laptop or tablet.”
Let’s look at some of this. Spotify wants you to buy new, expensive hardware to stream their music, instead of using a multi-purpose $49 dongle that you may well already have, or can buy without breaking the bank. Okay.
Spotify Connect, being a proprietary protocol, offers a faster experience and near-instant response times. Last I checked, Google Cast offers a pretty damned fast response time too, and thousands of users are asking to be able to use it with Spotify, evidently preferring cost and convenience over a second or two of “response time”.
While Spotify hasn’t seen the benefits of supporting widely available and affordable hardware, it seems that hardware manufacturers have figured out that Google Cast is actually kind of cool, with the announcement at CES 2015 of a number of speaker and audio solutions that support Google Cast for Audio, while also offering Spotify Connect compatibility.
So there you have it folks. If you want ChromeCast, don’t bother with Spotify. If you want Spotify, give up on ChromeCast compatibility — it isn’t coming, and from the tone of Spotify’s comments, won’t ever be.
Sounds like they’re attempting the Apple “walled garden” approach, without having a unique product and a lack of competition. Silly.
Can anyone tell me what the major benefit of Spotify is over, say, Google Play Music – if any? I’ve been using GPM for a long time now. I chose it over Spotify because it allowed me to upload a heap of my rare and hard to find CDs and MP3s to my library. As far as I’m aware, Spotify doesn’t offer this killer feature. I even remember a time when Spotify didn’t offer library or album functionality – all your music was divided into playlists which was utterly laughable. This has since changed, but I never understood why people… Read more »
<3 my Chromecast. <3 Spotify and Google Play Music. Have a brand new expensive Samsung TV with official native Spotify app – but it doesn't support Spotify radio!
Buy a Rocki – I don’t see what the big deal is. I got a chromecast when they were $35 from DSE. Couldn’t find a use for it, so it’s sitting in my cupboard (I already have a Windows computer on my TV). For spotify I needed analog outputs so my receiver would output to Zone 2. Rocki is perfect for this and it works great. You guys make out like spotify is obligated to support a google standard when they already have their own, spotify connect.
Before you all go abandoning Spotify and rushing into Google Music and Chromecast, beware that it’s not all rosy in the Google eco-garden. Evey time I try to use my Chromecast to play from Google Music the app disconnects from the Chromecast every song or two and I end up having to use a Bluetooth connection. This happens 9 times out of 10 and is really disappointing. Chromecast may be cheap, but there may be a very good reason for that.
Sounds like FUD. I have no issues with my Google Music and my Chromecast. There is more than that though, such as Pandora for those not wanting to be in Google’s eco-garden as you put it… But if you don’t want to be in the eco-garden…. Why buy a Chromecast?
I’ve got to chime in here and agree with Alan. My Chromecast is flawless. In fact, my 55″ Sony Smart TV is a LOT slower at Youtube and Casting.
The only complaint I would aim at Google Music is that I would LOVE a native application like Spotify rather than a web app. I much prefer the Spotify app on Android over the Google Music app, but it’ll most likely continue to improve till it surparses the competition… this is Google after all!
You might be one of a small percentage of people who experience issues Phill. I think I’m right in saying that everyone on Team Ausdroid uses a Chromecast (or more than one) and I haven’t heard of the issues you describe. I (personally) use my Chromecast daily to stream the kids cartoons to the TV, and it works consistently and without fail. I think the reason the Chromecast is cheap is because the components are cheap, and Google wants the device out there, not because it’s a cheap piece of crap as you’re implying. Edit: I find myself thinking that… Read more »
In general, if you have an issues with a chromecast, the first statement is to make sure you have it on it’s proper, independent, power supply. 99 times out of a 100, that’s the reason.
We power ours from the TV; annoying, because it can’t be used to turn ON the TV, but otherwise perfectly acceptable, because it doesn’t require another power adaptor on an already over-taxed power board 😉
I find Google’s suite of apps work very well with my Chromecast. I experience the issue you’ve mentioned maybe one in 20 times, not nine out of 10 times. My major issue with my Chromecast is with Netflix – it’s unbelievably temperamental and unpredictable. However, I think this is likely to do with my VPN more than anything else.
I prefer Spotify over All Access because it’s available on virtually every device I own whereas All Access isn’t (and lack of official desktop client irks me). I’ll continue using Spotify but not sure why anyone would want to play music through a TV’s speakers anyway. A bluetooth speaker does the same thing better, and most soundbars have the feature built in now.
I stream it to the TV to play through my home theatre speakers. Best stereo ever.
I just use spoticast app to cast Spotify to my chromecast whenever I want to. Works well for me. Also have a Spotify app on my LG smart TV that works well. I gave up waiting for and reading about on their forums cast compatibility a long time ago. I thought it was pretty much a given that they were never going to support it, at least in the short to medium turn.
Been with Spotify for a long time. Might have to have a look at Google music but at least for me I am pretty happy with Spotify.
Google want to be the gatekeepers, controlling access to the speakers and amps via a channel, Cast, that they have the reins of (to distribute you have to get an ‘application ID’). Spotify don’t fancy this, particularly since Google are competing with them via play music. You can understand this, given the terrible google behaviour in attacking and arbitrarily cutting off android developers. Problem is, google win because they have a cheap device, already owned by 4m people, that can do video as well as audio, and they are moving into Sonos territory already. Spotify would have done better to… Read more »
The three months free access to Google Play Music that was a Chromecast offer (Thanks Ausdroid for the heads up) has won me over, won’t be going back to Spotify
Yep. I did the same. Thanks Ausdroid. Once I trialled it, I couldn’t imagine music without it.
Good thing I don’t use it! 😛
Bye bye Spotify. Forever.