ncspot

Hey there! If you love Spotify, you're definitely not alone. It's been around for over 15 years and is still super popular in the audio streaming world. But did you know that Spotify is now available on Linux? That’s right! Although it had a bit of a rocky start, it’s great to see it finally making its way to Linux systems. Just a heads-up, though: the official client might not work perfectly on all distributions.

Third-Party Spotify Clients

Luckily, there are plenty of third-party Spotify clients that can fill in the gaps. One cool option is ncspot. This isn't your typical Spotify client; it's built with ncurses and written entirely in Rust using the librespot library. If you're familiar with ncurses, you'll probably feel right at home!

What’s ncurses?

If you’re wondering what ncurses is, it’s basically a programming library that lets developers create text-based interfaces that work across different terminals. So instead of having a fancy graphical user interface (GUI), ncspot gives you a text-based user interface (TUI) similar to what you'd find in your terminal.

A Unique Experience

This app takes inspiration from ncmpc, which is one of the best MPD clients out there. What does this mean for you? Well, be ready for an app that's less about graphics and more about functionality!

Spotify Premium Required

The first thing to note is that ncspot only works with Spotify Premium accounts. So if you're using a free account, you'll need to upgrade! When you launch ncspot for the first time, it'll ask for your Spotify username and password to generate an OAuth token and save your info on your system.

Audio Backends and Features

This client can run various audio backends, with PulseAudio being the default choice. If you’re using BSD distros, you can switch it up to PortAudio but keep in mind that you'll have to build the app from source yourself.

Cool Features!

ncspot also lets you customize keybindings and even has an option to show album art on-screen. Plus, it can control playback through dbus notifications so you’ll always know what’s playing or easily copy song/playlist URLs right into your clipboard.

A Lightweight Choice

This little client has its quirks but is definitely fun to use! While it may not be as popular as other Spotify clients out there, MPD lovers will absolutely appreciate its lightweight nature and unique approach.