Spotify's new Connect feature seems as good an excuse as any to throw a party
This is a sort of hardware / software announcement for Spotify, a hardware partnership with a number of big names in audio like Philips, Pioneer, Bang & Olufsen, Denon, Marantz and Yamaha that allows you to keep the party going on those Spotify playlists. Start playing one on your handset, click play on a compatible speaker system, and it will keep streaming on the speaker without interruption -- even when you take a call or leave the vicinity of your WiFi network. The audio system will actually start streaming music directly from the cloud. That means you can, say, turn on an iPad in another room and let your party guests skip songs -- though, granted, that might not be the greatest idea, depending on who you invite.
Specific devices have yet to be named, though compatible systems will be branded with a Spotify Connect logo, so you'll know what you're getting yourself into. Those should be arriving in a late-October / early-November timeframe. Spotify will be holding up its end of the bargain by rolling out a software update for iOS ahead of those launches. Android and other operating systems will be receiving it at a later date.
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Spotify Connect: the new way to play at home
Today, in collaboration with the leaders in home audio, Spotify launches Spotify Connect - a new home audio experience giving you effortless control of your music across your phone, tablet and speakers with millions of songs built right in. Simple, seamless and hassle-free.
Bring your music home. You've just walked through the door, listening to your favourite playlist on your phone. With Spotify Connect, simply hit play on your living room speakers and the music instantly fires up, right where you left off - making sure you never miss a beat.
Then pick up your tablet to keep controlling the music from your sofa, or seamlessly switch the sound to your iPod Touch in the kitchen's docking station.
None of the hassle. Thanks to Spotify Connect, you won't need to rely on unstable connections to stream music between your devices. No longer will incoming phone calls, loss of signal range, or watching a video spoil the party.
Unlike other wireless music solutions, using Spotify Connect won't drain your battery. Plus you can continue to use your phone or tablet to call friends or start playing your favourite game without missing a beat.
Choose your home speaker system. Spotify Connect will be available on a wide range of speakers and home audio systems from music hardware specialists including Argon, Bang & Olufsen, Denon, Marantz, Philips, Pioneer, Revo, Teufel and Yamaha, with further brands coming soon. Look out for the Spotify Connect logo on compatible systems.
"Today, listening to music at home can be a frustrating experience - dropouts, below-par audio quality, signal range and phone restrictions, battery drainage, it's basically a hassle," says Sten Garmark, VP Product Management at Spotify. "Spotify Connect solves this by giving you effortless control of your music across your phone, tablet and now speakers with millions of songs built right in."
Spotify Connect will roll out to Spotify Premium subscribers on iPhone, iPad and home audio systems over the coming months, with Android and desktop updates to follow.
