Spotify Alternative
 

  You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more

[Closed] Spotify Alternative

11 Posts
10 Users
0 Reactions
165 Views
Posts: 4315
Full Member
Topic starter
 

I have all my (paid for) music on my Mac that I run zwift on. Is there an easy/free way to listen to it and control it from my Android phone? I don't want to pay £120 a year for Spotify and my Macs won't connect to my headphones (no Bluetooth).

I use to use Google music which worked perfectly to mirror my I Tunes playlists but that's now become YouTube music which has a VERY loud add after every song.


 
Posted : 05/12/2021 7:39 pm
Posts: 33325
Full Member
 

Why don’t you use Apple Music? You can put your music on your Mac into iCloud, then it should show up in the Music app, although, I’m not at all certain that you can share to an Android phone, as I don’t use one, and I have no idea if it’s at all possible.

You should be able to buy a BT dongle to allow the use of your headphones, having said that, I thought Macs came with BT, pretty sure my Mini has it, although it’s not working at the mo’, so I can’t check. Anyway, I know there are plug-in BT devices available to send to headphones if the main device doesn’t have a native transmitter.


 
Posted : 05/12/2021 11:22 pm
Posts: 4315
Full Member
Topic starter
 

It's an old 2009 Mac Pro (not Macbook Pro).

I'll have a look at Apple Music.


 
Posted : 06/12/2021 8:56 am
 grum
Posts: 4531
Free Member
 

If the files are actually stored on your Mac it should be pretty easy to stream them .I used to do something like this 10+ years ago on an iPhone but I'm not sure of the software I used. Wouldn't Plex/Plexamp do this?


 
Posted : 06/12/2021 9:00 am
Posts: 4315
Full Member
Topic starter
 

Apple Music requires a subscription.


 
Posted : 06/12/2021 9:00 am
Posts: 13594
Free Member
 

You should be able to buy a BT dongle to allow the use of your headphones, having said that, I thought Macs came with BT, pretty sure my Mini has it, although it’s not working at the mo’, so I can’t check.

Macs have built in BT, but if you have an old one it will be BT 1 or 2 and won't work with modern headphones etc. I have a 2010 MBP and it won't connect to anything modern eg my Bose QC headphones.

Installing BT dongles in MBPs seems to be far from trivial, unlike windows where they just work. I've yet to find one which claims to work with my MBP! I bought one off Amazon and it didn't work and when I went looking for the relevant driver, there wasn't one!


 
Posted : 06/12/2021 10:31 am
Posts: 646
Full Member
 

Can't you just transfer the music onto your Android phone? Depends on capacity etc, but you might at least be able to do a playlist that you use on Zwift.


 
Posted : 06/12/2021 10:36 am
Posts: 4022
Full Member
 

Apple Music requires a subscription.

Not to play the music already on your Mac it doesn't

Some info on adding modern Bluetooth to an old Mac Pro here;
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/mac-pro-bluetooth-4-0.2032892/


 
Posted : 06/12/2021 10:37 am
Posts: 43345
Full Member
 

Isn't DNLA the answer? Server on the Mac, Android client.


 
Posted : 06/12/2021 10:41 am
Posts: 3046
Full Member
 

Convert it all to MP3 and transfer to android device/SD card?


 
Posted : 06/12/2021 10:41 am
Posts: 5787
Full Member
 

If your Mac is on your home network, with a little fiddling and the appropriate permissions you should be able to set it to share as a library and listen through, say, VLC on your phone. No?


 
Posted : 06/12/2021 10:44 am
Posts: 705
Free Member
 

I don’t understand why people have to pay a lot of money to subscribe to Spotify or even Youtube. What pisses me off is that you paid money for an annual subscription, and advertising plays every two tracks in your headphones.

I think the idea is that by paying a subscription the artists get paid (even if its a pittance) for what you listen to.

Also a paid Spotify sub. means no adverts.

What Scotroutes suggested should work nicely.


 
Posted : 17/12/2021 8:55 am

6 DAYS LEFT
We are currently at 95% of our target!