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Ask Slashdot: Best FLOSS iTunes Replacement In 2013?

Posted by timothy on from the see-I-already-have-a-file-hierarchy dept.

First time accepted submitter cs80 writes "I've been looking high and low for a decent, open-source, cross-platform audio player that can import an existing iTunes library and sort my files based on their ID3 tags. Nightingale, with its iTunes-like interface, would have been the obvious answer, but its file organization feature was pulled for being too buggy. What open-source audio player did you migrate to after dumping iTunes?"

5 of 317 comments (clear)

  1. Clementine Player by cl0secall · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ... is what I went to after ditching iTunes. In addition to getting the podcast(s) I subscribe to, it plays Grooveshark and Digitally Imported in the same playlists as my local files.

    --
    Model 551, Chambered in 6mm
  2. Amarok/Clementine by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    They both have the same library management mechanisms, and come from the same place. There are a bunch of differences though.

    Clementine is more old school and the development team seems to focus on online services (spotify, grooveshark and whatnot).
    The playlist management is pretty basic though

    Amarok is flashier and has much fewer online services, but is top notch for automatic playlists, both the automatic playlist generator and the dynamic mode are awesome.
    There was a GSoC this year that brought to Amarok the ability to import and export libraries from a bunch of other media player (including iTunes).http://konradzemek.com
    There's no official mac port though, because no Amarok developer uses a mac.

  3. Re:You could always... by Lisias · · Score: 5, Insightful

    winamp always worked for me. So simple, so tiny...

    So missed. :-(

    --
    Lisias@Earth.SolarSystem.OrionArm.MilkyWay.Local.Virgo.Universe.org
  4. An ugly spreadsheet that plays music. by tpstigers · · Score: 5, Funny

    Wow. Replacing that is going to be a tall order.

  5. Re:You could always... by jo_ham · · Score: 5, Informative

    The DRM still exists, it's just more subtle - they imbed your personal account info into the tracks you buy, so if you die and bequeath your music collection to your kids, they'll lose your entire music collection at best, and go to jail at worst - or possibly pay an exorbitant fine.

    Apple's claims of 'no drm' are bullshit, but most people seem to have bought into it (much like Google's 'do no evil' and look where that's gotten us). This blinkered acceptance comes part and parcel with the creeping surveillance society, apparently.

    You seem to not understand what DRM is.

    Tagging a file with your Apple ID is not DRM. What Apple is doing there is discouraging you from sharing your music with the entire internet, but not discouraging you from sharing it with your immediate friends and family.

    An iTunes file tagged with your Apple ID will play back on any music player capable of reading AAC files.

    If you die then your entire music collection isn't lost. It's just there on your hard drive. I wasn't aware that your hard drive got deleted when you die.

    Your kids certainly won't be sent to jail or fined for listening to it.

    Man, the Apple haters get crazier every passing day.