New iTunes-like App: Songbird

It's like iTunes! But HIDEOUS!

I'm not sure how an app trying to be as good as iTunes could ever be considered an "iTunes killer". Just looking at the screenshot, it doesn't look nearly as user friendly at this point. And then there is the fact that ITMS still reigns supreme in the world of on-line music stores, and that isn't likely to change anytime soon.

See I don't understand how songbird (that looks so much like a black cluttered iTunes) will sway people to reload all their music and hassle with downloading such a service. Seems like if you have an iPod especially, their would be no reason to change. The need to come out with something really ground breaking to compete with iTunes. Maybe complete 3-D interface? I don't know.

I think they're playing this card:

…an open source alternative to services like Apple's iTunes and the Windows Media Player. Instead of connecting to one locked store full of DRMmed goods, it can connect to any and all available music (and video) on the internet.

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Not necessarily a bad thing.

It's an uglified rip-off of iTunes interface-wise, and from what I've heard it's really slow (currently). Besides, the majority of iTunes users are not the type of people that will care about open-source versus closed-source, when both apps are free. Especially considering that Songbird doesn't work with iTMS or the iPod.

It is a app that is itunes but black? why not just use itunes..lol

Maybe because all the music on it is legally free?

Not saying "zomg Songbird roxx0rs iTuens suks lolz," but you know, there are entirely legitimate reasons why iTunes is not just the best thing in existance. It isn't perfect, and free music without violating the law has an appeal.

gallivant said:

Maybe because all the music on it is legally free?

Not saying "zomg Songbird roxx0rs iTuens suks lolz," but you know, there are entirely legitimate reasons why iTunes is not just the best thing in existance. It isn't perfect, and free music without violating the law has an appeal.

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Songbird is not a way to get legal free music. In fact, one of the features they're touting is the ability to buy songs from several different music download sites within the same Application. It almost identical to iTunes as for it's intended purpose, only open source and missing many of the things that make iTunes desirable.

Its got some nice little features, like right clicking any track or name and google searching it. Or the ability to download any kind of audio source on a webpage directly into the library. Its a pretty nice proof of concept, and ultimately I hope the competition can spur on the development of iTunes

It's like an ugly, cluttered rip-off of iTunes.

Hate to bring a thread back from the dead (although I do that a lot actually...) but I just read a little Cnet note on songbird, so decided to go try it out, and it's actually quite cool. The whole combining of music player and web browser is pretty nifty.

Not sure if I'd call it an "iTunes killer" per say, especially since it's currently version .2, but I'm definitely gonna try using it exlusively instead of itunes and Firefox, and see what it's like.

A couple issues: if anyone else tries it, can you get Songbird to become your automatic browser? I click on the button for it in prefs and nothing happens. Also I can't get the global hotkeys to do anything... I set them in the prefs, but they won't work.

Oh yea, the website is here if you want to try it.

1. It keeps crashing on load up.
2. When it does load it might SOMETIMES play a song or not.

Yeah, yeah it's Beta. This is the buggiest Beta I've ever used. I've had more stable ALPHA released before.

I'm surprised that it's still having trouble. I tried it way back when and it would load and import but it didn't play music. Somehow, I think a music player ought to play music. Maybe, next year...

sorry for suggesting it while it's apparently so buggy.... it's been working perfectly for me apart from the aforementioned issues... no crashing or lack of song-playing whatsoever for me

more competition is a good thing. I applaud these devs even though they face an uphill battle against iTunes.

It does seem to have some nice features... and the fact that it is being built up to allow for open-source control and access of purchased, DRM'd music from a variety of sources is nice. I'm not sure it will kill iTunes or iTMS (the bigger issue) any time soon, but I think it's nice. In the ultra-long-term, it's unlikely that Apple will be allowed to own the digital music market forever....

I had tried the first version released for OS X (0.1adp or something?) and it was horribly buggy as in 100% unusable. I had hoped that this new version would be better, and I guess it was slightly better. At least it started up and rendered correctly on my screen. It also imported my music. However, it started up on the "Welcome" screen, and clicking Library in the source list didn't do anything. Neither did clicking any of the other entries.

It's got a LONG way to go.

Just a bump to say I installed 0.2.5 to see how Songbird is coming along. It has promise, I think. It's very buggy (for instance, Exposé cannot see that it exists! ) and inconsistently goes between the Firefox appearance and the black Songbird skin. It has some *amazing* features. For instance, you can very easily web search for songs posted on blogs of various kinds and go "shopping" for them -- of course, you can do this with Firefox or Safari, but the ease of use of that specific here is amazing. Two or three clicks from typing the search term to getting the song in your library. With all the legal nebulosity of music blogs. And with the fact that, in a very Linuxy fashion, there are eighty different views that one keeps changing between. Nonetheless, it's pretty impressive.

I could see using it as an adjunct to iTunes, although it's certainly no iTunes.