Earlier this week, the open-source music player built on Mozilla technology, Songbird, finally made its 1.0 release. After being in development for two years, this version feels like the kind of solid media player we've been expecting and hoping for all along. Although nothing is entirely bug-free, this release worked smoothly, with both performance and stability seeming greatly improved. Combine that with its extendibility through the the use of add-ons, and you'll find Songbird has a lot of promise as a worthwhile iTunes replacement.
When we looked at Songbird in the past, many readers were quick to point out the player's sluggish experience, tendency to crash, and bugs. Whatever negative experiences you had before that drove you away from the software, now is the time to get it another shot.
This time around, the player felt fast, lightweight, and stable. It imported our iTunes library without a hitch, even the DRM-protected purchases and the accompanying metadata.
As we played tracks, an add-on called mashTape, one of the six default add-ons, let us delve into artist info, discography, links, news, and scroll through flickr photos and YouTube videos. Others that ship with the player out of the box include Last.fm, Concerts, and SHOUTcast radio. With these installed, you can sync your tracks to Last.fm's online service, check out upcoming concerts in the area, and stream music over the internet using the player.
In addition, there are over 70 add-ons available for download from the Songbird site, including the recommended add-ons like LyricMaster, which puts the lyrics to your favorite tunes in the Songbird sidebar and MediaFlow which introduces a visually appealing cover flow view of your music.
Songbird is based on Mozilla's Gecko engine, the same engine that powers Firefox. And like Firefox, Songbird also allows for tabbed browsing and themes, as well as the above-mentioned add-ons. The customization and extendibility Songbird provides are really what make the software so compelling.
Of course, in pointing out Songbird's strengths, we would be remiss if we left out its weaknesses, too. Major features found in iTunes are still missing from the 1.0 release. Songbird can't automatically download album art, watch folders, offer feed management, or rip CDs. The roadmap promises these features are coming as is broader video support. However, considering it took the company two years to get to this point, some people may have trouble believing the promised February and April 2009 dates the roadmap lists.
For iPhone and iPod Touch users, iTunes will still be necessary as only iTunes allows for syncing those devices and the installation of apps. Even iPod users have reason to worry that Songbird will break at some point given Apple's tendency to shut down attempts to reverse-engineer their software.
Focusing solely on the missing features that make Songbird feel incomplete is near-sighted to say the least. Fast-forward to next year and you'll have a lot less to complain about. Remember, too, that the web browser you know and love as Firefox 3 didn't start off complete with an awesome bar, integrated add-on installer system, and full-page zoom, either.
What Songbird delivers is something Apple can't: a more open version of iTunes that runs on PC, Mac, and Linux machines. Apple's locked-down and closed iTunes player lets Songbird comfortably find its niche as the open, alternative music player, much as Firefox became the alternative web browser. If the company ever reaches the point where it can match every one of iTunes features and provide the customization aspect, the decision to switch will become a no-brainer. Why have less when you can have more?
Today's Songbird is no iTunes killer...at least not at the moment. We're just not there yet - maybe we'll never be - but we're definitely enjoying watching the company give it a try.
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i wish itunes could watch folders..
Posted by: brandon | December 4, 2008 9:03 AM
Maybe the Songbird team could have a look at this Razorfish presentation the released yesterday > http://snipurl.com/750l1. It might be interesting to start implementing their Facebook Connect suggestions for iTunes in Songbird.
@Razorfish: ok to split the finders fee? ;-)
Posted by: Bart Muskala
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December 4, 2008 9:31 AM
I'd just like to leave a note that this kind of journalism is bothersome, and all too common online.
First of all, drawing a Firefox to IE comparison is not what I would call fair. Whereas Microsoft is a known stagnant monolithic giant (although as of late this seems to be changing) Apple has been regarded as innovative, and nimble, albeit a little selective and minimalistic.
As long as the trend of Apple setting the tone for features in players that are less willing to risk anything continues, Apple will have very little to worry about.
Second, I would personally like it if journalists in the online realm would cease this horse race atmosphere of competition in their reporting. "Apple should be scared" is the kind of sensationalist sentence that doesn't exactly scream "quality journalism" but instead says: "We need page views and a clear threat to one of the top tech innovators should be enough to get that". This is the same kind of thing that causes people to feel tired of political
Posted by: Adam Posey
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December 4, 2008 9:38 AM
But doesnt Songbird become a facility for Steeling music. I know that most people can just right click and download it, but im sure thats not the point. People can download music, movies, whatever, all for free without providing any money back to the royalty owners.
Posted by: Steven Finch | December 4, 2008 10:46 AM
Songbird has no equalizer! Any real audiophile wants and need an eq.
Posted by: Doug Aghassi | December 4, 2008 11:05 AM
I agree with coment #3. Especially over the past year, RWW has taken a marked turn to the sensationalistic, posing "will A KILL B?" articles and that kind of analysis isn't useful as it's VERY rare that an A kills a B (TV and radio being the classic example). Frankly, Sarah, when you joined RWW I was amazed... I loved every single article you wrote and could spot them even without the byline by their high quality. But this article just doesn't make sense.
Apple doesn't make money from iTunes. They make money from the music store and most especially from the fact that the store > iTunes > iPod/iPhone experiences is pretty seamless. I don't see a downside to Songbird becoming popular unless it cuts down the number of people buying music from the Apple store AND cuts down the iPod/iPhone sales in turn.
Frankly, I doubt Songbird will do that. Yes, I like it. But it's a niche product for people who are VERY into their music, much the way Flock is a niche product for people who are very into their social networking. And, like Flock, Songbird will struggle with expanding past that set of people who deeply care about the focus of the product. Simply put, most people will need an answer to 'why should I get it when I like iTunes just fine?" To reuse your IE and Firefox comparison, Firefox made inroads because there WAS an answer to that question for IE.. the answer was "Because IE is insecure and risks exposing your PC to viruses." Yes, it helped that Firefox was a good browser, but if IE didn't have the security issues surrounding it and had possessed tabs, I doubt Firefox would be an issue for them right now. And, note, that even WITH that, IE still has 4 of every 5 users in the world after several years.
Posted by: rick | December 4, 2008 11:59 AM
If Songbird is NOT BETTER than iTunes, there is no reason to switch.
It is good that it is available.
Competition is great since no one can then say that iTunes is a monopoly.
If you are going to make Songbird complete, then you should also develop Linux and your own music and video apps for the iPod.
I strongly encourage this.
This way, you can't say Apple is blocking competition. You can install Linux and Linux's apps on iPod and synchronize with Songbird. You have created your own ecosystem.
Ta Dah!
Posted by: James Katt | December 4, 2008 1:05 PM
rick,
Actually Apple does make a ton of money via their itunes monopoly, indirectly.
and @adam, I think Sarah's title is right on.
You see, apple has long had the underdog positioning working for it, and in creating the itunes/ipod dynasty, they reached out to the kids and build their reputation as cool. They crushed the other players in the music player space, and pc music space. That sold a lot of macs, too. Itunes kept floating along with the goodwill from past ideas. But they stopped innovating.
Songbird simply shows what itunes *could* have been, if apple hadn't become complacent.
Now songbird is out and you're damn right it is a fight. Fanboys will continue to assume apple is rightfully the market leaders, but a niche will move on to something different and better.
If songbird is able to eventually wrest control away from itunes, apple's monopoly falls apart. It was the software that made the product and the sw that will put it out of business.
If cool moves on to something cooler, it's the start of apple's undoing.
Posted by: james | December 4, 2008 1:45 PM
I don't know I've tried to like Songbird from the outset. I installed it on my pc and on my sister's game computer around .7 or so. I moved on, just because I switched computers and, while updating my sister's computer, decided to upgrade to one of the last RC's for 1.0.
That's when I realized that the RC didn't even have CD ripping yet. In the process of trying to fix some things... I ended up in the Songbird preferences. I thought lack of ripping was a huge shortcoming, but the preferences were one of the worst I've ever seen in open source... and that's saving something. I doubt too many normal users are going to jump at something like that.
There are a lot of fun features, but the focus of development seems unstable.
Posted by: Billy | December 4, 2008 2:16 PM
Ever since it's introduction iTunes has supported mp3 and later DRM free AACs. So you can happily use it as a most excellent player and music organizer without ever buying an iPod or opening the iTunes music store once. It is entirely up to you to use those - or not. But at least that is a choice you have in iTunes.
Posted by: alex | December 4, 2008 2:55 PM
If the developers can integrate AmazonMP3 store into Songbird, then i'd consider to switch
Posted by: Lamnk | December 4, 2008 4:46 PM
Songbird looks super promising. I'll seriously consider switching when automatic art download, lyric download, and auto metadata correction features are added...
Posted by: Tan The Man | December 4, 2008 6:31 PM
Songbird does look promising. However, will it be backed by millions of advertising dollars. Not likely. I don't see it having the visibility of iTunes at any point.
Posted by: Cory | December 4, 2008 7:00 PM
"Today's Songbird is no iTunes killer...at least not at the moment. We're just not there yet - maybe we'll never be - but we're definitely enjoying watching the company give it a try."
"We're just not there yet"? Who's we, Kemosabe?
You mean Readwriteweb and your bosses at Microsoft black propaganda INC.
Anything you can do to kill or discredit an Apple product makes you all just one big "we", I guess.
Posted by: zato | December 4, 2008 8:02 PM
For the record, many of the missing features are there in add-ons now. Many more soon will be added. Yes, there are a lot of missing features, but over the last year, Songbird has improved greatly. Hopefully, between add-ons and future releases, Songbird does offer everything and anything wished for, just like FF does for browsing. Remember, this is release 1, iTunes is at 8 and WMP is something like 11. Songbird shows great promise and a solid start. It is definitely worth watching as a media player.
Posted by: holycow | December 4, 2008 8:29 PM
An iTunes equivalent piece of software on your computer is only a minor part of the Apple deal. It is the online store that makes iTunes so successful.
Unfortunately for most competitors they simply do not have the clout to deal with the recording studios.
You actually don't need an internet connection or an iPod to use iTunes. One of the first things I did after getting iTunes was to put my whole vinyl, tape cassette & CD recording collection into the iTunes library. My wife regularly buys tracks from the online store and loves to play them through our HiFi setup through Airtunes.
Since receiving an iPod Touch as a gift I can use the nifty little app "Remote" to play anything in iTunes, with barely a lift of a finger.
Those who complain about the so called "draconian" measures that protect music purchased online from Apple should remember that these conditions are imposed on Apple by the recording studios.
These DRM conditions are very simply and legally circumvented in iTunes by converting a track or album to aiff and then it can be burnt to a CD, and even this is not necessary most of the time, as you are legally able to use downloads on up to five computers. As far as DRM goes, I think this is the most liberal arrangement of any that I know of.
Certainly better than a subscription mode where if you stop subscribing you lose everything, why not just burn your money.
Posted by: Richard Dalziel-Sharpe | December 4, 2008 8:59 PM
@james
I don't think you really supported your argument with anything other than theory. Theories are all well and good, and it's great to have them, but at the end of the day they won't leave you a leg to stand on with no proof to back them.
On the charge that Apple has stopped innovating, you simply must be joking. In terms of advancing the core feature set of iTunes not only did Apple innovate, but their UI modifications have been copied relentlessly. Apple sets the tone, particularly for interface, in other features they will innovate but they are selective in their approach. I'll defer to the recent "Genius" playlist addition to iTunes to make my point.
While not only Apple, but no major company can expect to be as innovative as thousands of people coding plugins for their own enjoyment there are marked downsides to that approach as well. Take a good look at your Firefox memory usage when you tap into the cumulative creativity of the thousands of plugins for Firefox.
My belief is that every so often paradigms are created. The operating system, the video game, etc. Eventually, one company or product will take it's place as the ruler of that paradigm until something drastic happens, and there is some kind of a shift. Well Microsoft ever be dethroned as the monopolist of the PCs as we know them? I highly doubt it. When there is a fundamental change in thinking, Microsoft will be pushed to the background. The same thing happened to IBM when Microsoft was brought to the foreground.
Right now, in regards to digital music, the paradigm is still being defined. Unfortunately for everyone else, they've allowed Apple to be the company that defines it. "Me too" does not translate into profit or mind-share.
Posted by: Adam Posey | December 4, 2008 9:13 PM
You should all switch because songbird is just as goos as itunes. ituens is closed source and this means that you are locked in with apple. It means that one company can easily kill innovation and create a monopoly.
Posted by: william | December 4, 2008 11:07 PM
Why is everyone going on about Songbird being an iTunes killer? Songbird isn't trying to be an iTunes killer; it relies on the iTunes library to do what it does.
Songbird is a browser that lets you listen to tunes without switching windows. That's the point. And, for those who want that function, it does a good job.
Posted by: You're missing the point | December 5, 2008 9:01 AM
I agree that there are more and more people frustrated with iTunes, and looking for alternatives, so this isn't exactly a sensationalist post.
iTunes is big, clunky, and forces you to install all kinds of other crap. More and more its being used as a club to force people into their other products and services, which reminds me of why many of us started disliking Microsoft.
Songbird's come a long way, and they have a ways to go, but its great to see that some relief is on the way. I would love to be able to get away from iTunes for my day to day music listening.
Posted by: evbart | December 5, 2008 2:02 PM
The lyrics widget looks really nifty to me.
The open source and idea Firefox-style plugins are also definitely appealing, though nothing else jumps out at me from the songbird site. I'll ask my teenage focus group sometime :-)
Posted by: avirr
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December 5, 2008 5:02 PM
First of all, thanks for writing this article Sarah. I was just asking about Songbird, to see what some others had experienced with it. @Adam: Exaggerated headlines is probably a business necessity... I think that a Firefox: IE comparison is accurate. iTunes, like IE was, is a dominant, closed system, and now Songbird, a completely open system will innovate, and provide functionality that iTunes has been unwilling or not motivated to provide.
Posted by: Dan Fitek
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December 5, 2008 7:48 PM
Wow, I just noticed the heated debate over at the actual RWW post. I read the article in Google Reader and came here to comment. I had no idea. Looks like the comments are split about 50/50. The bottom line is, competition is good, and Songbird needs CD ripping ASAP.
Posted by: Dan Fitek
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December 5, 2008 8:02 PM
« If the company ever reaches the point where it can match every one of iTunes features and provide the customization aspect, the decision to switch will become a no-brainer».
I can't say for all three of the platforms, but on Mac OS X it would be really strange if somebody switches from iTunes to Songbird. The Songbird, like Firefox, just looks like a piece from outer space. It doesn't feel like a Mac OS X software.
Posted by: Anton | December 8, 2008 12:47 AM
Songbird has really impressed me and yes, I do think it's like Firefox for music players. If and when they have full functionality as iTunes, I'd definitely be willing to pay because I can't stand iTune's interface.
Posted by: Daryl Tay | December 12, 2008 10:42 AM
Its wery good
Posted by: Sokobanja | December 13, 2008 3:31 AM
Songbird does look promising. However, will it be backed by millions of advertising dollars. Not likely. I don't see it having the visibility of iTunes at any point.
Posted by: منتدى | January 2, 2009 8:17 AM