Spotify Connect brings a better music experience to the living room

Streaming music service Spotify is unveiling a new feature today that should make it easier for its users to listen to music while relaxing at home.

The feature, Spotify Connect, will add a new second-screen experience to Spotify’s mobile applications. Basically, you’ll be able to control the flow of music from your smartphone or tablet with Spotify Connect, pushing it to various devices with superior audio like a speaker system or television sound bar.

The move comes as no surprise, as many big media companies have started to converge from mobile devices to the living room. Perhaps the best example of this is Google’s new Chromecast media streaming stick, which essentially pushes video apps to your TV screen pretty effortlessly, and promises the same experience for audio apps in the near future. Semi-rival streaming music service Pandora has already pushed into the living room in a bigger way earlier this year with a new HTML5 Pandora web app for the TV, too.

As for the new Spotify feature, Spotify Connect also has the advantage of giving you fewer interruptions during your music playback. Things like audio notifications, phone calls, and other things will no longer stop the music or otherwise disrupt your listening. And while you’re controlling everything from your mobile devices, it won’t cause a drain on your battery, according to the company.

Spotify Connect support will tentatively be available on a wide range of audio systems, including those from Argon, Bang & Olufsen, Denon, Hama, Marantz, Philips, Pioneer, Revo, Teufel, and Yamaha. The company is also working on providing a new “Spotify Connect Compatible” branding to presumably be featured on many future audio system’s retail packaging.

The new feature should roll out soon for iOS devices and various audio systems to those with a Premium Spotify subscription. Spotify said support for Android devices is coming in the near future. Check out the demo video below for a closer look at Spotify Connect.

via VentureBeat http://venturebeat.com/2013/09/02/spotify-connect/