Audio Players/Library Management

I hear great things about Spotify from lots of people...but I'm pretty sure my experience would mirror this guy's:

"Jam Session: Grading Spotify on Jazz Terms" | San Diego Reader

It's jazz and classical music that fucks it up mostly, because each individual performance of piece by a different performer has it's own distinct quality.

So, while sometimes, I think "I want to hear some Charlie Parker today", and I think Spotify would be great for that, sometimes I think "I want to hear the Charlie Parker solo from "Moose the Mooch" that he recorded in Toronto in 1953 as opposed to the 20 or 30 other recordings I have of him playing that tune" and I think I'd wind up frustrated by Spotify in those situations.
 


It's jazz and classical music that fucks it up mostly, because each individual performance of piece by a different performer has it's own distinct quality.

So, while sometimes, I think "I want to hear some Charlie Parker today", and I think Spotify would be great for that, sometimes I think "I want to hear the Charlie Parker solo from "Moose the Mooch" that he recorded in Toronto in 1953 as opposed to the 20 or 30 other recordings I have of him playing that tune" and I think I'd wind up frustrated by Spotify in those situations.

ITE - xbmc allows to write reasonably intelligent "party mode" playlists with usual suspect operators (exlcude / years / ratings etc.) that should address your frustration with spotify. Can't guarantee it's good for that as I don't use party mode - but had a quick look in there.

edit: oh and you can add all the internet radio stations you like. DI.FM just integrates into the interface seamlessly as do most it seems.
 
ITE - xbmc allows to write reasonably intelligent "party mode" playlists with usual suspect operators (exlcude / years / ratings etc.) that should address your frustration with spotify. Can't guarantee it's good for that as I don't use party mode - but had a quick look in there.

edit: oh and you can add all the internet radio stations you like. DI.FM just integrates into the interface seamlessly as do most it seems.

I'm giving MediaMonkey a spin right now, but I'll try out xbmc next. It's strange to stop using Winamp, I've been using it since I got rid of my physical media in 2007.
 
I'm giving MediaMonkey a spin right now, but I'll try out xbmc next. It's strange to stop using Winamp, I've been using it since I got rid of my physical media in 2007.

I used Winamp since day one, and stuck with it for years. For some time it was the only player that would easily convert mp3 to wav (back when we used CDs).

I used MM for some time after that and have always been impressed with it. It's probably the other recommendation I would give - as it's probably the only player thats really comparable to xmbc.
 
I've tried them all when Media Jukebox went down the pan. I settled on media monkey v3 for a couple of years or so. Then because of several annoying niggles and because v4 looked like it was going to be bloated and broken, I tried them all again. I switched to Musicbee a year ago and I couldn't be happier.

There's a slight learning curve in setting it up, and then it can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. For me it made downloading, tagging and maintaining my library easier and faster, and it's got features that make listening to music fun again, like good auto-playlist features and a really nice 'auto-DJ'.
 
I've tried them all when Media Jukebox went down the pan. I settled on media monkey v3 for a couple of years or so. Then because of several annoying niggles and because v4 looked like it was going to be bloated and broken, I tried them all again. I switched to Musicbee a year ago and I couldn't be happier.

There's a slight learning curve in setting it up, and then it can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. For me it made downloading, tagging and maintaining my library easier and faster, and it's got features that make listening to music fun again, like good auto-playlist features and a really nice 'auto-DJ'.

I may have to give that a try too - sounds similar to xbmc in its functionality.
 
I completely understand your frustration when it comes to finding a decent music player. I myself have been trying to find one that basically does everything that you want it to do. So far the only thing that has come close for me is Musicip mixer. It seriously makes the best playlists because it scans each file and looks at the actual waveform and then makes playlists based on audio qualities. The downside is that doesn't play flac files.
it still might be worth looking into.

AmpliFIND Music Services: What: Downloads
 
musikCube

It's super lightweight and fast. If iTunes was coded by russian hackers, this would be it. Ok, maybe it's not updated, but unless you're editing your tags from the player, then it's flawless. This app aged like fine wine. Give it a spin.