[Roy G. Biv]

What'll you do if Spotify or Amazon acquires Roon outright?

Since we're playing the "what if" game:

If Spotify or Amazon acquires Roon I'll keep my Qobuz account and no change for me, unless Qobuz gets the shaft which leaves-
If Spotify acquires Roon and makes Spotify the exclusive streaming partner then I'm Roon+Spotify.
If Amazon acquires Roon and makes Amazon the exclusive streaming partner then I'm Roon+Amazon.
If Tidal acquires Roon and makes Tidal the exclusive streaming partner then I'll go with Roon for local media and Spotify for streaming. No RGB bucks going to Tidal.

Anyone else want to add their "what if"?

 

[tincanear]

what if Amazon buys all of them?

 

[Rensek]

I think we should all be thankful that Roon is privately owned.

They cant be bought out unless the owner(s) wants to sellout. (Like Schiit...)

Woot Woot!!

 

[Balthazar B]

what if Amazon buys all of them?

Amazon might be able to get away with acquiring Roon, Qobuz, and even Tidal -- who are all insignificant players in the music market -- but there'd be serious antitrust issues with attempting to acquire Spotify.

 

[Balthazar B]

I think we should all be thankful that Roon is privately owned.

They cant be bought out unless the owner(s) wants to sellout. (Like Schiit...)

Woot Woot!!

Like Schiit. Or Slim Devices.

I was flabbergasted when Sean Adams sold his baby to Logitech. But it gave me the realization that everyone has his/her price. I don't know who Roon's investors are, but I do know they have theirs, too.

 

[Timster]

School? So that must have been where those other kids were during the week. I had to work every day in the tobacco fields. But I got promoted to the pig farm (in support of the BBQ industry) when I was 10, so I consider myself pretty lucky.

Four Yorkshiremen

 

[ev666il]

what if Amazon buys all of them?

I might need a new hobby, then.

 

[Rowethren]

I have to admit the prospect of CD quality streaming on Spotify does make me quite happy. I have tried all the others except Amazon and Spotify's UI and curated playlist are far superior to the rest IMO, when you factor their device integration they are hard to beat (although my Chromecast Audio has been pretty flakey recently so I am replacing it with a Raspberry Pi with a Hifiberry Digi+ Pro so that should help).

I haven't ever used Roon but the idea of paying a subscription for a service to stream a subscription streaming service seems a bit odd to me. I guess it makes sense if you have a substantial personal audio collection or use multiple streaming services as it helps you integrate easily and create personal radio stations which mix them. However, for me and probably the vast majority of Spotify's user base it would be completely redundant.

On a different note, has the like button disappeared for anyone else? I have tried requesting the desktop site and rotating my phone but nothing...

 

[Tanax]

TBH if Spotify prices this right, I'd be able to cancel both Tidal, Qobuz and Roon. The only reason I have Roon is because having my own ripped CDs and because the UI of both Tidal and Quboz leaves much to desire. And the reason for having both Qobuz and Tidal is because the catalog of both services also leaves much to desire so I'm required to have both. Since Spotify has support for my own CDs, plus the catalog is huge and has basically all the music that I listen to. And UI isn't half bad either. And Spotify Connect would let me not having to buy a separate device for having Roon Core. It's just way too much to gain by this.

I guess the only downside (and a big one) is the fact that Spotify pays creators super crappy :/

 

[ev666il]

As in, the Spotify app can integrate your local library with streaming?

Does it offer WASAPI exclusive mode and support for VST3 plugins, by any chance?

 

[Ripper2860]

For now -- no to WASAPI and plug-ins. I don't think anyone other than beta users knows what Spotify's lossless product and any app enhancements will bring. I doubt VST3 plug-ins will play a part, however.

 

[Ableza]

I prefer to deal with "what is" rather then "what if." And, if things change, I'll change with them, like always.

 

[Balthazar B]

As in, the Spotify app can integrate your local library with streaming?

Does it offer WASAPI exclusive mode and support for VST3 plugins, by any chance?

No, Spotify doesn't do Audirvana or Roon style local library integration. But if Spotify acquires Roon, they will.*

And the native clients don't currently support WASAPI or VST plugins. But there may be a couple of workarounds:

• Get a RPi for <$100 and stream via Raspotify into your Schiit DAC;
• If you must stream from the computer you're working on, try out this Spotify client, which supports WASAPI.

I'd expect the millions of existing Spotify Connect and Chromecast devices out there will support their 16/44 streaming service when it arrives.

*I really don't expect Spotify to acquire Roon. But they'd have a number of approaches to supporting local libraries Roon-style if they want to. For instance, they could co-develop solutions that work with Synology, QNAP, etc. to extend playlist construction with local music. This would make more sense if Spotify begins to emphasize music file sales to their customers. And who wouldn't want a glimpse into millions of users' curated local music libraries for analytical purposes, to market new artists and make their relationships generally stickier? They'd have significant advantages of scale to leverage by becoming a complete one-stop shop for their already enormous and growing customer base.

 

[ev666il]

It doesn't look like I'll be moving away from Audirvana and Tidal any time soon, then. Not that I'm complaining, mind you; I was just intrigued by Spotify's vaster catalog.

 

[Rensek]

For now -- no to WASAPI and plug-ins. I don't think anyone other than beta users knows what Spotify's lossless product and any app enhancements will bring. I doubt VST3 plug-ins will play a part, however.

Ive been in the Spotify Beta program for a couple of years, and sadly, I haven't been selected to test their lossless stuff yet.