6 ms·

This is awesome. Why do you think you never found success with it?

cdme 4y ago
Agreed — I love the simplicity. In a perfect world I want this with server-side Last.fm support and a plain, reliable iOS app.
- grose 4y ago
  I'll look into serverside Last.fm support. I think it should be relatively easy to add. Agreed that an app would be awesome but I don't have the resources for it :(. The web interface works decently as a PWA (at least on Android according to testers, it has MediaSession support and stuff) but it's still kind of bad, definitely not a real app substitute.
- Inversechi 4y ago
  For client side last.fm support the site could be added to this web-extension. https://github.com/web-scrobbler/web-scrobbler/ https://github.com/web-scrobbler/web-scrobbler/ assuming the UI expresses meta data in an easily scrapable way.
grose 4y ago
Thanks! Good question, I think it's probably mostly a mental block on being "done". There was always "one more feature" I wanted to add before trying to market it. The feature I can most think of right now is playlists. They are supported in Subsonic but not the web UI. Currently I have exactly 2 customers, who are pretty much friends helping me test. The good news is the site is optimized for being set-it-and-forget-it (all serverless arch) so just having one customer is enough to break even.
- kristopolous 4y ago
  I can't experience this easily. Have a really small demo tier or a demo account, say with public domain classical and jazz standards, just something basic. The demo tier could be phone number based, then a write once system, let's say 100mb ... something really token. You could even have a few sample tunes everyone gets by default. Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin is in public domain for instance as are say, the rags of Scott Joplin, Debussy's Deux Arabesques, etc. If that doesn't onboard people then have a no-hassles 7 day refund. If someone gives you money but then decides they don't want it, have it built in the interface they can back out for 100% money back in 7 days.
  - grose 4y ago
    That is a great idea. I definitely need a demo page.
    - kristopolous 4y ago
      oh i see you do have a 14 day demo ... it wasn't clear to me. that's a design issue. You need to push the lede up. "Free 2 week demo. No credit card needed. [Try it now]" "Register" is too committal ... try things like "get started" or "try it out" - more action, result and experience oriented. Lastly on the technicals, look into https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/MediaSession/setActionHandler https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/MediaSessio... this will allow you to navigate through things when listening over bluetooth using the media buttons. I'm sorry for the rather advanced example but here's how I use it to navigate through hierarchy with double and triple tapping: https://github.com/kristopolous/music-explorer/blob/master/web/scripts.js#L165 https://github.com/kristopolous/music-explorer/blob/master/w...
      - reitanqild 4y ago
        > "Free 2 week demo. No credit card needed. [Try it now]" > "Register" is too committal ... I actually didn't notice the "No credit card needed" until I had written a long explanation :-) That is how hard the "Free demo" has been abused to snag my credit card, so maybe experiment with some variations as long as it doesn't delay launch :-D (FWIW: personally, with my background and as a non-native speaker, "register" doesn't sound as scary as "Free 2 weeks demo".)
        kristopolous 4y ago
        You gotta pair it with "no card needed" otherwise it sounds suss. There's other ways. "Upgrade to a paid account if you like it" works. "Upgrade" implies work. "Paid" implies the work is paying. Thus the thing you're currently engaging with doesn't need payment. You can also call it "Free tier" which has "14 day expiration" as a stipulation. There's no best practice here because it's dependent on the product, value proposition, where you are in the funnel and who the customer is. They'll perform differently and counterintuitively and most frustratingly, change over time (because the context of the relationship between your prospect and product is always dynamic) The truths that do hold are, 1. Make it sound casual 2. Avoid hustle language 3. Give an easy exit strategy 4. Make it clear and direct
- mcsniff 4y ago
  I've built sites like this; clear, concise, to the point. Not many people used them. Once I started adding a bit more "flair" to it, things got traction. I'm not talking a complete redesign, but I too had to go back to capitalizing words, adding color, and caring about the "experience" for the market I was aiming to capture. I hated it, I still do, but I hate it less after seeing success with the changes I was willing to concede on. Just sayin'.
  - grose 4y ago
    Yeah I feel you. It might feel kind of like "selling out" but making it professional is almost certainly the better choice for things like this, especially if you have to pay money for it.
  - tombofry 4y ago
    As a concept I absolutely LOVE no-BS sites like this. The downside is that they make the service appear simple enough that I could code one myself, specific to my needs, and/or self-host it - inevitably neither happen! - so I just don't sign up in the end.
dclowd9901 4y ago
Because devices change all the time and most people don’t even have a repository of music files they keep. To even start using this service in earnest requires all that. This dude made the perfect thing for a period that existed like 20 years ago.
- Sakos 4y ago
  I had the same first thought, but I'm not sure it's as big as a problem as you make it out to be. I know plenty of people who still have music in the form of mp3's. One of the biggest issues the service has is being able to reach the right people. I don't really have a solution for that. GPM was used by millions of people, the service doesn't need millions of users to be successful. It can still be a valuable product that serves a niche audience.
  - grose 4y ago
    Agreed. Personally I like to support the artists directly by buying their albums in MP3/FLAC form (and going to their shows) so I know I'll have a high quality backup forever. I am not a big fan of streaming services like Spotify, although I will certainly admit that it is way easier to use them than to manage your own music library.
kwanbix 4y ago
I will go with the home page has a very old-looking/nerd-looking look. Did you ever try to promote it in Hydrogenaudio? Is "the" music enthusiasts forum.
- grose 4y ago
  I didn't really promote it anywhere, except I posted on the Google Play Music Reddit I think. I got some good feedback from there. TBH I have no idea how to market things. Not sure how to toe the line between "hey I want to make something cool for you" and spamming. I'll check that out though. I definitely had music enthusiasts in mind, I understand their hatred for re-encoding :)
no_time 4y ago
The people who can work soulseek and/or cdparanoia are plenty capable of hosting their own streaming platform. Atleast now in 2023 I think. It's a cool project nonetheless. I'd love to be proven wrong.

cdme 4y ago

Agreed — I love the simplicity. In a perfect world I want this with server-side Last.fm support and a plain, reliable iOS app.

grose 4y ago
I'll look into serverside Last.fm support. I think it should be relatively easy to add. Agreed that an app would be awesome but I don't have the resources for it :(. The web interface works decently as a PWA (at least on Android according to testers, it has MediaSession support and stuff) but it's still kind of bad, definitely not a real app substitute.
Inversechi 4y ago
For client side last.fm support the site could be added to this web-extension. https://github.com/web-scrobbler/web-scrobbler/ https://github.com/web-scrobbler/web-scrobbler/ assuming the UI expresses meta data in an easily scrapable way.

grose 4y ago

Thanks! Good question, I think it's probably mostly a mental block on being "done". There was always "one more feature" I wanted to add before trying to market it. The feature I can most think of right now is playlists. They are supported in Subsonic but not the web UI. Currently I have exactly 2 customers, who are pretty much friends helping me test. The good news is the site is optimized for being set-it-and-forget-it (all serverless arch) so just having one customer is enough to break even.

kristopolous 4y ago
I can't experience this easily. Have a really small demo tier or a demo account, say with public domain classical and jazz standards, just something basic. The demo tier could be phone number based, then a write once system, let's say 100mb ... something really token. You could even have a few sample tunes everyone gets by default. Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin is in public domain for instance as are say, the rags of Scott Joplin, Debussy's Deux Arabesques, etc. If that doesn't onboard people then have a no-hassles 7 day refund. If someone gives you money but then decides they don't want it, have it built in the interface they can back out for 100% money back in 7 days.
- grose 4y ago
  That is a great idea. I definitely need a demo page.
  - kristopolous 4y ago
    oh i see you do have a 14 day demo ... it wasn't clear to me. that's a design issue. You need to push the lede up. "Free 2 week demo. No credit card needed. [Try it now]" "Register" is too committal ... try things like "get started" or "try it out" - more action, result and experience oriented. Lastly on the technicals, look into https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/MediaSession/setActionHandler https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/MediaSessio... this will allow you to navigate through things when listening over bluetooth using the media buttons. I'm sorry for the rather advanced example but here's how I use it to navigate through hierarchy with double and triple tapping: https://github.com/kristopolous/music-explorer/blob/master/web/scripts.js#L165 https://github.com/kristopolous/music-explorer/blob/master/w...
    - reitanqild 4y ago
      > "Free 2 week demo. No credit card needed. [Try it now]" > "Register" is too committal ... I actually didn't notice the "No credit card needed" until I had written a long explanation :-) That is how hard the "Free demo" has been abused to snag my credit card, so maybe experiment with some variations as long as it doesn't delay launch :-D (FWIW: personally, with my background and as a non-native speaker, "register" doesn't sound as scary as "Free 2 weeks demo".)
      - kristopolous 4y ago
        You gotta pair it with "no card needed" otherwise it sounds suss. There's other ways. "Upgrade to a paid account if you like it" works. "Upgrade" implies work. "Paid" implies the work is paying. Thus the thing you're currently engaging with doesn't need payment. You can also call it "Free tier" which has "14 day expiration" as a stipulation. There's no best practice here because it's dependent on the product, value proposition, where you are in the funnel and who the customer is. They'll perform differently and counterintuitively and most frustratingly, change over time (because the context of the relationship between your prospect and product is always dynamic) The truths that do hold are, 1. Make it sound casual 2. Avoid hustle language 3. Give an easy exit strategy 4. Make it clear and direct
mcsniff 4y ago
I've built sites like this; clear, concise, to the point. Not many people used them. Once I started adding a bit more "flair" to it, things got traction. I'm not talking a complete redesign, but I too had to go back to capitalizing words, adding color, and caring about the "experience" for the market I was aiming to capture. I hated it, I still do, but I hate it less after seeing success with the changes I was willing to concede on. Just sayin'.
- grose 4y ago
  Yeah I feel you. It might feel kind of like "selling out" but making it professional is almost certainly the better choice for things like this, especially if you have to pay money for it.
- tombofry 4y ago
  As a concept I absolutely LOVE no-BS sites like this. The downside is that they make the service appear simple enough that I could code one myself, specific to my needs, and/or self-host it - inevitably neither happen! - so I just don't sign up in the end.

dclowd9901 4y ago

Because devices change all the time and most people don’t even have a repository of music files they keep. To even start using this service in earnest requires all that. This dude made the perfect thing for a period that existed like 20 years ago.

Sakos 4y ago
I had the same first thought, but I'm not sure it's as big as a problem as you make it out to be. I know plenty of people who still have music in the form of mp3's. One of the biggest issues the service has is being able to reach the right people. I don't really have a solution for that. GPM was used by millions of people, the service doesn't need millions of users to be successful. It can still be a valuable product that serves a niche audience.
- grose 4y ago
  Agreed. Personally I like to support the artists directly by buying their albums in MP3/FLAC form (and going to their shows) so I know I'll have a high quality backup forever. I am not a big fan of streaming services like Spotify, although I will certainly admit that it is way easier to use them than to manage your own music library.

kwanbix 4y ago

I will go with the home page has a very old-looking/nerd-looking look. Did you ever try to promote it in Hydrogenaudio? Is "the" music enthusiasts forum.

grose 4y ago
I didn't really promote it anywhere, except I posted on the Google Play Music Reddit I think. I got some good feedback from there. TBH I have no idea how to market things. Not sure how to toe the line between "hey I want to make something cool for you" and spamming. I'll check that out though. I definitely had music enthusiasts in mind, I understand their hatred for re-encoding :)

no_time 4y ago

The people who can work soulseek and/or cdparanoia are plenty capable of hosting their own streaming platform. Atleast now in 2023 I think. It's a cool project nonetheless. I'd love to be proven wrong.