How can I ditch iTunes and find a suitable audio player?

Question

With the recent features added to iTunes player I find it to be pretty heavy and resources consuming, just to do just what I would like it to do, which is play music. It is almost becoming a full OS which I do not like.

Therefore, I'd like to find something lightweight to build some playlists based on the music I have on my hard-drive, possibly free (but not a requisite). Do you have any alternatives which you would like to share?

This article may also be of interest particularly if you are using iTunes on a Windows PC lifehacker.com/… — Simon, Aug 29, 2013 at 17:43

Am1rr3zA · Accepted Answer · 2010-09-07 03:36:21Z

7

I suggested you try SongBird.

also you can choose:

alt text

edited Sep 7, 2010 at 3:36

answered Sep 6, 2010 at 15:13

Am1rr3zA

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vitorhsb · Accepted Answer · 2010-09-08 10:44:40Z

5

After doing a Google quest for a free audio player I found Instinctiv. alt text
It has a great UI and Mac look and calls itself "A Better Music Experience". Is anyone aware of this application? How do you feel about it?

After a little test drive with the software I can say that it really is an enjoyable experience and the announced smart shuffle is a nice feature. It uses the iTunes library so you can just press play and you'll be fine.

edited Sep 8, 2010 at 10:44

answered Sep 7, 2010 at 8:22

vitorhsb

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The app looks promising, tho it’s still an early preview. The CoreAnimations are a little bit slow for my taste, and instead of providing a nice feedback, they slow down the navigation.
– Martin Marconcini
Sep 7, 2010 at 14:53
After using it for a few days I have to say that this is the application I was looking for. The library view and music search are the top features that I'm starting to love in it.
– vitorhsb
Sep 8, 2010 at 9:27
Yeah, I’ve been using it (tho I mainly use iTunes anyway, have tons of computer power on a Mac Pro) but this one certainly looks promising and should open the eyes of others. In any case, correct the name of it, the application is called Instinctiv, not “Instictive” ;)
– Martin Marconcini
Sep 8, 2010 at 10:27
@vitorhsb Instinctiv is no longer being actively developed unfortunately.
– Simon
Aug 18, 2013 at 15:53

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Community · Accepted Answer · 2020-06-15 08:04:25Z

2

Vox (free with in-app purchase)

A great simple application for music playing. I love this app. It's sooo simple to use and to use. It also integrates nicely with your iTunes library (if you so desire).

edited Jun 15, 2020 at 8:04

CommunityBot

1

answered Aug 16, 2013 at 6:11

daviesgeek

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I like Vox. It reminds me of Winamp before it became bloatware. :D
– Ricardo Sanchez-Saez
Aug 16, 2013 at 11:21

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Martin Marconcini · Accepted Answer · 2013-08-20 19:37:17Z

1

UPDATE: Everplay is no longer developed (and nowhere to be found).

Leaving the answer around in case someone eventually takes over. Also there are alternatives to Spotify these days, like Google All Access Music, iTunes Match, Amazon Music, etc. As the world moves towards cloud based alternatives, you probably want to consider these too.

Everplay is a nice iTunes alternative because it can read the iTunes library but it’s way more light, given that it doesn’t attempt to cook breakfast and wash your car. It’s a music player.

It’s not free but offers a nice trial. Give it a shot.

Of course, if you are in Europe, you can always use the excellent (and free) Spotify.

edited Aug 20, 2013 at 19:37

answered Sep 6, 2010 at 23:11

Martin Marconcini

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1

I live in Europe however Spotify has not been enabled in Portugal yet (and many other European countries), sadly. In fact it is a great product but the current free account only enables 20hr of streaming per month, which would redirect me to a paid account.
– vitorhsb
Sep 7, 2010 at 8:13
Sad to hear that, tho you could try to pass as a Spaniard, they geolocate your IP and unless you have a paid account, you can’t use it in the “non-auth” countries. Of course once you do, you can pretty much do what you want. They offer a 5€/month service (aside from the 10€ pro), which -I think- allows you to use it anywhere in the world. Also if you already have a big iTunes lib, give Everplay a try. Good Luck.
– Martin Marconcini
Sep 7, 2010 at 8:50
Everplay has a better integration with Last.fm bringing a surplus over Instinctive (for that I will give you a plus), however I do not like the fact that it does not show a list view of the music library - which is a deal-break.
– vitorhsb
Sep 8, 2010 at 9:24
Yes, tho Instinctiv does have Last.FM integration, it’s not as polished yet. Perhaps the problem with Instinctiv at the moment is that it’s rather “slow” to react when a library is big. I have over 90GB of music in my iTunes lib, more than 13.000 songs. Spinning wheel is commonly seen when searching or scrolling. It’s a mix between Coversutra and iTunes, which is good. Coversutra searchs faster, but opens iTunes for playing :(
– Martin Marconcini
Sep 8, 2010 at 10:31
That would be everplay
– davidtbernal
Jan 31, 2012 at 5:07

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Simon · Accepted Answer · 2013-08-25 13:40:55Z

Tomahawk

A music player that fundamentally changes the way music is consumed and shared. It decouples the name of the song from the source it was shared from - and fulfills the request using all of your available sources. (Free)

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Fidelia

A high-definition audio player for sophisticated music lovers. With support for all contemporary audio file formats and an elegant interface that focuses exclusively on music, it gives users the power and the freedom to organize, customize and savor their digital music collection at the highest possible fidelity in any circumstance. If you've invested in premium audio hardware, you should have the best audio software. (Premium)

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