Raspberry Pi Spotify Connect: Dedicated Music Player

What Is Spotify Connect?

Spotify Connect allows you to use your phone as a remote control while the Raspberry Pi streams music directly from Spotify’s servers. Unlike Bluetooth streaming where audio passes through your phone, Spotify Connect offloads playback to the Pi. This means better audio quality, lower phone battery usage, and the ability to take calls without interrupting music. For Indian Spotify Premium subscribers, this transforms a Raspberry Pi into a dedicated music streamer.

The open-source Raspotify package and the librespot library implement the Spotify Connect protocol on Linux. Once installed, the Pi appears in your Spotify app’s “Devices Available” list alongside official Spotify speakers. You tap to connect, select a playlist, and the Pi handles the rest — streaming, decoding, and outputting audio through your chosen DAC and amplifier.

The setup takes under 15 minutes and works with any Raspberry Pi that has network connectivity. Combined with a DAC HAT and a TPA3116 amplifier, you get a dedicated Spotify music system with audiophile-grade sound for under ₹5,000 total.

Hardware Requirements

Essential: Raspberry Pi (any model with WiFi or Ethernet), micro SD card with Raspberry Pi OS, network connection, Spotify Premium account (Connect requires Premium). Recommended: USB DAC or I2S DAC HAT for better audio, amplifier and speakers for room-filling sound.

The Pi Zero 2 W is the most cost-effective option — its WiFi capability and processing power are more than sufficient for Spotify streaming. The Pi 4 is overkill for Spotify alone but useful if you also want to run a display, DLNA, and AirPlay simultaneously.

Installing Raspotify

Raspotify is the simplest way to add Spotify Connect to a Raspberry Pi running Raspberry Pi OS:

curl -sL https://dtcooper.github.io/raspotify/install.sh | sh

That is it — one command. After installation, open the Spotify app on your phone, play any track, tap the “Devices” icon, and select “raspotify” from the list. Music begins playing through the Pi immediately.

To customise the device name, edit /etc/raspotify/conf:

LIBRESPOT_NAME="Living Room Speaker"
LIBRESPOT_BITRATE="320"
LIBRESPOT_BACKEND="alsa"
LIBRESPOT_DEVICE="default"

Set the bitrate to 320 for the highest quality stream (requires Premium). The device option selects your audio output — set it to your DAC’s ALSA device name for best quality.

Spotify on Volumio

If you are already running Volumio for music playback, the Spotify Connect plugin is available in the Volumio plugin store. Go to Settings → Plugins → Music Services → Spotify Connect, install it, enter your Spotify credentials, and the Pi appears as a Spotify Connect device with Volumio’s DAC configuration already applied.

Moode Audio also supports Spotify Connect through Raspotify integration. Enable it in Moode’s settings under Audio → Spotify, set your preferences, and restart. Both distributions make it plug-and-play.

Audio Quality Settings

Spotify streams audio in three quality levels: Normal (96 kbps), High (160 kbps), and Very High (320 kbps Ogg Vorbis). For the Raspberry Pi setup, always use 320 kbps — the network bandwidth is negligible and the quality difference is audible on a decent DAC and speaker system.

Enable the “Audio Normalization” option in the Spotify app to maintain consistent volume across tracks. This prevents sudden volume jumps between quiet and loud songs, which is especially important when the amplifier volume is set high.

FAQ

Does this work with the free tier of Spotify?

No. Spotify Connect requires a Premium subscription (₹119/month individual or ₹179/month family plan in India). Without Premium, you can still stream Spotify via Bluetooth from your phone to the Pi, but you lose the Connect benefits.

Can multiple users share the Spotify Pi?

Only one Spotify account can use a Connect device at a time. If another family member wants to use the speaker, they need to select it from their own Spotify app, which disconnects the previous user. For multi-user households, consider setting up a shared family plan playlist.

The Pi disconnects from Spotify after a few minutes of inactivity.

This is normal — Spotify disconnects idle devices to free up sessions. The Pi reconnects instantly when you tap it in the Spotify app again. To keep the connection alive, some users set up a cron job that pings the librespot process periodically.

Conclusion

A Raspberry Pi running Raspotify is the cheapest path to a dedicated Spotify streaming setup in India. The one-command installation, combined with a DAC for quality audio output, creates a music system that rivals commercial Spotify speakers costing five to ten times more. If you already have speakers and an amplifier, adding a Pi with Raspotify costs under ₹2,000 — less than four months of the Spotify Premium subscription itself.