Ubuntu has been a very popular Linux distro since its initial release in 2004. The Debian derivative distro comes with plenty of ready-to-use applications including office suite, web browser to music player. Speaking of music, you can replace the default music app of Ubuntu if it doesn’t suit your taste. The current version of Ubuntu uses Rhythmbox as the default music player.
In the previous post we have covered several music players for Linux, including Spotify, the rising streaming music app. But, not all of them have been added to the software packages list of Ubuntu. Which mean, you won’t be able to install your preferred music player by executing the apt-get install
on the terminal.
Old Ubuntu users must have known how Ubuntu music player apps have come and gone. If you are a music addict, here is the list of the best Ubuntu music player apps you can install on your machine.
1. Rhythmbox
Let’s start with Rhythmbox. This is the default music player in the current version of Ubuntu. Some Linux distros also make it as their default music player. Rhythmbox is particularly a great option for former Mac users who have just switched to Ubuntu. This Ubuntu music player will be the best replacement to iTunes. Many Ubuntu users say that Rhythmbox interface is similar enough to iTunes.
Rhythmbox is part of the GNOME project. It was initially developed to be a default music player of GNOME. However, Rhythmbox also runs very well in other desktop environments. Rhythmbox was built using GTK+ and relies on GStreamer as the media framework. Rhythmbox is one the modern music players in Ubuntu (and Linux generally). Apart from playing your local files, you can also use this app to stream musics from several sources on the internet, including SoundCloud.
2. Clementine
Amarok users might not really like with the Clementine development since it can lead them to be dilemma. What is mean?
Clementine is a port of Amarok, one of the most popular music players in Linux. It was built due to the transition from version 1.4 to version 2 of Amarok.
As Amarok, Clementine was also built using Qt and also relies on GStreamer as the multimedia framework. Clementine is probably the best Ubuntu music player app in terms of streaming capability. This music player has so many supports to cloud services from Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, OneDrive and lots more. It’s mean that you can stream your music collections stored on those cloud storage services. It’s also possible to use Clementine as a third party player of Spotify (premium account is required). Clementine has been included to the software repository package of Ubuntu but isn’t installed by default. You can install it by executing the following command.
$ sudo apt-get install clementine
3. Amarok
Amarok is one of the oldest GUI-based music players in Linux. This app is part of KDE project and released as a cross-platform app. Apart from Linux, Amarok is also available for macOS and Windows. Nearly all KDE-based Linux distros use Amarok as the default music player. Amarok also runs seamlessly on other desktop environments including GNOME. This app has also been added to the software repository package of Ubuntu but isn’t installed by default.
Amarok is known as a notification-rich music player. The downside of Amarok is that it less friendly for low-spec computer since it use more resources of your computer. Like its junior Clementine, Amarok was also built using Qt. Amarok is a nice choice if you love a music player app with a sleek interface. Here is how to install Amarok on Ubuntu.
sudo apt-get install amarok
4. Banshee
If you frequently make some purchase of music in Amazon then Banshee is your best option of Ubuntu music player. You can directly buy your favorite songs via this music player to make everything even easier. There is a search box too which you can use to discover the songs you are going to buy.
Banshee itself is not really a strange app in the Ubuntu users scope. This music player once become the default music player app in Ubuntu (in version 11.04 Natty Narwhal). The interface of Banshee is not far different to the current default Ubuntu music player. It’s even richer of features. Like I mentioned, one of the prominent features of Banshee is the integration with Amazon MP3 Store. Banshee itself was built upon Mono and Gtk#. Same as other music players mentioned earlier above, Banshee also uses GStreamer as the multimedia framework. Banshee is released under the MIT license.
sudo apt-get install banshee
5. Audacious
Winamp has long been known as one of the most popular music players in Windows. Former Windows users who have just migrated to Ubuntu (and Linux generally) commonly search for the best replacement for Winamp in Windows. If you are one of sorts of that people you should take time to try and dig more on Audacious. Audacious was built using GTK so its default interface is basically not too different to common Linux apps, complete with a window border. However, Audacious also comes with Winamp classic interface option which you can activate if you want to recall your sweet memories along with Winamp.
Audacious itself is a descendant of XMMS. This music player is also available for Windows users. Simplicity is the thing that become the concern of Audacious. Nearly all Linux distros (including Ubuntu) have added Audacious to their software repository package but it might not installed by default. In Ubuntu you can install Audacious by running this command.
sudo apt-get install audacious
6. Qmmp
Another Ubuntu music player with a very simple interface. Qmmp is another best option for former Windows users who are looking for a music player to replace Winamp. By default, this simple music player comes with a black interface similar to the classic Winamp. The best part about QMMP is that is very light so it won’t bother the entire performance of your computer (in case you run Ubuntu on low-spec machine).
QMMP is a Qt-based music player. Probably it’s the simplest GUI-based music player in Linux. If you love something simple then QMMP would be your best friend. You can use this app to play your MP3 collections.
sudo apt-get install qmmp
Apart from 6 apps above, there are many other music players you can install on Ubuntu, including the CLI-based ones. Multimedia apps like VLC is also great to play your music collections in Ubuntu. If you have your own favorite app don’t be hesitate to add it to the comment section.