How Roomzic Plays Music

Roomzic plays music differently depending on the provider you choose. Spotify uses Spotify Connect. YouTube and Apple Music use the built-in Roomzic player.

Create your room Compare the two ways

The host device plays.The moderators manage.The guests participate.

Two ways to play

Spotify Connect or the Roomzic player

Both give you the same party: guests suggest, you decide. What changes is which device actually produces the sound.

Beta

Spotify Connect

Roomzic controls the party, Spotify plays the music.

  • Start your playlist in Spotify, on the Spotify device you want (phone, computer, speaker)
  • Accepted suggestions are added to your Spotify queue
  • The audio plays on that Spotify device, not in the Roomzic page
  • Spotify Premium is required
YouTube · Apple Music

The Roomzic player

Roomzic itself plays the music, on one device you choose.

  • The host device becomes the playback device (a phone, a tablet or a computer)
  • Keep it connected to the speakers
  • Keep Roomzic open on it during the event
  • Everyone else manages the party from their own phone
One simple idea

A party player, and remote moderation

Use one device as your party player, and manage the night from anywhere. A spare tablet, an old phone or a laptop plugged into the sound system is all it takes.

Playback

The playback device
  1. Host device Phone, tablet or laptop, kept on
  2. Roomzic player Roomzic stays open
  3. Speakers Bluetooth, cable or any audio output
  4. Music Your party plays

Requests and moderation

From any phone
  1. Guest phone Searches and suggests a track
  2. Song suggestion Waits in the pending list
  3. Moderator or host On their own phone
  4. Accept, refuse, reorder The decision is theirs
  5. Playback queue Read by the Roomzic player

The playback device keeps the music going while moderation happens remotely.

Side by side

Spotify vs YouTube vs Apple Music

What really happens behind each provider.

Spotify vs YouTube vs Apple Music Spotify Beta YouTube Available Apple Music Available
Playback technology Spotify Connect Roomzic player (embedded YouTube player) Roomzic player (Apple MusicKit)
Audio plays on The Spotify device that is playing The playback device running Roomzic The playback device running Roomzic
Roomzic must stay open on the playback device No, Spotify keeps playing by itself Yes Yes
Moderators can manage remotely Yes (Premium): accept and refuse Yes (Premium): accept, refuse, reorder Yes (Premium): accept, refuse, reorder
Reorder the queue from Roomzic No, use the Spotify app Yes Yes
Recommended setup Start your playlist in Spotify on the device linked to your speakers A dedicated tablet, phone or laptop on your speakers, with Roomzic open A dedicated tablet, phone or laptop on your speakers, with Roomzic open

Audius works like YouTube and Apple Music: it plays in the Roomzic player. Deezer, Amazon Music and SoundCloud are not available yet.

Recommended setup

Recommended setup for YouTube & Apple Music

Five steps, and your evening runs itself.

  1. 1

    Choose your playback device

    Use a phone, tablet or computer that can stay connected to your sound system for the whole event.

  2. 2

    Connect it to your speakers

    Use your device's own audio output: Bluetooth, a cable or whatever your sound system accepts. Roomzic does not manage that connection.

  3. 3

    Keep Roomzic running

    This device becomes the player for the room. Keep the room page open on it and keep the device powered.

  4. 4

    Add moderators

    Trusted moderators (Premium) can manage requests and the queue from their own devices. You can even designate a moderator as the playback device in the room settings.

  5. 5

    Enjoy the party

    The playback device keeps the music running while moderation happens remotely.

Who does what

The host device plays, the moderators manage, the guests participate

Each role has a clear job.

The host device plays

With YouTube and Apple Music, the device where Roomzic runs the player.

  • Plays the queue and moves to the next track by itself
  • Stays connected to the speakers
  • Is the host by default, or a moderator you designate in the room settings
Premium

The moderators manage

Appointed by the host, they work from their own phone.

  • Receive the suggestions (push notifications if they enabled them)
  • Accept or refuse tracks
  • Reorder the queue, skip and go back (YouTube, Audius, Apple Music)
  • Can remove or block disruptive participants

The guests participate

They suggest, they never control the music.

  • Join with the link, the code or a QR code
  • Need a free Roomzic account, no app and no music subscription
  • Search the catalog and suggest tracks

What Roomzic does not promise

With the Roomzic player, the music plays in a web page. If that page is closed or the device is switched off, the music stops on that device.

Roomzic asks the screen to stay awake while music plays, where the browser allows it. It cannot prevent you from locking the device manually or switching away from the page, so keep Roomzic in the foreground on the playback device.

Frequently asked questions

Does the host device need to stay on?
With YouTube and Apple Music, yes. The device that runs the Roomzic player is the one producing the sound, so it needs to stay on, powered and connected to your speakers. With Spotify, it is your Spotify device that needs to keep playing.
Why does YouTube need to stay open?
YouTube has no external queue Roomzic can write to. Roomzic keeps its own queue and plays it in an embedded YouTube player inside the room page, so that page has to stay open on the playback device.
Why does Apple Music need to stay open?
Apple Music plays through Apple's MusicKit in the browser, using the host's Apple Music subscription. The playback happens in the Roomzic page, so it has to stay open on the playback device.
Can I manage the party from another phone?
Yes. The playback device only has to play. You can accept, refuse and reorder suggestions from any other phone where you are signed in as the host or as a moderator.
Can my moderators approve songs remotely?
Yes. Moderators (a Premium feature) receive the suggestions and can accept or refuse them from their own phone. With YouTube, Audius and Apple Music they can also reorder the queue, skip and go back.
Can I use a dedicated tablet or laptop for playback?
Yes, and it is a good setup: leave a spare tablet, an old phone or a laptop connected to your speakers with the room open, and manage everything from your own phone. You can also designate a moderator as the playback device in the room settings.
What happens if the playback device closes Roomzic?
The music stops on that device, because the player lives in the Roomzic page. The queue is kept by Roomzic: reopen the room on the playback device, or designate another device in the room settings, to start playing again. Your browser may ask for a tap before sound starts.
Does Spotify work the same way?
No. With Spotify, the music is played by Spotify Connect on your Spotify device, and Roomzic adds accepted tracks to your Spotify queue. You start your playlist in Spotify yourself, Roomzic has no device picker, and the Roomzic page does not need to stay open for the music to continue. Spotify Premium is required and access is still in beta.
Will the music keep playing if my screen turns off?
Roomzic asks the screen to stay awake while the music plays, where your browser supports it. We cannot guarantee playback once the device is locked manually or the page is in the background, so keep Roomzic in the foreground on the playback device.

You might also like

How Roomzic runs your party How Roomzic runs a party: prepare a base playlist, let it play, let guests suggest songs before or during the event, then accept, refuse or reorder them. Turn Spotify Connect into a collaborative party queue Keep your Spotify library and Spotify Connect device, let guests suggest what plays next. A collaborative YouTube queue, no subscription required Roomzic's own internal queue, an embedded YouTube player, and no subscription required to play music. A collaborative queue for Apple Music, powered by MusicKit Apple Music playback via MusicKit, with guest suggestions layered on top. Spotify vs YouTube: which one should run your queue? Spotify or YouTube for your collaborative playlist? Compare subscription requirements, device control, and queue behavior on Roomzic.

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