How to use the command 'spotify' (with examples)

The ‘spotify’ command is a command-line interface to Spotify, allowing users to control their Spotify playback from the command line. With this command, users can search for and play songs, playlists, pause and resume playback, skip to the next song, change volume, and view playback status and song details.

Use case 1: Find a song by name and play it

Code:

spotify play song_name

Motivation: This use case is useful when you know the name of a specific song and want to play it immediately without manually navigating through Spotify’s user interface.

Explanation:

• spotify - the command itself.
• play song_name - the sub-command to play a song by its name. Replace ‘song_name’ with the actual name of the song you want to play.

Example output:

Playing: Song_Name - Artist_Name

Use case 2: Find a playlist by name and play it

Code:

spotify play list playlist_name

Motivation: This use case is helpful when you want to listen to a specific playlist without having to manually search for and select it within the Spotify app.

Explanation:

• spotify - the command itself.
• play list playlist_name - the sub-command to play a playlist by its name. Replace ‘playlist_name’ with the actual name of the playlist you want to play.

Example output:

Playing playlist: Playlist_Name - Owner_Name

Use case 3: Pause (or resume) playback

Code:

spotify pause

Motivation: This use case allows you to pause or resume the playback of the currently playing song, providing control over your listening experience without needing to use Spotify’s user interface.

Explanation:

• spotify - the command itself.
• pause - the sub-command to pause playback. You can also use the same command to resume playback.

Example output:

Playback paused.

Use case 4: Skip to the next song in a playlist

Code:

spotify next

Motivation: This use case is useful when you want to quickly switch to the next song in your current playlist without interacting directly with the Spotify app.

Explanation:

• spotify - the command itself.
• next - the sub-command to skip to the next song in the playlist.

Example output:

Skipping to next song in the playlist.

Use case 5: Change volume

Code:

spotify vol up|down|value

Motivation: This use case enables you to control the volume of your Spotify playback directly from the command line, providing a convenient way to adjust the volume without needing to access the Spotify app.

Explanation:

• spotify - the command itself.
• vol - the sub-command to change the volume.
• up|down|value - the argument specifying the desired volume adjustment. ‘up’ increases the volume, ‘down’ decreases the volume, and ‘value’ sets the volume to a specific value. Replace ‘value’ with an actual numeric value to set the volume level directly.

Example output:

Volume increased.

Use case 6: Show the playback status and song details

Code:

spotify status

Motivation: This use case provides an overview of the current playback status and displays details about the currently playing song, allowing users to stay informed about their listening experience.

Explanation:

• spotify - the command itself.
• status - the sub-command to show the playback status and song details.

Example output:

Playback Status: Playing
Song: Song_Name - Artist_Name
Album: Album_Name
Duration: 3:45

Conclusion:

In this article, we explored the various use cases of the ‘spotify’ command, a command-line interface to Spotify. Whether you want to play a specific song or playlist, control the playback, adjust the volume, or view the playback status, the ‘spotify’ command provides a convenient way to manage your Spotify listening experience directly from the command line.