In the next article we are going to take a look at the Tidal CLI Client. If someone doesn't know you, say that TIDAL is an entertainment platform that tries to create a bond between artists and fans through music. People who use Tidal can listen to music on Android, Apple and Windows devices.
The problem is that Tidal does not have a client for Gnu / Linux distributions. However, as is usual in this wonderful world, when a problem arises, there is always someone looking for a solution. In this case, they have created a solution called Tidal CLI Client. It is a command line based music player application. It is available in 52 countries and offers access to some 60 million songs.
Before continuing, it must be said that if you want to use Tidal CLI Client, it is necessary to remember that this application is only a client. You must have a Tidal account to log in. If you want an account to try it, you can go to his official website and create a test account. They will give you a trial month, if after the month you want to continue using this service you will have to pay a little less than ten euros (in your standard plan).
Once everything is clear, let's talk about some of the features of the Tidal CLI Client.
Tidal CLI Client General Features
The application, in its version 2.0 it is completely rewritten. Most of the new features are: more abstraction and cleaner code, better error handling, every request to the API is cached, keyboard shortcuts are configurable, and it offers more control of the play queue.
Download is free. You don't have to spend a single penny on this. However, as I already warned lines above, it must be remembered that the monthly subscription to the service, after the trial period, is not free. It will cost you some money.
The interface of an application is as important as what it does. If you choose to use the Tidal CLI Client you will use the command line interface. This app has no GUI.
You have dependencies like MPV and W3M. Other dependencies can be installed through the command line.
The source code of this client is available to everyone. It can be found in your GitHub page.
Tidal CLI Client Installation
This application we will install via package manager npm. For this we will need to have it installed previously. Once installed on our computer, installing Tidal CLI Client on Ubuntu is easy and straightforward. Run the following command in a terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T) for installation:
sudo npm -g i tidal-cli-client@latest
To get more information on how to use this application, you can follow the instructions posted on the official GitHub page.
Basic instructions for use
When you open the application for the first time you will see that the necessary dependencies will be installed. When the interface loads you will see a form. Enter the username (First of all) and the password (second) on the pictures, then send them with the button Sign in.
After this it will load the main application.
To move between the elements, press the Tab key. Other keys that you can use in the program interface will be:
- F2 → Open the action entry bar and automatically enters the search. There you can write your query.
- n → When an item in the list is focused, the add the focused item to the queue as below.
- a → When an item in the list is focused, the add the focused item to the queue last.
- l → Allow play the next track in the queue. It works as a next button.
At the bottom of the application there is a green bar. When you press «:»Automatically takes focus. Most of the navigation in the app is based on this text input. You can consult the list of available commands at the project's GitHub page.
To listen to music via commands is not worth it, we are in the XNUMXst century, better to use Tidal web