[REQUEST] Build a new dedicated "Music Provider" for Music Assistant?

[Hedda]

@RASPIAUDIOadmin Please consider building a dedicated/proper and native "Music Provider" for Music Assistant's server userbase:

• https://developers.music-assistant.io/#building-a-new-music-provider

  "A Music Provider is the provider type that adds support for a 'source of music' to Music Assistant's server codebase. Spotify and Youtube Music are examples of a Music Provider, (but also local Filesystem and SMB can be put in the Music Provider category). All Providers can be found in the music_assistant/providers folder" in the Music Assistant server codebase (however note that those there are providers of all types and not only music providers).

• https://www.music-assistant.io/music-providers/

Tip there is a _demo_music_provider in the music_assistant/providers/ folder of Music Assistant's server codebase that can help get you started faster.

• https://github.com/music-assistant/server/tree/dev/music_assistant/providers

In case you did not know; "Music Assistant" (or "MA" for short, a sister-project to Home Assistant) is a music library manager for your offline and online music sources which can easily stream your favourite music to a wide range of supported players and be combined with the power of Home Assistant:

• https://www.music-assistant.io

For a better summery read these three blog-posts from their MA 2.0 announcement onwards to better understand what Music Assistant is all about:

• https://www.music-assistant.io/blog/2024/05/09/music-assistant-2/

  • https://www.music-assistant.io/blog/2025/03/05/music-assistants-next-big-hit/

    • https://www.music-assistant.io/blog/2025/12/17/music-assistant-2-7/

      • https://www.music-assistant.io/blog/2026/03/25/music-assistant-2-8/

Easiest is to install Music Assistant server as an app/addon under Home Assistant Operating System (Home Assistant Operating OS installed on a Raspberry Pi or HAOS installed on a similar single-board-computer):

• https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/music_assistant

If you

PS: The "simplest" (but not user-friendly) workaround alternative to stream to Music Assistant if you do not have a proper music provider is to put together a DIY setup with Darkcast to capture and Icecast to build a solution that will digitize and stream audio as a web radio stream (URL) that you could add as a radio station in Music Assistant.

• https://www.music-assistant.io/faq/stream-to/#music-assistant

[Hedda]

For discussions about RaspiAudio Digital Radio V1 HAT on the Music Assistant community forum check out this discussion thread:

• https://github.com/orgs/music-assistant/discussions/5303

[Hedda]

By the way, while the new Sendspin audio protocol does not yet support using Sendspin clients audio sources (acting as a "source role") it would be still interesting if could look into that if want to offer a 100% native Music Assistant integration experience. See:

• https://www.sendspin-audio.com

  • Add source@v1 role for audio input devices Sendspin/spec#52

    • Add a "Source Role" for audio input devices so hardware can have Line-Level Audio input and can act as a Sendspin audio source? Sendspin/spec#14

FYI, Sendspin is a new open standard from the Open Home Foundation and support for it was introduced in Music Assistant 2.7:

• https://www.music-assistant.io/blog/2025/12/17/music-assistant-2-7/#spin-me-right-round

  • https://www.music-assistant.io/blog/2026/03/25/music-assistant-2-8/#moving-on-up

Introducing Sendspin (quote from Music Assistant 2.7 release blog)

For some time, the Music Assistant team has been looking for the best way to stream audio, album art, and other music visualizations to the devices we have around our homes. There are a couple of projects out there doing cool stuff with streaming audio, but not any that fit our needs. So, when it doesn’t exist, it’s time to start building.

Introducing Sendspin, a new multimedia streaming and synchronizing protocol. It’s fully open source and free to use. Sendspin can stream high-fidelity audio, album art, and visualizer data, automatically adapting to each device’s capabilities. Imagine an e-paper display showcasing the album cover, while multiple speakers play in sync, and smart lights pulse to the rhythm.

The best way to use it right now is either via your browser or a Home Assistant Voice Preview Edition running beta firmware. We’ve built the experimental ability to use Sendspin on Google Cast-capable speakers (we’re also looking to do the same with AirPlay-capable speakers), which will allow Sendspin to work with a lot of different hardware.

A big thanks to Maxim and Kevin at the Open Home Foundation, who have been instrumental in making Sendspin a reality. Even though it can do some impressive stuff today, it’s very much a tech preview, and this announcement is our call to all developers and DIY audio hobbyists – we need your help building and testing this. This is the spec, start building with it!

All the best things in life are meant to be shared, and your music should be as free and open as the software we love. So spin that record, drop the needle, and send that music across your entire home.

Sendspin’s on a roll (quote from Music Assistant 2.8 release blog)

This iteration marks a major milestone for Sendspin, our new multimedia streaming and synchronizing protocol that’s been building momentum since its debut. Sendspin is open source, free to use, and can seamlessly stream high-fidelity audio, album art, and visualizer data to all your home devices. When we released the tech preview for Sendspin in version 2.7, we invited all developers and DIY audio hobbyists into the mix to help us build and test in the open…

And the collaboration was a hit. With your input, we’ve been able to make major progress: the specification is nearly complete, implementations are almost finished, and an ecosystem of Sendspin-compliant clients has emerged. Version 2.8 showcases this evolution with significant performance and quality improvements, bringing Sendspin closer to graduation from preview status.

Sendspin is moving on up, but before we hit the chorus, a little moment for the bridge…

Smooth streaming

This is the one we’ve all been waiting for. Before this release, if you wanted to group a Sonos speaker with a Google Nest (via Chromecast), you were out of luck.

In 2.8, we’ve introduced Sendspin Bridges, which “wraps” Sendspin around your existing Chromecast and AirPlay-capable devices (such as Sonos). By turning these devices into Sendspin players, Music Assistant can now treat them as one big, happy family. You can finally create a Sendspin Group that mixes and matches brands, keeping them in perfect sync. Your Sonos in the lounge and your Chromecast in the kitchen are finally on the same team!

[RASPIAUDIOadmin]

Check the main branch just added the MA integration using streaming urls and playlist, see the readme.