clementine

Start the GUI or bring it to front

$ clementine

$ clementine [url|path/to/music.ext]

$ clementine [[-t|--play-pause]]

$ clementine [[-s|--stop]]

$ clementine --[next|previous]

$ clementine [[-c|--create]] [url1 url2 ...|path/to/music1.ext path/to/music2.ext ...]

$ clementine [[-l|--load]] [path/to/playlist.ext]

$ clementine [[-k|--play-track]] [5]

clementine [OPTIONS...] [FILES/URLs...]
clementine --remote-control-command

FILES/URLs...
    One or more audio files or URLs to open upon launch. If Clementine is already running, these are added to the playlist.

--play
    Starts playback if Clementine is running and paused or stopped.

--pause
    Pauses playback if Clementine is running and playing.

--stop
    Stops playback if Clementine is running.

--next
    Plays the next track in the current playlist.

--previous
    Plays the previous track in the current playlist.

--toggle-play
    Toggles between play and pause states for the current track.

--volume-up
    Increases the playback volume.

--volume-down
    Decreases the playback volume.

--set-volume <level>
    Sets the volume to a specific level, where level is an integer between 0 and 100.

--seek <seconds>
    Seeks to a specific time (in seconds from the beginning) within the current track.

--random
    Toggles the random play mode (shuffles the playlist).

--repeat
    Toggles the repeat play mode for the current track or playlist.

--shuffle
    Toggles shuffle play mode (similar to --random).

--status
    Prints the current playback status to standard output, including track title, artist, album, and position.

--activate
    Brings the Clementine main window to the foreground if it is running.

--quit
    Sends a command to the running Clementine instance to exit.

--version
    Displays the Clementine application version and build information.

--help
    Displays a summary of command-line options and their usage.

Clementine is a free and open-source multiplatform music player that was initially created as a fork of Amarok 1.4. It is designed to provide a fast and user-friendly interface for managing and playing a wide variety of music files. Beyond local music collections, Clementine boasts extensive support for numerous internet radio services such as Spotify, SoundCloud, Icecast, and SomaFM, as well as podcasts. It can seamlessly integrate with cloud storage services like Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive, allowing users to stream music directly from the cloud. Key features include smart and dynamic playlists, audio transcoding, CUE sheet support, and remote control capabilities via web interface or dedicated mobile apps (Android/iOS). Its objective is to offer a comprehensive, yet resource-efficient, music listening solution for desktop users.

Clementine is primarily a graphical user interface (GUI) application. Its command-line interface is mainly intended for launching the application, opening specific files, or controlling an already running instance. Most playback control options (e.g., --play, --pause, --next) require a Clementine instance to be active in the background for them to function correctly. If no instance is running, invoking these commands typically results in no action or simply launches the GUI without the intended control effect.

One of Clementine's significant strengths is its broad availability across multiple operating systems. It provides native builds for Linux, Windows, and macOS, ensuring a consistent and familiar user experience regardless of the user's preferred desktop environment.

Clementine was created in 2010 as a fork of Amarok 1.4, a popular music player on Linux. The development team initiated this fork in response to the significant architectural changes and user interface redesign introduced in Amarok 2.0, which many long-time users found less intuitive and feature-rich than the previous version. Clementine aimed to restore the user experience and feature set of Amarok 1.4 while updating the underlying technologies to modern standards (initially Qt 4, later Qt 5) and adding new functionalities such as cloud service integration, advanced internet radio support, and improved library management. It quickly gained a dedicated user base across Linux, Windows, and macOS, becoming a popular choice for desktop music playback.

amarok(1), rhythmbox(1), vlc(1), mpv(1)