[IDEA] Build a new dedicated "FCast Music Provider" (custom receiver) for Music Assistant?

[Hedda]

Use Cases

Suggest you consider building a dedicated/proper and native "FCast Music Provider" (custom receiver) for Music Assistant's server codebase:

• 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 audio providers of all types and not only music providers).

The main purpose with this suggestion would be to have a native FCast custom receiver built-into Music Assistant server and that would help further promote the use of FCast as an optional alternative to other music providers it already supports (i.e. different music sources, e.g. custom receivers).

• https://developers.music-assistant.io/#building-your-own-player-provider

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

Maybe it could even be a good idea to also consider making an FCast "sender" as player provider inside Music Assistant as well?

• https://www.music-assistant.io/player-support/

Proposal

Tip there is a _demo_music_provider (and a _demo_player_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

References

In case you did not know; "Music Assistant" (or "MA" for short, a sister-project to Home Assistant) is a free and open-source music library manager project from the Open Home Foundation, made to interlink your offline and online music sources so that you can easily stream your favourite music to a wide range of supported players and smart speakers as well as be combined with the power of Home Assistant:

• https://www.music-assistant.io

The biggest benefit with Music Assistant is that it can connect to most streaming services as well as to most connected speakers. The server is the beating heart, the core of Music Assistant and it keeps track of your music sources. It must run on an always-on device like a Raspberry Pi, a NAS or an Intel NUC or alike. The server can access multiple music sources and stream to multiple player types.

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

[Hedda]

Another alternative could be to create a "Sendspin over FCast" as a FCast custom receiver implementing the Sendspin synchronized audio protocol, similar to this custom Chromecast receiver for Sendspin, as Sendspin is made by same developers as Music Assistant:

• https://github.com/Sendspin/cast

In addition to that, Music Assistant 2.8 release introduced the concept of "Sendspin Bridges" which “wraps” Sendspin around your existing Chromecast and AirPlay-capable devices:

• https://www.music-assistant.io/blog/2026/03/25/music-assistant-2-8/#take-it-to-the-bridge

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

FYI, Sendspin is an open standard from the Open Home Foundation for the complete music listening experience: listen, and control:

• https://www.sendspin-audio.com/

  • https://github.com/Sendspin

    • https://github.com/Sendspin/spec

For reference, there is an introduction to Sendspin in this other blog-post section:

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

  Introducing Sendspin

  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.

PS: For a summery of the more technical parts and progress you can read this thread in the Music Assistant dicusssions forum:

• https://github.com/orgs/music-assistant/discussions/4200