The Deezer iPhone App is very similar to the Spotify App. No, make that darn near exactly the same. While there are a few very small differences between Deezer and Spotify, there's one positive and one negative that will affect how you use Deezer in your class.
I love how the Deezer App allows you to change the track order on your phone, instead of needing to make changes on a computer like Spotify. Clicking the pencil icon bring you to edit mode where you can reorder to your hearts content.
Note: neither service lets you change someone else's playlist. If you want to switch/change/substitute tracks you need to create a new playlist and copy/drag all the tracks into it.
Both Deezer and Spotify offer an “offline” mode so the music is actually downloaded to your phone vs. needing to rely on a wireless connection for streaming.
Note: we hear frequently from Instructors who are confused by both Deezer and Spotify being advertised as “Streaming Music Services” – which they are… but for your class you should only use the “Sync” (Deezer) or “Available Offline” (Spotify) modes to ensure uninterrupted playback. Android devices say simply “Download”. This is very important because both Deezer and Spotify display “local” tracks (from iTunes) when you're creating a new playlist. If your new playlist includes a local track it'll skip over / won't play if you try to stream your class using the club's wireless. Syncing your iPhone, using the same wireless network as your desktop, ensures all your tracks will be there.
With Spotify you need to open each playlist before you can toggle the “Available Offline” option. With Deezer you can set a playlist to “Sync” at both the playlists screen and once you've opened the individual playlist.
Here's the “Now Playing” screen. Disappointingly Deezer has chosen to use the same tiny font as Spotify for the playlist timer. Obviously all of their developers are all young, with young people's eyes 🙁
So what's the negative difference between Deezer and Spotify?
Deezer doesn't appear (I can't find it) to offer a crossfade option. I really enjoy a seamless class, especially when it doesn't take any time to create, so I would miss not having this feature. Beyond that they're almost identical and either could make a huge improvement to your class.
We're in the process of adding a one-click Deezer playlist link to each Audio PROfile and plan to have this completed by tomorrow. We are doing this specially for all of our Canadian ICI/PRO members who can't access Spotify.
If you are in Canada you can click any of the Deezer links like this one to Krista's playlist shown above and sample each track – Deezer will open and you don't need to sign up in advance. Those of us in America will need to wait until whenever they get here.
I've been consumed learning all about the Deezer music service and completely forgot to post this yesterday 🙁
My memory is a bit fuzzy, but I'm pretty sure the very first Indoor Cycling class I taught was in the fall of 1998 – about 15 years ago. Amy had just been hired to develop an Indoor Cycling program at Bokoo Bikes, a new local bicycle retailer where I was leading their outdoor group rides. The owner's plan was to add some life and energy to the store, during the cold/dark/long winter months when people aren't much interested in visiting a store that sells outdoor bicycles.
We had four Instructors, eight Lemond bikes, a single speaker and our own corner of the bike store. Amy organised a schedule of two weekday – evening classes, one on Saturday morning and I taught a 90 minute endurance class on Sundays. It was awesome… until 2004 when Life Time Fitness built a big box club a few miles down the road. We lost everyone to their beautiful, dedicated studio with 45 new Spinner NXTs, four speakers + a massive subwoofer and showers.
This actually worked out well for me. Between teaching in the winter and leading summer group rides, I had developed a loyal following. These friends made a few suggestions (gotta love those comment cards) to the Life Time department head, which resulted in my current employment.
15 years is a long time to be doing anything and the need to stay fresh (at least for me) is a continuous process.
One strategy to keep from getting stale has been to do the unexpected. Instead of teaching from the normal front & center position, I'll jump in and ride with my class. This is really effective when you're using virtual ride videos and actually teaching to what's being displayed.
Another option to shake things up is to teach with OPM (other people's music). Spotify makes it so easy to grab another Instructor's music and hit play. This may sound like it would result in a random & disorganised class, but it doesn't. If you've taught for a bunch of years like I have, the class just flows out of you.
Barbara Hoots taught me the value of using a remix of a well know song – and a well produced mashup is even better – to grab both your and your classes attention. Here are a few mashups that you can use to shake things up in your class for your free tracks this week.
I really love Fleetwood Mac and this mashup with Adele is awesome.
No one will be expecting this to include the Bee Gees.
Deezer offers all the benefits of Spotify and (unlike Spotify) it is available to all of our ICI/PRO members in Canada.
But for some strange reason, it's available most everywhere on the planet… except not in the USA and Japan. At least for now – but it will be soon, I hope.
I've been continually frustrated with how Spotify hasn't been accessible to our neighbors to the north. Starting this weekend each of our over 55 Audio PROfiles will include a link to a Deezer One Click Playlists for all of our Canadian ICI/PRO Members!
I've just begun learning* about all the features offered by Deezer. I have to say that once Deezer get's here, I'll probably be switching 🙂 So far it looks awesome – and yes it has a playlist timer!
But it goes beyond the a simple timer. Deezer offers you MixMeister like control over each track in your playlist; start/stop, pitch control (yes I said PITCH CONTROL), volume control (because auto-volume never seems to work right), cross-fade, EQ and yes there's an App for that – both iPhone/iPad and Android devices are fully supported for off-line use. This is exactly what I've been waiting for!
Depending where you are located, you're seeing the Deezer player below.If you are not in the USA or Japan, you can click it and Deezer will play 30 second samples for you – or – the full song if you are logged into a Deezer account. Those 30 second samples are something Spotify never offered – If you didn't have a spotify account the player doesn't work. Which will make it very easy for everyone to sample our playlists once Deezer comes to America.
USA and Japanese Instructors will be taken to a “coming soon” page where you can subscribe to receive a notification if/when it's avalible. Just like Spotify, once you have a Deezer account you can subscribe to a playlist, share with your friends and follow people. Deezer doesn't require a Facebook account to register, just a valid email. Pricing for a premium account (so you can use your phone) is about the same @ ~$10.00 a month.
The team at ICI/PRO understands that many of you appreciate the educational tutorials, tips and tricks we've offered for Spotify over the past year. We are committed to providing similar help and support for Deezer users.
I see this as another game-changer for Instructors, so stay tuned.
Are you already using Deezer? I'd love to know your experiences.
*Don't ask how I'm able to access their service, let's just say; I have a “friend” in canada who's helping me with all of this.
I received this update from epicPLANET.tv'sproducer Allen Jones this morning.
Great pillow Allen!
Hi John,
RAAM was the ultimate sufferfest, not only for the racers but for me as well! How about between 2-3 hours sleep per night for over a week? Sleeping wherever I could find a horizontal place – the ground, the floor of one of our RV's, etc. Bathing every few days. Hit or miss on food. NO alcohol (race rules – a good one too!).
The only part that did cooperate was the weather – only a few hours of rain one evening. And many good tailwinds.
There were lots of dramatic moments, meltdowns, you name it, but the team prevailed through it all and finished in 7 days and change.
Now here I sit with over 20 hours of documentary coverage and endless possibilities…
Which explains why they dropped their planned daily update videos. I was wondering how they thought they would have time to do much more than follow and film the team they were with – who did finish with a very respectable time of 7 days / 9 hours /44 minutes = 16.67 mph average over the 2,962 mile course.
These four animals had the fastest team, averaging 21.12 mph and crossed the finish after just 5 days and 21 hours. These guys must have been flying because averaging 21 mph over a few hours is tough… I can't imagine maintaining it over hundreds of miles, much less the full 2,962 mile RAAM course.
Stages Master Educator Dunte Hector presents Two-Minute Tortures, his second 30 minute work-set Audio PROfile. Designed to be used as the working component of a 45/60 min class or as the cardio portion of a hybrid class that includes strength training.
I read Joe Parkin’s A Dog in a Hat after my very first criterium race, where I had felt turned inside-out by the outrageous pace, frenzied attacking, and panicked rest periods. When he described one very hard kermis race (Belgian bike racers’ answer to Americans’ criterium) as being like punk rock, where he and his team attacked the field from the starting gun and then quit after the first lap, this line stuck with me: “It was strangely worth it, as if we had smashed our guitars, poured beer on the audience, and walked offstage before the end of the first song.”
in Amazon.com