Banshee Music Player Makes a Comeback: A Nostalgic Revival

A revived version of the Banshee music player has made its way back to modern Linux desktops, now available on the Snap store. Packaged by Alan Pope, this new release allows users to run Banshee 2.6.2, the last stable version from 2014, complete with compatibility fixes and the restoration of select online services, although not all historical services may function.

The Banshee Snap serves more as a preservation effort than an official continuation. By utilizing Snap’s container system, older dependencies can be bundled together without affecting the underlying operating system. Users can easily point the application to a folder containing music files to manage and play them. However, accessing files on external drives requires granting the snap the necessary permissions.

In testing on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, the application performed well, loading tracks quickly and supporting various music formats without any problems with album artwork. Media keys and MPRIS support were operational, but issues arose with the Last.fm login process, resulting in errors when attempting to authenticate. Video playback capabilities were also limited, a result of the significant advancements in formats and codecs since 2014.

Banshee has a rich history with Ubuntu, having served as the default music application from 2011 to 2012, replacing the popular Rhythmbox. At that time, it was noteworthy for being coded in Mono, an open-source reimplementation of .NET, which caused some concern in the Linux community due to fears over potential legal implications from Microsoft.

Although the Banshee package was ultimately removed from Debian archives in 2018 due to dependency issues, the Snap version revives nostalgia while functioning on current systems. Users interested in installing it can do so through the App Center or via a terminal command:

sudo snap install banshee

While the Banshee Snap provides a trip down memory lane, it remains an application of its time with some design and technical limitations that might not play well with modern specifications. If you recall using Banshee in its heyday, your thoughts and experiences would be welcomed.

For more details, you can check out the Banshee Snap on Snapcraft.