# DroppedNeedle — Music Discovery & Streaming **DroppedNeedle** is a music discovery and streaming service that searches multiple sources (including Usenet and Soulseek) to find and play music. Think of it as a personal Spotify powered by community-shared libraries. ## Access - **Web UI:** - **Internal (home network):** ## Features - Search across multiple music sources simultaneously - Stream found tracks directly in the browser or mobile app - Automatic FLAC-to-Opus transcoding for storage efficiency - Library management and playlist creation - Integration with [slskd](../technical/slskd-soulseek.md) for Soulseek P2P searches ## Getting Started 1. Open in your browser or mobile app. 2. Click **Sign In** and choose **Sign in with The Nest**. 3. Use the search bar to find a song, album, or artist. 4. Click play — DroppedNeedle will locate and stream the best available source. ## How It Finds Music DroppedNeedle queries multiple backends: - **Usenet:** Searches indexed Usenet groups for high-quality releases (requires working indexer configuration). - **Soulseek:** Queries the [slskd](../technical/slskd-soulseek.md) instance running in The Nest for peer-shared files. - **Local library:** Plays music already stored on The Nest's NFS share. ## Tips - **Search tips:** Use specific album or artist names for better results. DroppedNeedle prioritizes higher-bitrate sources. - **Transcoding:** FLAC files are automatically transcoded to Opus (160 kbps) when streamed. Originals remain on disk. - **Mobile streaming:** Use the DroppedNeedle mobile app (if available) or your device's built-in browser for the best experience. ## Related Services - [slskd](../technical/slskd-soulseek.md) — Soulseek P2P client that feeds DroppedNeedle searches - [Sonarr/Radarr](../technical/media-automation-pipeline.md#radarr) — Automated movie/TV downloads (not music) --- *TODO: Add screenshot of DroppedNeedle search results page.*