Listen 1
A desktop player that searches and plays songs from several Chinese music sites in one place.listen1/listen1_desktop
- Stars
- 11.4k
- Forks
- 1.5k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- JavaScript
- Last update
- 7 months ago
- Type
- App
What it is
Listen 1 is a desktop music player for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It lets you search and play songs from several major Chinese music platforms, such as NetEase Cloud Music, QQ Music, and Kugou, from a single app. It also supports favorites so you can build your own playlists.
- Search for a song across several supported platforms from one window
- Save songs to favorites and organize them into playlists
- Build your own installer packages from the source code using the provided npm scripts
Great for
- People who listen to music on Chinese streaming platforms and want one app for them
- Users who want a desktop player instead of a browser tab
- Developers who want to read or build a cross-platform Electron-style music app
Not ideal for
- Users outside China who need Western streaming catalogs, since the README lists only Chinese platforms
- People who need a fully supported, officially licensed music service, because the README does not describe licensing arrangements
- Users who need a polished, documented setup, since the README is brief and mostly in Chinese
How to get it
- 1
Clone and build from source
You'll need: Node.js · npm · git
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/listen1/listen1_desktopInitialize submodules (after checkout)
git submodule update --init --recursiveInstall and run
npm run start - 2
Run it
- Clone the repository and initialize its submodules.
- Run npm run start to launch the app from source.
- Search for a song using the supported platforms in the app.
- Add songs to favorites to build a playlist.
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Use the packaging scripts (npm run dist, dist:mac, dist:linux64, and others) to build an installer for your platform.
- Check the project homepage at listen1.github.io/listen1 for the downloadable installers the README points to.
- Look at the bilibili and other platform entries in the README to see the full source list before choosing what to use.
Downloads
Strengths
- Covers multiple platforms (NetEase, QQ, Kugou, Kuwo, bilibili, Migu, Qianqian) in one app
- Runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux
- Open source under the MIT license with a large community following
Trade-offs
- The README is short and mostly in Chinese, so setup details are limited
- Depends on third-party music sites, whose availability and terms the README does not explain
- Setup for building from source requires a submodule step and several npm scripts
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| listen1_desktop (this) | 11.4k | App | intermediate | 7 months ago | People who listen to music on Chinese streaming platforms and want one app for them |
| pear-desktop | 34k | App | beginner | 5 days ago | People who want YouTube Music in a standalone desktop window |
| YesPlayMusic | 33.5k | App | beginner | 27 days ago | Existing NetEase Cloud Music users who want a different player interface |
| AlgerMusicPlayer | 17.2k | App | beginner | 9 days ago | Chinese-speaking users who want a desktop music player with a separate desktop lyrics window |
| listen1_chrome_extension | 12.1k | App | beginner | 1.4 years ago | People who listen to music on the Chinese platforms listed in the README |
| koel | 17.3k | App | intermediate | 4 days ago | People who want to listen to their own music library from a browser |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.