Philosophy

Why RE-KORD

The story behind the project, the problem it solves and where we're headed.

Music became a rental service

Streaming, monthly subscriptions, libraries that vanish, geo-blocked catalogs, compressed audio quality, algorithms that decide what you hear. Over the last decade, music shifted from something you own to something you rent — that stops working the moment you stop paying, or the service shuts down.

Yet many of us still have hundreds or thousands of audio files: legally purchased albums, our own productions, downloaded podcasts, royalty-free music. Files that live on a hard drive and deserve a serious player — not yet another minimal app that barely does play and stop.

"RE-KORD is not a cloud service: it's a home for your music."

What was missing

Local music players exist. But they almost all choose between two extremes: either minimal and featureless, or bloated and slow. What was missing was a tool that:

  • Indexes the library intelligently (artists, genres, moods).
  • Handles metadata, artwork and synced LRC lyrics from a single interface.
  • Downloads music directly into the library without external tools.
  • Runs as a server on the local network, reachable from any device.
  • Is fun enough to want to use every day — thanks to Plectr and the visualizer suite.
  • Is completely free and open source, with no hidden monetization.

Three principles

lock_open

Total control

Your files, your machine, your format. No lock-in, no mandatory account.

build

Serious tools

Metadata, artwork, downloads, stats, LRC, multi-profile. Not just play and stop.

sports_esports

Fun

Plectr and the audio visualizer suite (including DiscoWall) turn listening into an interactive experience.

Disclaimer: use only music you own

RE-KORD is designed for legal libraries: royalty-free music, your own productions, legally purchased tracks, downloadable podcasts, content you have the right to use. The built-in downloader (yt-dlp) exists to make saving freely distributable content easier — not to circumvent copyright.

Creiv and RE-KORD contributors are not responsible for what users download, import or manage. Each user is solely responsible for compliance with copyright law.

Roadmap

RE-KORD 5 — Current

A ground-up rewrite: a Rust hub, a Svelte 5 client and Tauri 2 apps for Windows, Linux and Android. New admin panel, headless Linux package, portable Windows downloads, German UI, WMA/AIFF/ALAC playback, exact durations for long MP3s and a redesigned Plectr — with every legacy feature carried over and your data imported automatically. Later updates added podcasts & news, tags and covers read from every format, a Power option that keeps the hub awake, and Studio downloads that arrive tagged, with their cover.

Next

macOS packages and more metadata providers.

Future

Advanced custom themes, multilingual documentation and LTS releases for stable environments.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Practical answers about alternatives, licensing, features and day-to-day use.

Why not use Navidrome, Jellyfin, Plex or a classic player?
Why not just open the folder in Nautilus, Explorer or Finder?
Is RE-KORD a replacement for Spotify or Apple Music?
Is RE-KORD really free?
Can I use, modify and redistribute it?
Do I need an account? Where is my data?
Does RE-KORD use my camera or microphone?
Server or Client — which package do I need?
Which operating systems are supported?
Windows says “Windows protected your PC” — is it safe?
AppImage or .deb on Linux?
I use the legacy RE-KORD — what happens to my data?
What's new in RE-KORD 5?
Which audio formats are supported?
Can RE-KORD play podcasts, news and radio?
The hub stops answering until someone wakes the computer — what can I do?
Is there an app for Android or iPhone?
Can I listen away from home?
Can I customize how RE-KORD looks?
Does it work without internet?
Is the built-in downloader (yt-dlp) legal?
YouTube downloads fail, or age-restricted songs won't download — what can I do?

Ready to try it?

Download RE-KORD, read the tutorial or contribute on GitHub.