Wrong assumtion…I’m sure it appeals to many users. For me, the catalog is too limited in terms of titles, artists, and genres to justify the price. And for users outside the US, it’s even less compelling, since many titles are simply inaccessible due to territorial restrictions.
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I think behind Nugs there is a good idea and concept, mainly from the tv app so you can assist live or on-demand concerts.
The issue to me is that the catalog is too small, just a few of musicians and bands.
And also, I don’t see much value on this for my Roon account, to be honest.
And yes, I agree that the price is far from objective, very expensive for what they offer.
I like although the 60 days free that Roon is offering so I will test the service more and I will cancel it in the next weeks.
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Fully agreed. There will always be features that are great for some and not important for others, but we all contribute to making it a healthy platform for everyone, which helps all of us in the long run.
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I’ve consumed music as voraciously as books since I was in my teens, and live music has been a mainstay. However, the manner in which I engaged with recorded live music has changed over the years.
Double live albums on vinyl were as close as I could get to ‘seeing’ bands who rarely toured as far as the extreme south west of England, with a few notable exceptions: Black Sabbath (Mob Rules tour), Rainbow, Thin Lizzy, Whitensake. Priest’s Unleashed in the East, Maiden’s Live After Death and Purple’s Made in Japan were played remorselessly.
Without checking the timing of the technology, my recollection is live music videos appeared around the same time as the transition from vinyl to CD’s - ending my enthusiasm for live albums on vinyl, and finding no need to pursue them on CD. I did invest in a hifi video player as an addition to my hifi separates though.
Fast forward a decade or so and the live videos have been replaced by live DVD’s and live BluRay’s (I have a frightening number), which I’m currently playing through my Marantz M1 and Wharfedale Lintons.
The point of all this being - I never looked back the moment I could watch as well as listen to live recorded music. For me, the visual experience is every bit as important as the aural. I have no use whatsoever for Nugs - it seems an entirely unnecessary third party. Additionally, in support of other comments, with the exception of Metallica, there are no bands I’m fussed about - and I’ve enough of their DVD’s to last the whole weekend. Roon + Tidal covers everything I need; Nugs is an uninvited guest (Marillion).
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If you like Jam band, bluegrass and similar music it can be a great deal.
I considered it worthwhile just to have watched Billy Strings live tours. Frequently bands have every show for multi week tours. They’ve also had things like the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and other special broadcasts.
I’m currently unsubscribed due to my finances, but I feel like if you find 1 live show a week that you like it’s worth it. There’s also a large archive.
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I love Roon but only to play music that I’ve purchased. I’m not interested in streaming at all. But the point that I really wanted to make, to pick up on one of your points, is that Roon itself is pretty niche. If Nugs attracts more Roon subscribers then that is surely a good thing as far as sustainability is concerned.
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Especially if you grab the Black Friday / Christmas deals.
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Similar - one of my favorite events each week is watching the Berlin Philharmonic live via their Digital Concert Hall. Seeing the video is so important to me - much more so that “just” the audio.
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Does nuts have BPO concerts?
No, sorry - as far as I can see, there is NO classical music available via Nugs 
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Thanks, John!
I’ve watched the debate about this addition, and feel strongly that - as many have said - nugs (of which I’d never heard before all of this) with Roon must be a good thing. The deal can surely only strengthen the appeal of Roon, from which we all benefit.
‘Twas similar in the 1960s, 70s etc when pop effectively subsidized serious music for labels like Decca, EMI and CBS etc.
It’s hard to believe, though, that at least one concert series or body now wouldn’t want to team up with Roon in an analogous way. Again, wouldn’t everybody ‘win’ that way?
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I would agree I play 95% + local files but don’t you miss the Discography feature on the Artist page in Roon (it only shows if you have a streaming service) , even if you only use it rarely to see what is available (to me) is worth the sub just to fill in the odd missing album.
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I don’t think the calculation is that simple.
If Roon loses mores subscribers than it gains by adding Nugs due to prioritizing Nugs over other features that current subscribers have been hoping for, then that’s not actually a good sustainability move.
Only time will tell.
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Wow, that’s big leap. We’ve had folder browsing, ARC, KKBOX, MQA… the list goes on, and some love them, and a few–yes, a few since a forum where a small fraction of users visit, is not representative–don’t.
I don’t think anyone has walked away because those features were added. Whether or not I decide to hang on to nugs, I’ll still continue using Roon.
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The only serious remaining existential threat to Roon is tidal and or qobuz going away. Neither of these streaming platforms seem to be killing it. I think Roon spending time building out integrations with content providers is an extremely good use of resources.
Was Roon anything other than qobuz/Tidal-integrated? For my coin, it is of no value without.
(Nugs seems to be somewhat lesser. I suppose I am curious whether my mid-fi integrated system could make something of the recordings there, but not $25-per curious… maybe for fans of the represented artists there are more direct ways of supporting them?)
I’ve taken the free trial and had a poke around in Nugs, it’s not for me.
If this is the biggest thing to happen with Roon for this year I shall be sorely dissapointed!
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Have had a good look, also not for me. Have unsubscribed already, altho I see I still have 2 months access before it expires.
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As many have said, it’s exorbitantly expensive in Australia (as it also is in other places). So expensive that I can’t even see the point in a free trial, especially as this becomes yet another company that has my credit card details when I’m unlikely to continue. Nice idea Roon, but…
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If I want to listen to live music I buy concert tickets and leave my house. Nugs is of absolutely no interest to me.
But perhaps it’s a sign that Roon wants to diversify the ecosystem. I wish they would add a couple more music streaming services instead.
It’s a damn shame that Spotify just bought whosampled.com, as I always had my fingers crossed that information might make it into Roon metadata.