Steam Music FAQ

[Christen]

We've received a number of questions about Steam Music since our announcement of the feature, so here's a round-up of information about Steam Music.

Why is Valve adding music features to its Steam client?

For years, customers have been asking us to provide a basic way for them to access and play music while in-game. Task-switching between resource-intensive 3D games and other desktop apps has never been a graceful experience for gamers, so an in-game player can help by eliminating that pain point.

Beyond addressing this context-switching hurdle, we see an opportunity to broaden Steam as an entertainment platform which includes music alongside games and other forms of media. With our ongoing efforts to make Steam accessible in the living room with SteamOS and Steam Machines, the timing feels right for us to make an investment in this broader picture.

Why build a local music player when streaming services have become the status quo?

Like many new features of Steam, we’ve aimed to introduce a basic, reasonable set of features to begin a beta. With your beta feedback in mind, we hope to build more features, creating the experience that’s most compelling to our customers. Interested in some sort of streaming music experience? Let us know what you're looking for in the discussions.

What file types does the Steam Music player support?

Steam supports MP3s at this point in time, with support for more file types on the way.

How can I join the Steam Music Beta?

The beta is invite-only at this time, and requesting an invite on the forums will do you no good. Instead, to express interest in beta participation, simply join the Steam Music group. A random selection of group members will receive email invites in waves, until the feature is released to everyone.

I’m in the beta! How do I add my music collection to my Steam library?

First, be sure you’re opted into the Steam Client Beta (via Settings) and using SteamOS or Big Picture mode. Then, you can point Steam to your collection of MP3 files on a local hard drive. This is done either through Music Settings or the “+” button in Steam’s “Recently Played” view.

I’m running SteamOS. How do I get my music collection onto my Steam machine?

You can either attach an external drive containing your collection of MP3s, or visit the SteamOS desktop and transfer files from the source of your choice to your hard drive there. Once available as local MP3s, SteamOS will detect these files when you point Steam to their location on disk.

Does Steam Music work with In-Home Streaming?

When connecting to a remote computer to play, you can also stream its music files via the Steam Overlay.

Hey, where is the desktop user interface?

On its way!

Where is that one feature I really care about?

Unless you’re simply a big fan of the “Play” button, you may not find your favorite music feature exists here just yet. This beta is being conducted in large part to gather your feedback and respond with additional feature investments as they make sense. Hoping to route your music through your Steam controller’s haptic pistons like a freaky kazoo? Let us know in the discussions.

Will music be sold on Steam?

Steam currently offers a number of game soundtracks for sale. Your feedback will help guide where we take things next.

What features can we expect to be added to Steam Music?

Head to the forums, and join the conversation. Again, your feedback will inform what becomes of Steam Music.