I know there's already a few posts about how people listen to, or discover new music, but I wanted to see how other people get their music. Do you buy CDs or vinyl? Digital downloads? Use streaming services? Something else? And why?
Until a few years ago, I would jump between streaming services depending on the best deals I could get, but got very concerned the more I read about how little money most musicians get from streaming listens (especially via Spotify) - and given I tend to listen to less popular bands/artists, it seems particularly bad for them.
I have a small selection of CDs and vinyl, but mostly buy my music digitally - directly via Bandcamp if the artist is on there, or through an online store like 7digital (or even sometimes if no other option, Amazon) if not. I have a home server where I keep my music and like to be able to stream it directly to my phone, so this tends to be the best of both worlds for me.
I use spotify for most of my listening, but I also buy a lot from bandcamp (digitally). I keep my purchases downloaded on my home server and on my phone for offline use.
mostly listen via youtube, sometimes buy music via bandcamp, but usually not downloading nor listening via it, it is just an act of reward and encouragement.
i have a several vinyls and a cd, that i cannot get rid of, because the artist does not sell his music anymore. (but i have no way to play it).
When I find a song, I like to keep it. Streaming cant do that. You can create playlists of course, but they may at any time silently remove or replace that song. You dont know suffering until you've heard a bad cover of Hotel California.
Now I only buy mp3s. Mostly from 7digital.com or Bandcamp. Amazon dont sell music to Norwegians somewhy. The last album I bought I finally had to download iTunes because thats the only place except for Amazon they released. The app wasnt as intrusive and DRM enforcing anymore as it used to be a long time ago. So I might use iTunes a bit more now. (Yeah, I tend to hold a grudge against software companies for a LONG time. You hear that, reddit!)
Got all my mp3s (23 GB) stored on Onedrive, and use CloudPlayer on android to stream it wherever.
I refuse to stream because of the possibility of services shutting down and losing all the music you "purchased" (never mind needing an internet connection), and the sorts of copy protection and other things I've encountered when purchasing digital music turned me off of the whole thing years ago. Now I have all of my music on my phone, on my computer, and a physical backup too.
Plus, you can sometimes find CDs cheap at garage sales and thrift stores so there's a fun treasure hunt aspect there too.
I actually use archive.org for a lot of live concert recordings. bands like the Grateful Dead and Phish have been allowing/sort of encouraging fans to record and freely share their concerts for a long time and it’s all just out there to listen to and download as much as you want. there’s also the official streaming services like nugs.net and LivePhish for higher quality professionally recorded concerts, the subscription is kind of pricey but I think the artists get a better cut than on regular streaming services.
other than that I do use Spotify a bit and try to buy stuff on Bandcamp to support the artists when I can.
i do buy physical albums by kpop artists i really like. otherwise i purchase digitally (bandcamp if they're there) or pirate. i like not having to worry about my music being pulled off of streaming services or how those services handle privacy. the only downside for me is missing out when everyone shares their yearly streaming wrap-ups lol
I use Plex to host my music. It's not super difficult to set up. And Plexamp is a pretty good player.
Plex also has the option for you to subscribe to Tidal, which I do. And the ability to stream my own music that's not available anywhere on any stream plus almost everything out there that Spotify has is the best combo.
Jellyfin is another server like Plex, but I haven't ever set it up so I don't know how involved it is.
I use Jellyfin, and this was my first home server. Think if I managed it it has to be relatively easy for most people comfortable enough with computers. Probably slightly more involved than Plex though I imagine!
I use Apple music. It may not have all the indie artists of Bandcamp or whatever, but it’s super convenient, it has all the music I need, and it works so smoothly within the Apple ecosystem. Every device I have can share my account and pickup where another device left off. Plus the family account works great where everyone in my family can have their own account while there’s only one payment per month.
I'm not jazzed that they're trying to turn it into an Instagram/TikTok of sorts. I don't want little video clips with my music - I just want the music!
Radio, believe me or not. I try to fish on some indie radios.
Also, through podcast or YT: I like when they tell you the story or meaning or help you understand in any way. It helps me enjoy music. Then is easy to pull the threat to jump from one artist to the next.
Then I buy CD on their official website, but don't really listen to them.
I thought I was the only person that almost exclusively listened to the radio! I live in an area with a good variety of stations so that helps, I realize some people have very little options when they turn on the radio. I occasionally put on Pandora when I want to listen to a specific obscure genre or YouTube when I'm looking up a specific artist.
I'm mostly on Tidal. I like the higher quality and the increased pay-out options. If I really like the music, I'll either buy it on vinyl or Bandcamp, especially if it's a smaller artist
Use Spotify / Apple Podcasts more for podcasts…I collect vinyl, I think it “forces” me to listen to an album as a whole. It’s enjoyable. My set is isn’t crazy expensive and still sounds great!
Mainly Bandcamp for new electronic music, FLAC and cassette or CD for certain artists that I really like. Discogs for CDs of older music and Tidal for streaming older music.
I buy my music on BandCamp when I can and physical when I can. I prefer to buy albums on CD, other than Dungeon Synth music (which I prefer to buy on cassette for the sake of consistency). I do also own a number of albums on vinyl and/or cassette, most of the time because it is the only format I can get a physical copy in.