Wildly disrespectful to any artist that ever lived. I’m all up for sharing alternatives that are good/better towards actual artists. Still evaluating my choices, but meanwhile this seems like the only and rather easy signal the streaming community can give as to spread the word if they agree (next to stopping your own subscription). Context: https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/22/spotifys-ai-bet-more-of-everything-less-of-what-you-want/
Hmm, I grew up with the pirate stuff back in the day but am kind of at the age where I don’t mind paying a little more for things I appreciate. I’m into self-hosting and all, but would love for there to be an ethical and legal alternative to recommend 😅. I think I would miss the jam-feature the most on such a route, as sharing the playlist/queue wherever you are from a huge catalog with friends is difficult to maintain. It seems that convenience is always the way they keep you locked in ☹️
Theres a toooon of sites to just buy digital tracks from. Hdtracks I recall, I have no idea how good they are.
For me, if I’m paying , im getting physical media. Or at the very minimum DRM free media
Bandcamp amazingly hasn’t shit the bed yet. Its not for super popular artists but there is a lot on there. I love their setup: you buy either physical media or digital, you can dowoad the album as many times as you want in any quality, and also stream it unlimited after you buy. No monthly bullshit. (I dont pay subscriptions that aren’t utilities).
I give em 5 more years until they go under.
Been selfhosting my music for years (was the initial push into the hobby). Bandcamp is your friend. I also don’t mind paying more for what i like nowadays. Still, I pirate stuff im not sure i like yet, like a demo of sorts. I listen to too much experimental stuff recommended by friends to know what ill love before simmering on it. Then i either go back and buy it, or just make sure to support them in more direct ways like buying more merchandise than I normally would. Pick a band that I’ve been vibing on that month and dumptruck cash on them.
Not a perfect solution, but it works for me, and I think I’ve given more money to artists overall than my table scrap stream pennies would have.