Long ago, computing was about freedom.

"I can organize a music collection the way I want...AND take it with me wherever I go?"

Somewhere along the line "convenience" displaced "freedom".

"Why manage my own collection when I have Spotify or Apple Music?"

I suspect the pendulum will swing back at some point.

Don't get me wrong, I gave up on streaming services a long time ago and started pirating again because streaming services started being incovenient. Buying things is the most incovenient choice because the industry in general give consumers only two choices: A- cheap streaming, B- expensive physical media.

That is true. But if say Spotify costs $9.99 / month and you buy tracks for $0.99 or album $8.99 (average ~12 tracks, maybe $0.60). After three years you have a pretty big collection, like 600 songs. And it would just get bigger.

I have sirius xm in my car, which is how I learn about new things. But you could hear new stuff via FM or YouTube.

The truth is I don't spent $9.99 a month on average so maybe it is not that expensive.

Where can you buy an album at $8.99? Spotify, if I were a customer, would cost me ~$4 / month. Music streaming at current prices isn't profitable. It makes sense for the average dude to subscribe to Spotify.

Lots of albums on bandcamp are in this price range[1]. Some are even "pay what you want."

[1] Example: https://rubberoh.bandcamp.com

If what spotify is doing isn't profitable then it isn't sustainable, so why sink your time into it? When they go belly up what happens to all the time you invested in it?

> Lots of albums on bandcamp are in this price range

Thanks, didn't know about it and it's an interesting marketplace. Catalog is limited but I found bands that I follow there.

> When they go belly up what happens to all the time you invested in it?

Spotify is just a platform to listening to music, the subscription fee is like paying rent, time is invested in what I listen to. And it will not go belly up, at least not all streaming services, it will just raise subscription fees.

I understood your argument it's better to buy the albums now than to expend all that money on streaming and then later having to buy all of that anyways. But that is a misconception because not everyone is a collector and some are just explorers and like to listen to a new artist/album for a weeek and then move on.

> It makes sense but on practical terms it's expensive and uncovenient to buy MP3s.

I don't identify with this comment at all! How is it expensive and inconvenient?

I prefer to buyt the CD and rip it if possible, as then I have built-in backup. But if not, I'll buy the MP3 online, from amazon usually. Very easy.