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Re:I Don't Have Spotify by keb_ on Monday November 11, 2024 @09:39PM (#42112320)
The most sustainable way to "buy" music IMO, is to pirate it, and then buy merch from the artist as support.

Or just buy off Bandcamp if its an option.

Re:I Don't Have Spotify by orblivion on Monday November 11, 2024 @09:52PM (#42112370)
I Don't Have Spotify should add Bandcamp support. Bandcamp is great for just playing the music too.
Re:I Don't Have Spotify by Syonyk on Monday November 11, 2024 @10:12PM (#42112445)
It's not. Artists will often enough remove old albums so you can no longer play them.

Buy it, download as FLAC, put in your preferred local infrastructure to play. Plex/Plexamp works well, as does local file storage and a good command line music client if you're less GUI-friendly or don't have the resources for running them.

Re:I Don't Have Spotify by meeby on Monday November 11, 2024 @10:21PM (#42112496)
Downloading large collections can be a pain though, one at a time and in zips.

I made this to help though https://github.com/meeb/bandcampsync

Bandcamp is the only place to sensibly buy music you can own these days which is pretty depressing.

Re:I Don't Have Spotify by prmoustache on Monday November 11, 2024 @11:22PM (#42112787)
what about online music shops like bleep.com and 7digital?
Re:I Don't Have Spotify by hatsix on Tuesday November 12, 2024 @02:44AM (#42113563)
"Fun Fact", 7digital is owned by the same parent company as Bandcamp.
Re:I Don't Have Spotify by tempfile on Tuesday November 12, 2024 @09:12AM (#42115606)
I always wanted this, thank you!
Re:I Don't Have Spotify by devmunchies on Monday November 11, 2024 @11:49PM (#42112896)
Wait, all the music I bought on bandcamp can disappear if the artist removes it from their public inventory?
Re:I Don't Have Spotify by nsfmc on Tuesday November 12, 2024 @12:28AM (#42113046)
this has happened to me once, appropriately enough with some hauntology tracks. the songs are weirdly enough still available in the ios app to play but not to download via the web. presumably they're still somewhere in bandcamp behind a boolean, but i never got around to downloading them (to be fair, i have them on a _cassette_ that originally included bandcamp codes, so i mean, i really can't complain, i knew what i was getting into)
Re:I Don't Have Spotify by rendaw on Tuesday November 12, 2024 @01:38AM (#42113323)
This happened to me a bunch. I think in one case an artist released an album, but wanted to disallow buying individual tracks so they relisted it after I bought one track.

The most infuriating thing is that bandcamp gaslights you on it. I eventually confirmed that yes, I had bought that song, after tracking down the receipt in my email provider or something (it was hidden from purchase history, bandcamp "I can't find my music" link didn't mention this, etc etc).

This isn't just an issue for playing music though - if you buy a bunch of stuff but don't download it right away you could loose it too. I bought the track I mentioned right after it was released, and the substitution happened within a day or two of that.

Like, I get it, if there was some legal issue (pirated work - and then they should issue refunds). But the fact that bandcamp tries to hide it just means that they know they have no moral grounds here.

Re:I Don't Have Spotify by hatsix on Tuesday November 12, 2024 @02:53AM (#42113611)
No, making an album private does not disappear the music from people who have purchased it.

However, Bandcamp does abide by the laws that require them to stop distributing music at the rights holders' request.

No music service, or any service, for that matter, will guarantee access to files without regard to laws. Some will try harder, some have tried harder and been beaten down.

Re:I Don't Have Spotify by orblivion on Monday November 11, 2024 @10:50PM (#42112627)
I also buy from Bandcamp.
Re:I Don't Have Spotify by amatecha on Tuesday November 12, 2024 @01:37AM (#42113317)
plex alternative: jellyfin + finamp or fintunes. This is my new setup (alongside bandcamp if I haven't yet imported the bandcamp purchase into my jellyfin library). No cloud shit, no subscriptions, but I still support [most of] my favorite artists. Ones which aren't on bandcamp, well either I still have the CDs kicking around or some mp3s from wherever (yt-dlp + ffmpeg is useful when lazy too)
Re:I Don't Have Spotify by Parae on Tuesday November 12, 2024 @03:18AM (#42113712)
Artists can also remove old albums from Spotify. At least with Bandcamp you can buy the music and download the files - if you want to.

And you can even send a mail to the artist to ask them why they removed old albums and if they can provide you a copy.

Re:I Don't Have Spotify by rendaw on Tuesday November 12, 2024 @10:56AM (#42116568)
Artists can and do remove your access to purchased albums on Bandcamp, see my rant below.
Re:I Don't Have Spotify by dangravell on Tuesday November 12, 2024 @03:55AM (#42113870)
Yes, downloading is important as even download sites can redact later - e.g. https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/70250-qobuz-may-be-...

Another source are good ol' CDs. If you know where to look you can get them cheap too. Specialist charity shops that specialise in records and CDs in student or wealthy areas are good, as are second hand stores online.

An alternative to self hosting is to use an online music locker. I wrote up a bunch here: https://www.blisshq.com/music-library-management-blog/2021/0... and (disclaimer) operate one myself: https://asti.ga

Re:I Don't Have Spotify by wyclif on Tuesday November 12, 2024 @07:01AM (#42114851)
Where's the best place to buy CDs online now?
Re:I Don't Have Spotify by wmeredith on Tuesday November 12, 2024 @07:43AM (#42115069)
Discogs is pretty great for buying CDs: https://www.discogs.com/
Re:I Don't Have Spotify by MisterTea on Tuesday November 12, 2024 @10:26AM (#42116215)
> It's not. Artists will often enough remove old albums so you can no longer play them.

That doesn't happen on other platforms?

I had two albums of a band who's front man died and they disbanded. The albums were removed but I still have them in my collection. You cant find it on the site anymore but I can still download and play them.

Re:I Don't Have Spotify by eleveriven on Tuesday November 12, 2024 @01:30AM (#42113294)
In a way it seems like it's a practical approach to supporting artists directly
Re:I Don't Have Spotify by aziaziazi on Tuesday November 12, 2024 @08:49AM (#42115432)
Donating is also an option as soon as you got enough mugs and tshirts. Not mentioning the tot bags.
Re:I Don't Have Spotify by NickC25 on Tuesday November 12, 2024 @09:17AM (#42115648)
Or going to their live shows if they happen to come to a venue near you.

Or by buying vinyl at a local record store. Sadly, those are dying out, but you can find one or two good ones in any major city.

In electronic, hip-hop, and a lot of music that has a lot of computer-assisted production, a lot of producers will also release sample packs or VST presets that they sell directly on their websites. While often in small amounts, $50 or less, it more often than not goes directly to the artist with very little middlemen involved. While not a huge stream of revenue I'd imagine, it probably does help smaller artists if they can count on an additional couple hundred bucks a month from people that truly appreiciate their craft and I'd bet that if I reached out to artist XYZ whose music is no longer available on major platforms and said "hey i have been to a few of your shows, bought all your sample packs, and I can't find your tracks anymore" the artist, if small enough, would probably oblige and send along a nice little folder of music.

Re:I Don't Have Spotify by Minor49er on Tuesday November 12, 2024 @11:58AM (#42117251)
Record stores are thriving pretty much everywhere across the US. The ones that have been closing are the ones that only hold old stock and don't curate their inventories

If you walk into a shop and all you see are old, worn out Barry Manilow and Bob Seger albums at $30+ a pop, the store isn't meant to last. Thankfully, the problem has been solving itself

Re:I Don't Have Spotify by insane_dreamer on Tuesday November 12, 2024 @02:02PM (#42118510)
> Or by buying vinyl at a local record store. Sadly, those are dying out,

they were dying out but are now coming back