Hey everyone, I grew up in the 90s and I’m starting to feel really frustrated with how music streaming works these days.
The monthly costs keep going up but musicians barely make any money from it. I find myself using my streaming app less and less. Sometimes I think it would be better to just buy the albums I really care about instead of paying for access to millions of songs I never listen to.
Streaming felt amazing when it first came out, but now it feels kind of empty to me. It’s like getting music from a vending machine instead of really experiencing it. There are no album covers to look at, no booklets with lyrics, and I never really discover anything new on my own anymore. Everything gets recommended by some computer algorithm.
I’ve been thinking about going back to purchasing digital music files and actually owning what I buy. That way I could support musicians more directly too.
Do you think other people would be interested in this? Or has everyone moved on from that way of doing things?
I’m especially curious what people who remember the old days think about this. You know, when we used to burn our own CDs and put songs on our MP3 players manually. When you would sit and read the liner notes while listening to a new album.
I still buy physical CDs sometimes. I love hunting through thrift shops and record stores to find cool stuff. I’ve picked up some great albums that way like Green Day and Guns N Roses.
Subscription fatigue is so real. Netflix, Spotify, gaming services - it all adds up fast. I ditched Spotify last month and started buying music on Bandcamp instead. Spent way less and actually listen more intentionally now instead of just having background noise.
Switched back to buying music digitally two years ago - best decision I’ve made. Started with albums from artists I wanted to support, then ditched my streaming subscription entirely. Sound quality’s way better, especially with lossless files from Bandcamp or direct from artists. What shocked me most? My listening habits completely changed. No more random playlists - I actually sit down and listen to full albums like they’re supposed to be heard. Money-wise, it’s great knowing more cash goes straight to musicians instead of corporate suits. Yeah, I pay more per song than streaming rates, but I spend way less overall since I only buy what I’ll actually keep. My library feels personal again instead of just renting access to everything.
The real game changer isn’t buying individual tracks again. It’s automating everything so you get the best of both worlds.
I built a system that watches my streaming habits and auto-buys songs I’ve played more than X times. It grabs data from Spotify, checks prices across Bandcamp and Amazon Music, then buys wherever it’s cheapest. Files get organized in my library with proper metadata and artwork.
I still discover music through streaming algorithms, but anything I actually care about becomes mine permanently. Plus automation means more money goes to artists I listen to instead of just paying a flat subscription.
You can set rules like “buy any song I’ve played 10+ times” or “auto-purchase albums if I’ve bought 3+ tracks.” Could even auto-buy vinyl when available with digital backup.
Took about an hour to set up, now it runs hands-off. My collection grows naturally based on what I enjoy, and I’m supporting artists way more directly than streaming ever did.
You can build something similar pretty easily with the right automation platform: https://latenode.com
Been wrestling with this too. Music feels disposable now through streaming - zero attachment. I used to save up for CDs and play them constantly because I’d invested in them. Now I skip songs after 30 seconds without giving them a chance. There’s a huge psychological difference between owning something and renting access. I started buying used CDs from local shops again and rediscovered how much better it is when you’re forced to listen to albums as artists intended. No shuffle, no skipping. Just you and the music. The math works out too - most people stream maybe 50 albums regularly but pay for millions they’ll never touch.
I miss those days too, but going full retro isn’t realistic anymore. My compromise: keep Spotify for discovering new music, then buy vinyl or CDs of albums that really hit me. There’s something special about physically owning music you love - streaming feels so temporary.
Don’t pick between streaming and buying - automate the whole thing.
I built workflows that watch my listening habits and buy music based on what I actually play. Heart a song on Spotify or play it 5+ times? System checks if I should buy it. It compares prices, looks at artist revenue splits, and sees if I already own other tracks from that album.
Best part: it cleans up metadata and organizes files automatically. No more tagging MP3s or hunting for album art. Everything lands in my library with clean folder structures.
You can set it to buy vinyl when available and grab digital backup. Or hit Bandcamp first since artists get better cuts.
For discovery, I use rules like “if I save a song AND don’t own anything from that artist, research their catalog and suggest other albums.”
Now I stream for discovery but own what matters. My collection grows from actual listening, not impulse buys. Artists make more money and I spend less than monthly subs.
Streaming made me lazy with music discovery. Those algorithms just feed you more of what you already know - it’s like living in an echo chamber. I started hitting record stores again last year and wow, what a difference. You flip through physical albums and find stuff you’d never see on Spotify. Found some amazing 70s jazz fusion records that way - no algorithm would’ve suggested those based on my rock habits. Plus the money thing bugs me. Artists get almost nothing per stream. Now I use streaming for background music at work, but when I want real discovery? I go physical. Records make you commit to the whole album instead of mindlessly skipping tracks. Yeah, it costs more upfront, but at least I’m actually engaging with music instead of treating it like throwaway content.