I went back to just buying songs off the itunes store and its been a revelation

Discussion

I know this isn't for everybody and am well aware in the long run it could be cheaper to just have an Apple Music subscription, but I recently let my sub last and have been going through my purchased library and re-discovering artists and bands I forgot about. I've also purchased a few tracks and the prices for full albums are much more reasonable now than they used to be, let alone compared to the cost of the album on vinyl or CD.

I don't know, I think owning the music gives me a little more connection to the actual music and prevents me from skipping on playlists or jumping around sporadically in the search. Anyone else feel the same?

in AppleMusicby Ayediosmio6

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OldBottle7269

237

23d

Nah. If you physically own something I see the point. Like a vinyl or CD etc. but not a file on a drive

i_need_a_moment

23d

I remember I bought a copy of Funky Town for 99¢ year ago on iTunes and it's not listed in my library anymore since I bought Apple Music, but I haven't tried to do a deep search to see if my checkout history has it.

FettuccineAlfonzo

23d

Check your hidden purchases

meganumberwang

22d

How?

FettuccineAlfonzo

22d

I do it on the iTunes Store, account, and manage hidden purchases on desktop

meganumberwang

22d

Thanks a bunch

Fathletic231

22d

I’ve tried finding them and some stuff I know I bought isn’t there

Aggravating-Fee-9138

23d

I have a lot of cringey iTunes music I bought in the 2000’s and it auto-plays every time my phone connects to my car. I’m sure your copy of Funky Town still exists somewhere.

SandSniffer69

23d

I think it’s still there I had the same thing but when I logged out of my family plan for a sec I saw all of the songs I bought were the only ones still there

Soninuva

23d

Not necessarily. You’re purchasing a license to download and/or play the song. If Apple loses the rights to sell that song down the line, and you don’t have it downloaded, then it no longer will be available. And it has to actually be downloaded, not just in your playlist. That’s happened to me with a few albums I purchased years back that were from England (I live in the US) and support basically told me I’m screwed. Welp, yo-ho-ho, and fuck you very much.

regrob2

23d

Worst case: You’re always allowed to re-download your purchases.

Present-Ad-9598

22d

If it’s the same iCloud account you still have it and can even add that version to your Apple Music (as well as taking mp3 rips either off a CD or the internet and add them)

woodzler

22d

How?

Present-Ad-9598

19d

For purchased music there’s a way for sure on Mac, idk about pc and iPhone only but more or less you do: Apple Music > Account > Purchased (family sharing if applicable) > then you can add the songs as you please

For the second part, on Apple Music for Mac you can just import any mp3 to the app, I think windows has a similar process but I never tried, on iPhone you’ll need to add an mp3 to the Files app, then in Files hold down on the mp3 and choose “download”, it’ll automatically add the track to Apple Music under “recently added”, to edit the name, album art, artist, lyrics, etc you’ll need a computer as far as I know

MethuselahsGrandpa

23d

You can physically own the digital file. A CD is just a collection of digital files.

With AppleMusic or any streaming service, one day the song you love might be taken away but if you buy the digital file, it’s yours forever.

fireworksandvanities

23d

I kinda disagree, I buy a lot of digital albums from Bandcamp, and I can get the wav files and burn to CD if I want. Especially important for smaller bands that don’t have physical distribution.

hakkai67

23d

Bandcamp let's you download the music in good qualit and DRM free. So in that regard you actually own the music.

ttoma93

23d

iTunes downloads are DRM-free.

Silly_Client1222

23d

iTunes music downloads are capped at 256kbps instead of lossless.

nzswedespeed

23d

AAC 256kbps though

BrohanGutenburg

22d

People don’t realize that this was probably the biggest disruption Jobs-era Apple introduced (second maybe only to the iPhone but probably not).

He was able to sit down with record executives who were full-on panicking about the digital revolution and convince them that they need to pivot from being in the selling plastic business to actually being in the selling songs business. The iTunes ecosystem drove the early digital economy and here we are a couple decades later with consumers being completely comfortable with laying down cash for bits and bytes; and any industry capable of migrating to that model has abandoned with “selling plastic” industry

In fact, there’s a strong argument to be made (and has been made by major tech players from the era) that the iPhone only succeeded because of the popularity of iTunes. People forget it wasn’t the first smart phone, but everyone other smart phone went into negotiations with network carriers at an objective disadvantage and wound up being hamstrung by the comm companies. They just didn’t have the bargaining leverage and so we ended up with most early smart phone that had shitty super shitty native soft/firmware forced in by the cell companies.

But Jobs could go into those meeting with a legion of iTunes users in his corner and as a result the cell companies had to cater to Apple if they wanted the million + guaranteed users that was gonna come with having the iPhone run on their networn

Mugglecostanza

22d

I think I remember reading somewhere that Bill Gates was blown away that Jobs could achieve what he did with the record companies.

johnjohn9312

23d

Unless you’re pirating that file and paying nothing for it

hawkjuin

22d

iirc, you can burn a song/album that you purchase onto a CD

OldBottle7269

21d

Great. Now I have a CD that won’t play on my phone or in my car.

Throwaway1988424

22d

soberto

23d

Albums I’ve previously purchased on iTunes have been removed without warning. This is not comparable to vinyl or CD

AthousandLittlePies

23d

That’s why you got to download it all! There’s no DRM on so keep it all stored locallly and you’ll have it forever.

fireworksandvanities

-12

23d

I don’t think that’s necessarily true. I bought RTJ3 and if I wasn’t logged into iTunes it wouldn’t play. Even though it was downloaded.

nzswedespeed

23d

Apple removed DRM like a decade ago

johnjohn9312

23d

If it’s downloaded, you can just play the file anywhere. In any device or music player.

fireworksandvanities

23d

Everytime I tired to play my downloaded file, iTunes would tell me to sign in. And if I didn’t, it would not play the song and would say my computer needed to be authorized to play it. This was prior to me having an Apple Music subscription, so it’s not like I downloaded the wrong file.

dotheemptyhouse

23d

You must have bought that a loooooong time ago during the DRM-encumbered iTunes days then. I’m a DJ so I have to buy songs to play them, so I buy lots of music from the old iTunes Store. I can play it on any player, any device, with or without internet. Works in my DJ software which wouldn’t play anything DRM encumbered

Ayediosmio6

23d

Really? I wasn't aware of this, is that something new? I see all my old purchases are still there

soberto

23d

Yes. I lost several albums (and sometimes just single tracks) that I’ve paid for. I presume they assume you are responsible for keeping everything downloaded so you don’t lose stuff when it’s removed from iTunes for whatever reason. I’ve not looked into it further. Example albums are all the Amateur Transplants library which can no longer be found on iTunes or Apple Music

fatpat

22d

I lost several albums (and sometimes just single tracks) that I’ve paid for.

Go nab them albums from the pirate bay or somewhere similar. Heck, you've already paid for them.

linniex

23d

I’ve lost soooo much stuff - I used to use ITunes Match and ever since then I’m constantly having to hit the “add” button in Apple Music to add it back to my library. It’s like - seriously? i need to add my favorite album back to my library when I have had it in 8track/cassette/cd/mp3 and personally uploaded it. Nope, eff me, download it again.

Lyreganem

22d

Keeping a library of actually owned files alongside Apple Music has ALWAYS been problematic. This and associated issues have existed for over 10 years already and I can only think that Apple either doesn't care about the bugs, or they aren't actually bugs, but unwanted "features."

If you want to do what I do - use the two systems alongside one another - you absolutely CANNOT use the "sync library" option. It WILL screw with your personal library.

This is exasperated if you have any content which is more eclectic and unusual like I do... I have many albums and song versions from artists which are live or alternative versions and Apple's algorithms are quite simply INCAPABLE of telling the difference most of the time. So they just remove the original file from your device and link you to the generic listing they have.

So. It's a pain in the bum because it means you have to essentially manually manage BOTH your personal and synchronised content AND your Apple Music content simultaneously.

But that's what I've eventually settled on doing and it works for me (after some time and practice).

linniex

22d

It sometimes works out for me- for example I collected a lot of live music back in the day and some of it is released commercially now so o got a better copy. I gave up keep my digital library separate - although I do have a TB external drive with all my flacs and mp3s if Apple Music ever goes away.

Peskygriffs

23d

i still get my music from ripping cds and storing in itunes so i get it op.

i also buy records. physical media is king

dotheemptyhouse

23d

I buy a mix. Vinyl used to be quite cheap (good $1-$5 used albums were common) and now is comparatively expensive, so I mostly only buy it to support touring musicians. CDs can sometimes be cheap, and when they are I often buy them. For new music, some never gets issued on physical media. I buy all my digital music because I need to run it in DJ software. I use Apple Music streaming to listen to music on my phone mostly.

RJSketch

23d

I've downloaded stuff from iTunes since forever, and haven't had a problem. I'd move files out of the iTunes folder, and I'd play the files using MusicBee on Windows, and PowerAmp on Android.

I keep multiple backups, and some using a cloud solution (Acronis). My music collection is precious, and there is a lot of stuff not offered anywhere online!

dotheemptyhouse

23d

I LOVE MusicBee, it’s just a shame it’s PC only. I have a PC but I mostly only use mine for gaming so I don’t get to regularly use MusicBee. I wish someone would make a good clone of it for Mac users. I tried to get it to run with Wine but it didn’t work very well for me

glasgowgeg

23d

I think owning the music gives me a little more connection to the actual music

You don't own it, from the Apple Media Services terms and conditions:

"You can acquire Content on our Services for free or for a charge, either of which is referred to as a “Transaction.” By each Transaction you acquire a license to use the Content only. Each Transaction is an electronic contract between you and Apple, and/or you and the entity providing the Content on our Services."

You have a licence to use the content, Apple could theoretically revoke that licence.

Ayediosmio6

23d

This is something I don't understand. I have all my purchased music downloaded to my mac plus an older Ipod nano that they are saved on. Unless someone comes into my house and deletes the files manually, why would they just vanish?

glasgowgeg

23d

That's why I say "theoretically".

If it's DRM-free and downloaded, you're better protected, but there's other people in this comment section saying that Apple removed content they paid for.

Sony have done similar in the past as well.

If you look at the terms and conditions on the sleeves or records, or CD/DVD/BluRay/game inserts, you'll often see similar wording.

You don't own the content, you have a licence to permit the usage of it.

homosapiens

23d

You don’t own the content. If you die, you can’t pass your purchased iTunes files on to anyone

Lyreganem

22d

I can happily and easily pass my almost 1TB of DRM free files on to whomever I bloody-well choose, thanks much.

Ayediosmio6

23d

That's very existential however any of my kids can chose to pick up my ipod nano and listen to whatever is on there

dotheemptyhouse

23d

In theory lots of my vinyl records are not owned by me either, they have a big warning that says “for promotional use only” even though I paid money for them and no one has ever bothered me about them. Same difference as some “license” for DRM free files. No one’s going to reach into my computer and take them, at worst maybe they’d prevent me from downloading future copies but I can back up the ones I already have infinitely

glasgowgeg

23d

All of this was addressed in the comment you replied to.

dotheemptyhouse

23d

You suggest, using language like "better protected" that there is some reasonable chance that a big company will take away your ability to play the DRM free music that is purchased. I am pointing out that there is no reasonable way that would ever happen. If it were DRM encumbered or reliant upon streaming, then yes Sony or Apple or Google or whomever could cut off your access, but once you acquire DRM free audio, so long as you keep track of it there is no company who is ever going to prevent you from accessing it, much like no one is ever going to repossess my "promo only" records

glasgowgeg

23d

You suggest, using language like "better protected" that there is some reasonable chance that a big company will take away your ability to play the DRM free music that is purchased

If you don't have it downloaded, if can be removed from your account.

It's like you didn't even bother reading the comment you replied to.

dotheemptyhouse

23d

You seem to have missed this sentence in my last comment:

"...once you acquire DRM free audio, so long as you keep track of it there is no company who is ever going to prevent you from accessing it..."

glasgowgeg

23d

Yes, I acknowledged that in the comment you initially replied to.

As I said, it's like you replied to me without even reading what you were replying to.

dotheemptyhouse

23d

I think you're missing my point. You say that theoretically Apple can rescind this license and take away your ability to play songs you purchase. I'm not disagreeing that, in theory, Apple could do this, but I'm saying that in practice this will NEVER happen, so long as you download your purchases, because it isn't feasible for them to rescind your ability to do so. While it is theoretically possible we could lose access to music we have purchased a license to, it is not something we should concern ourselves with in the least, beyond downloading our media and backing that media up. Something that if you're a person who buys things a la carte, you're likely doing anyway.

Continue thread...

Lyreganem

22d

Then just bloody download it. Keep copies. Make backups. Just as you would any other files that are important to you.

Wherein lies the problem??? It ain't as though you're talking massive file sizes and the like even. 🤦🏽‍♂️

Lyreganem

22d

As long as you aren't talking ANCIENT purchases then it is DRM-free mate.

Purchase, download, done. No further BS required!

dbundi

23d

And when you die it’s gone in the vapors

MisterFister17

23d

This is actually why I prefer digital media. I don’t want to burden anyone with having to make a decision on what to do with all my bullshit when I’m dead.

salme3105

23d

It will be on my NAS when I die (as well as on my rotating backup drives). But a NAS and a couple of portable drives will be easier for my wife or kids to deal with than a thousand CDs.

Key_Elk_6671

23d

I’m glad that you’re experiencing a more intimate relationship with your music! Honestly, I think this same kind of experience can be achieved if you use Apple Music how Apple seems to intend, and this is how I use my subscription.

Apple Music really wants to focus on the contents of your library, as if they are the albums that you would buy and own. It then makes recommendations of more albums to listen to that are like what you’ve most recently been listening to. I feel like the intent is always to give you something you’d want to listen to in full, and eventually add to your library.

This is also a big reason why favoriting songs and albums only increases the likelihood of those songs and albums being recommended to you, rather than being a like system to help suggest new music. Apple wants you to love the music in your library and revisit it more than listening to new things. Pay attention to the home tab, albums are far more prevalent than playlists.

Basically, while I might add more than a few albums each week, I sample them all over time, and eventually weed out the ones I wouldn’t “buy”, and keep the rest. I end up keeping way more albums than I would ever be able to buy realistically; I used to spend hours in stores holding up two or three CDs, weighing which was worth spending the money on, based purely on samples from the tiny computer on the shelf, and reviews on the web.. Often, I’d come out empty handed. This sure beats that, I get to give them all a fair listen, and still be pretty meticulous about what I add to my library. I don’t just add everything.

Don’t get me wrong, playlists are great, and I’ve found tons of stuff that way, but I use it like radio, I put it on when I’m not really in any specific mood. Some listeners seem conditioned by other services to keep chasing new songs they’ve never heard before, because new must mean better…I’ve never understood this philosophy, what’s the point of music discovery if it’s not to find something that you want to enjoy many times throughout your life? Most of my Apple Music listening is to albums that I’ve added in my library, and often the same ones over and over.

floobie

23d

You basically described how I use Apple Music. It's a logical progression of how I operated pre-streaming (buying off iTunes, buying and ripping CDs). I curate the hell out of my library. Apple Music always opens to my library tab, and I'll usually dig through recent albums, all albums by artist, or playlists I've created myself to listen to music. My playlists aren't just dumping grounds, they're proper mix tapes that have a set runtime (80 minutes) with songs ordered deliberately to flow into each other.

I'll check out the home or browse tabs if I want to listen to something new. When I do, I always add it to my library, give it a listen, and if I'm not into it, delete it. I do use the Apple Music playlists here and there, usually like a modern "Greatest Hits" CD to get a feel for an artist. But, if I like what I'm hearing, I'll leave the playlist pretty fast and just start adding their albums to my library instead.

I can't really treat streaming services like the radio... I hate the radio. I don't want an algorithm or someone else deciding what I should listen to. I'd rather take an active role in that process.

I can understand why the OP is enjoying taking a step back from streaming, though. As much as I enjoy curating my library, the knowledge that nearly everything I've added to it since Apple Music launched would be gone if I ever don't pay for the service... it doesn't feel great. Music I've bought on iTunes or ripped from CD will always be there, as long as I have decent backup game.

klboringband

23d

Sounds really great! You might consider buying from Bandcamp instead. The artists usually get a better split, and some of them will have their stuff on there for cheaper than iTunes defaults. :)

Ayediosmio6

23d

Good point. I'll definitely purchase more there going forward.

0000GKP

23d

I am old enough that I bought all my music on vinyl, bought it again on cassette, then bought it again on CD. Streaming is so much better than that. I gave away all my vinyl about 5 years ago. All of my cassettes are in boxes in my closet. All of my CDs are in boxes in my attic. I don't know if it's possible for CDs to melt, but they probably have if they can. I haven't seen those cassette or CDs in at least 10 years.

If streaming had been an option in the 80s, I never would have bought an album, cassette, or CD in the first place. Back then, I would buy the album for the one or two songs I liked and rarely listen to the full album. Once cassettes came around, I started recording all my favorite songs from those albums and never touched the albums again. I've been listing to the equivalent of today's playlists (or mixed tape as it's trendy to say again) for a lifetime.

To me, browsing through the app or using search is no different than walking into the record store and flipping through album covers. I think it's just that most people want 30 song playlists handed to them today and aren't willing to spend the same amount of time looking through the app as it used to take to flip through those album covers in the store. Between travel time to and from the store and the time you spent looking, it could be a 2 hour process to find a new album. Now people don't want to spend 2 minutes.

dotheemptyhouse

23d

CDs can degrade, but I don’t think it’s related to heat. I ripped all of mine (400-500) and put them into wallets. If they go bad I have lossless copies of everything

hotlovergirl69

23d

I think I agree with you. Only difference is that I kept most of my Vinyl stuff because of the Artworks and Lyrics. Most people nowadays don’t know how the back of the Nevermind album looks like. For me this is part of the artist’s vision (in some cases at least). You cannot replicate this with streaming but to be fair I never listen to vinyl anymore I just have it for the looks.

genialerarchitekt

23d

We kinda had streaming in the 80s! It was called radio and to make a playlist you recorded all your favourite tracks onto cassette lol.

basskittens

23d

This is me, 100%.

I gave away all my vinyl last time I moved house. I donated all my CD's a few years ago.

Between travel time to and from the store and the time you spent looking, it could be a 2 hour process to find a new album. Now people don't want to spend 2 minutes.

Nailed it

marcall

23d

Pretty much the same. I actually sold off 98 percent of my albums back in 1999, probably had a couple hundred then. I think I have 20 left. I still have some cd's sitting on a cd bookcase but I haven't played one since maybe 2014. I threw all my cassettes away about 6 years ago.

I forgot the company name but when streaming came out before Apple Music really took off and even before Spotify there was some site where you could subscribe for like 20 dollars and download up to like 12 albums or something. It worked out to be about 10 cents a song. When that died I just started buying albums off iTunes and then streaming happened and I never looked back.

it's a steal really. There are times I get burnt out though because "overload" and I forget what Ive even added but it's also allowed me to embrace any whim and to also just deep dive into all the 80's stuff I remember and the stuff I missed back then cuz I was into only one type of music in those days.

marqedian

23d

My first choice is to buy a new CD. I live within a reasonable drive of two retail stores that still carry CDs, but it’s 100:1 used to new, or the smallest possible section of the store. Also, Amazon.

Second choice is AAC through bandcamp. No DRM and, allegedly, the artist gets a bigger cut.

I haven’t resolved my personal conflict between used CD or iTunes purchase. But iTunes Store is last resort.

All that is for my personal library on macOS, which never, EVER, gets synced to a cloud.

Then I get free trials of Apple Music and add rental songs on iOS until the system says enough.

Yesterday I finished an album I bought on CD in 1990 something, today I started an album I’m renting from Apple Music also released in the 90s, but I never would have spent money on back then (I’m enjoying it more than I expected, might look for a copy on Amazon).

dotheemptyhouse

23d

Just curious, why AAC on Bandcamp and not ALAC?

marqedian

23d

All my cds are ripped to AAC, so I don’t see the need to go through the extra step of downloading a larger file. I’m not enough of an audiophile to hear the difference. My ideal listening condition is at 80 mph with windows down and sunroof open, which would defeat the purpose of lossless, atmos, etc. And I think bandcamp will let me go back and download again in another format.

dotheemptyhouse

23d

Yeah you can absolutely re-download everything if you wanna, so long as Bandcamp is a thing. Your rationale makes sense to me. I can't always tell the difference either, but on good audio setups I can start to hear when files are lower bit rate, and I like to start from a place of high fidelity rather than lower.

TheFM4

23d

I think it’s better to either buy a vinyl or cd

MethuselahsGrandpa

23d

I wish the iTunes Store would sell lossless TrueHD Atmos instead of the lossy compressed DD+Atmos they stream at 768kbps

auviewer

23d

agreed, they really should.

bakogee

iOS Subscriber

23d

I have a lot of dj remixes bought/downloaded. Sorted by “era” in folders so basically each folder represents a time in my life when I was out partying. I have AM subscription and uploaded these songs into playlist. I have other playlists as well but they cannot be compared to old ones due to sentimental reasons. Music is not just listening. The mood and vibe of the song… the memories… I’d say collecting songs are a different feeling and approach.

sunnynights80808

23d

Surprised no one mentioned it, but use Bandcamp! More of the cut goes to the artist, and once a month on a Friday all of the purchase goes towards artists. And you can download in many formats, including AAC and ALAC (Apple’s regular and lossless formats), so you don’t have to worry about your music being taken away. You can also put songs in Apple Music, but you need a Mac (maybe a Windows computer would work too, not sure)

Ayediosmio6

23d

This is a great idea thanks. I never knew Bandcamp offered AAC and ALAC. Game changer for me

brit31400

23d

If I was going to purchase albums I’d go the physical route compared to iTunes and then just import it. That’s what I did before Apple Music but I don’t even have a laptop with disc drive anymore lol but I do agree owning it gives more of a connection to it

auviewer

23d

This has been my strategy for years. I subscribe to Apple Music mostly for discovery and casual listening. If I find something cool I place it on my wish list and then buy it later on iTunes. Mind you I still rock the last iPod Nano for a lot of my music.

Lyreganem

22d

Best way IMO. Barring the Nano. 😜 I could never fit my currently-synchronised-80GB music on there!!! And now matter how hard I try, 80GB is about the smallest collection I can live with.

AmexNomad

23d

I love buying my own Apple library and resent all of the continuing adds from them about subscribing. I’ve saved so much money NOT subscribing and I have exactly what I want.

stdk00

23d

You don't feel more connected to music because you've bought it; you feel obligated to listen to it because you've spent money on it. You don't own any music - you own the music files.

m3kw

23d

Paying(sunk cost) is one more big reason to really listen to the entire album.

looopTools

23d

I haven’t quit Apple Music yet. But yeah I have started purchased music again to

Visible-Ad8304

23d

I don’t feel the same. Music an abstract structure for beauty. Free and infinite access seems more in the spirit of music than OWNERSHIP. But if peeps like the nostalgia then by all means. Like the nostalgia.

To each their own, but no “own” for me. I can’t even feel like I own the music I’ve composed. It’s more like making a discovery of a beautiful waterfall in the forest. In what sense do I “own” that?

Lol ik I’m being way abstract. Glad you’re having fun m8 🤙🏻🪷

Skoles

23d

I’ve been slowly doing the same. Got my old 17” MBP running high sierra, a 5.5g iPod with a flash mod and a playlist set up of any AM not purchased I shop from.

iTunes 12.3 is just easier to work with.

gayfucboi

23d

do you get m4a files you can move to non itunes locations?

that’s what pisses me off about the Music service, they are unplayable files.

itunes match at least fave me back my high quality mp3s

apple has a nasty habit of replacing your high quality rips with it’s own encrypted filed, or a different release altogether.

so in the end i have to keep my original music backed up elsewhere

Lyreganem

22d

If you want to do what I do - use the two systems alongside one another - you absolutely CANNOT use the "sync library" option. It WILL screw with your personal library.

So. It's a pain in the bum because it means you have to essentially manually manage BOTH your personal and synchronised content AND your Apple Music content simultaneously.

But that's what I've eventually settled on doing and it works for me (after some time and practice).

Aazad-e

23d

I do exactly this - what it also does is add those songs to your library and download them. And I don’t add any more songs to my library other than those purchased. This way I only hear what I want to and am not dependent on a data connection to always play my music.

Also helps when you go on a trips where connectivity is an issue and you’re the only one with music (offline) 😁

philfnyc

23d

I miss liner notes.

SandtheB

23d

This is what I do, but for Amazon Music and Bandcamp... yes, I own the music files a little less then, if I owned the CD or Vinyl... but I like that I actually own my music rather then renting the option to play the music on an app.

I spent ~$110 a year (~$9.00 a month) to own music, anyone from random indie artist suggested my Bandcamp to MASSIVE names on Amazon music.

It sure makes me feel closer to the artist... I also still use an iPod and Winamp.

Lyreganem

22d

I do both. And don't intend to change that anytime soon, or ever, potentially.

I essentially use Apple Music to access any specific music I don't have synchronised at the time, or to search for and find things at times...

But for anything I am really fond of and like, I still ultimately purchase to own.

I have a MASSIVE personal music library with hundreds of gigabytes (I think going on to a TB soon-ish) that I still keep and manage separately. And I essentially synchronise a solid collection of around 80GB more-or-less of my current favourites or exploratories to my primary iPhone (especially those more eclectic items which AM just does NOT have) which I update and cycle through periodically.

And then I use AM alongside that as described.

Best of both worlds baby!

Rye2-D2

22d

I keep considering this every time my subscription comes up for renewal.. About 70% of the music I regularly listen to I have already purchased on iTunes (~1300 songs over many years). There would be another 150 or so songs I'd buy if I cancelled today.. But I also get a lot of value out of the Match service that's built into Apple Music just to easily sync songs I've got from Bandcamp/Patreon/CDs to my phone..

Philmehew

20d

A lot of albums that I liked growing up have now been “remastered” aka d1ck3d about with, and I can’t listen to the originals on Apple Music.

Really wish I still had my CDs

Rosecapofquestions

20d

I personally am all for buying the music. Much more reliable. Plus you can recover what you lost threw purchase history.

Intensive_Gamer203

23d

IMO Qobuz is way better for buying music since it has all kind of formats available.

terkistan

23d

The best way to rediscover bands whose music you bought and forgot about is to (a) remind yourself of them and (b) listen to them streaming - where you’ll have access to their entire catalogue, and side projects, and bands like them, and songs in that genre. You’ll get everything you get from re-listening to your oils music and a lot more than you get from buying a few albums.

Expensive-Abroad-138

23d

Even on iTunes the music u buy isn't really urs_ Idk why tho

fireworksandvanities

23d

You may be buying CDs at the wrong places. They tend to be around $10-$15 new, and $1-$7 used.

CombOverDownThere

23d

There was a time I used to purchase through iTunes, but hardly seems worth it now. I could see if they offered lossless, at least, but they don’t, and they could remove it from your library, so you never really own it. I still like to have downloaded digital files, so I usually purchase from other sites where they offer lossless, which you can still find even cheaper than what Apple sells lossy rentals for.

Rye2-D2

22d

They don't remove purchased content - at least not intentionally ;)
And there's no DRM on purchased content, so you can always re-add from a backup..

CombOverDownThere

22d

I mean like when you don’t download, and then they remove the content, I’m not sure you would still have access.

I actually had a terrible experience where I stopped my subscription and Apple basically deleted my library from my phone, which were all my actual tracks that I manually added to my phone via iTunes. Many of which were actually ripped from CDs, etc. Now they weren’t deleted from my actual computer, but as far as my phone, it took many, many hours of curating, as my music library was much larger than my phone’s capacity, so I had to be selective, and there was a lot to go through. I used to enjoy going through, selective adding track and albums, correcting artwork, formatting, but after that, I just could never put in the time and energy again to replace it. I also spent hours on the phone over several calls with Apple, but they could never explain it or retrieve it.

So, yeah, I’m still a bit wary about iTunes/Apple Music.

Rye2-D2

20d

I assume they were removed from your phone because they synced the Matched version to your device not the original one you ripped on your computer... I just sync a handful of playlists. Still, I appreciate that could be frustrating :(

CombOverDownThere

20d

Yeah, I’ve heard that of happening, but I never activated Match, so that wasn’t the cause, either. I also lost a lot of songs that weren’t even available on ITunes/Apple, like so alive or rare versions.

Rye2-D2

20d

Match is included in Apple Music...

CombOverDownThere

20d

Yes, it is included, but it is or at least was at the time, optional. I did not set it to match, specifically because I didn’t want certain things like live versions or alt versions being replaced by studio version available through Apple. I did not have Match on.

Rye2-D2

19d

If you have Apple Music, you always get the matched version on mobile - there isn't an option unless you manually copied the files to your device through direct sync..

CombOverDownThere

19d

I manually added everything I did not have Match, I assure you.

Silly_Client1222

23d

I buy the CD or a digital album in lossless then import into the iTunes library.

cj-ryan

23d

I have found that there’s a weird “bug” in Apple Music: when I just ask it to play some music, it seems to favour artists, albums, and tracks I purchased years ago. My Discovery Station, New Music playlist, and so on work fine with my latest listening habits and patterns, but there’s something buried in the system that thinks I’m still in the 90s or naughts I believe based on my purchase history.

mailman-zero

23d

lapse, verb. To become invalid because it is not used, claimed, or renewed; expire. For example: "My membership to the gym has lapsed."

No1ButtMe

23d

Having everything basically at my fingertips is truly a revelation.. I have discovered and rediscovered music in ways unimaginable

Key_Establishment_42

23d

I used to spend my lunch money in high school on CDs all the time. Best Buy, Target, and Vintage Stock employees knew my first name. I slowed down now but if I see an album in stores I really liked I’ll buy the cd/vinyl. Been thinking about buying albums that are only on streaming.

Benji2108

22d

I’m 39 and can safely assume you’re older than I am. Amirite ?

Ayediosmio6

21d

I’m 39 as well

melancious

23d

If only it were lossless.

manateefourmation

23d

without any streaming service, how do you discover new music?

socialriot

23d

People can talk about their music preference? Radio still exists. If you use last.fm to scrobble your music you probably run to new music in there if you bother to check the artist pages you are listening to.

I discovered in my teenage years whole new music genre because people do talk and like to tell others what they are into. That is when you get curious and do discovers.

manateefourmation

23d

Fair. I haven’t thought about FM radio in years.

mmmagic1216

23d

I don’t use any streaming service anymore, I discover music through word of mouth, social media, and through the bands I already know.

GabzUchiha

23d

Loool stfu.

frowawayakounts

-1

23d

You’re still renting the music from iTunes, they can take it away or change it any time they like

ResidentHourBomb

23d

[GIF]

Diskriminierung

23d

I can give you my PayPal and help you feel more connected with your Apple Music songs, Netflix shows and movies.

Just send me money for everything you want to connect to. The more you send, the more connected you will feel.

dbundi

-1

23d

Nah , terrible idea. My neighbor lost her password and didn’t have access to the old email she signed up with. $2,000 worth of music gone.

Ayediosmio6

23d

I've been fine for 15 years. She should contact Apple.

dbundi

23d

She did they told her she would need a lawyer and they couldn’t help. She dropped it and moved on. Same thing happens when you die….its gone

dotheemptyhouse

23d

If your neighbor had downloaded that music she would have been fine. The audio files are not DRM'd, haven't been for many years now. If you spent $2k on CDs and then lost the CDs it'd be equivalent to spending $2k on digital downloads and losing the files and the password

Lyreganem

22d

Apple has newer systems in place that allow you to designate trusted individuals to help should you have account (or password) issues AND people who can inherit access should you die.

dbundi

22d

Maybe now but not back then. There wasn’t even 2 factor authentication

FunkySausage69

-2

23d

Get apple one and share the cost among your family that’s what I do and you get everything.

shm_stan

-2

23d

Never bought anything from iTunes, quality is 256 AAC and still it gets deleted if you didn't download it on time.

Nowadays i use streaming services for listening. If i love a track soo much, i buy it as lossless from Beatport, because i listen to EDM.

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