I’m self-hosting my own music server and I want to
- add new music to it
- buy it and thus reward the artists whose music I put on there (i.e. no piracy)
- not deal with physical media (I’m not a collector, and I want to avoid plastic waste)
- own the files; no DRM or similar bullshit
- use a European vendor, or at least non-U.S.
I used to buy my music through Amazon, but I’ve cancelled my account in early 2025 (for obvious reasons) and I’m not going back. I’d love to hear your suggestions: what platforms do you know that fulfil the above criteria? And how do you get your music?
Qobuz have a download store. I’ve been using them for years and they’ve always been excellent.
The best way is to buy CDs and rip them. Super easy to rip and you have absolute say over quality. The artist gets the most money (over alternatives). Since you don’t want to collect, just donate the disc to a library.
Maybe you have the same problem I do, your computer doesn’t have a disc drive. CD/DVD burners are $30 and plug into a USB port. They’re also powered by the port. Super easy. Plug it in when you need it, put it in a drawer when you don’t.
It’s the best way to make sure the artist gets paid, you have the best quality or at least say over the quality (you could use FLAC for lossless or you could use high-bitrate low-complexity M4A/AAC like I do (I’m middle aged and can’t hear the difference). And no DRM.
That’s what I’ve done over the years. Rip CDs and collect the digital copies. My mother was notorious for buying a CD and destroying it (dropping it and somehow kicking it through stuff that would scuff it up) within a week. And then buying a new one! So I started requiring her to let me open the disc. I unwrap it, then stick it in the computer and rip it. When she breaks/damages the disc, I just burn another one. She’s still buying music, but not the same stuff over and over. Then I started ripping my brother’s CDs. And those of some friends. Now I have them all on my Plex server.
A man of culture, I see! I’ve been an avid CD ripper all the way through the 2000s and 2010s. Yet, times are a-changing, and I want to try and forego the extra step physical media, which will only be opened once anyway and then just take up space (either in my house or somewhere else). Donating to a library is a good idea theoretically. I just have my doubts they’ll be prepared to reserve ever increasing amounts of shelf space for obscure extreme metal albums…
Well, short of calling up the bands and telling them your situation and asking for the raw WAV files to rip yourself (like, “I could buy your CD for $15, rip it to perfect quality audio, and you’ll only get $1 and I’ll have to figure out what to do with the disc… OR… I give you $10, you send me the raw data from the disc, I don’t waste plastic, and you get 10x as much money”). Or whatever currency, the symbol doesn’t matter, you get the idea.
They probably won’t though, because the actual CD being sold is a notch in their belt for showing interest via sales that will lead to more favourable conditions for their next contract. Or they might, if they’re obscure and extreme metal (i.e. niche).
Good thing about metal, a lot of them have beautiful album art, so if nothing else, you could display it…
Maybe I’m just a datahoarder, but for me the really obscure stuff is the most worth keeping originals of.
Do you, or anyone for that matter know what percentage do different tier artists get from CD/DVD-sales?
Could Qobuz work? I’ve never used it, but it’s French, has a reasonably extensive catalog, and lets you purchase and download DRM-free tracks.
I’d wait for people more familiar with this area before pulling the trigger because I’m sure there are nuances, but it seems like a good option at first blush.
Something that I think can be reasonable too if you 1) don’t find a service you like, 2) don’t buy a ton of music, and 3) listen primarily to indie artists who have fan donations set up (albeit this is more work on your part due to decentralization) is to pirate the music, figure out how much you’d have paid on the music platform, and then directly donate to the artist, giving them (basically) all the money.
Thanks for the Quobuz suggestion, which has come up in another posting here. I’ll make sure to check it out!
- listen primarily to indie artists who have fan donations set up (albeit this is more work on your part due to decentralization) is to pirate the music, figure out how much you’d have paid on the music platform, and then directly donate to the artist, giving them (basically) all the money.
Good call! I’ve considered that route, but I couldn’t find (m)any donation opportunities for the bands I’m interested in, and if so, it’s mostly American platforms again (Patreon…).
For people recommending qobuz, please specify that it’s only available in select (rich) countries and it’s impossible to use them if you don’t have a card in said countries.
I buy music on Bandcamp but I didn’t know they where American :/ Whatever I couldn’t find on Bandcamp I bought on 7digital (UK). I found it to be cheaper than Qobuz but I don’t know about which one is more artist-friendly
Edit: Apparently Qobuz is superior when it comes to audio quality but I’m just an average listener
The best platform for this is unfortunately American, Bandcamp. 82% of all the money you spend goes to that artist (that’s what they claim) and if you wait until a Bandcamp Friday, they waive their 15/10% fee entirely.
Depending on the music you want to buy. You can buy some game soundtracks from GOG. Not the best value, but it is drm free.
