Since returning to Spotify in November 2023, I have started buying new music for my personal music library. The main reason for doing that at the time was so that I could enjoy some music in CD quality.
Since I came up with the original idea for this post, I have returned to Tidal because I am fed up with low-quality streaming, but I want to keep building my own music library. In this blog post, I’ll try to explain my thinking.
Why am I still buying music in 2024
I’m not the only one who has returned to buying music. Sales of Vinyl albums and CDs are on the rise. I think that, in part, some of us are missing having a physical collection and the tactile experience that it brings.
Of course, I don’t get to experience that pleasure by buying the music digitally. Still, I don’t have to worry about storing the physical media, and my CD collection was ripped during the pandemic when I discovered Plex and Plexamp.
I plan to continue buying digital copies of some of the music I like because if I own the music no one can take it away from me.
Add to this the pleasure of creating your own music library streaming service and controlling what artists, albums and even tracks are added to your library. Lastly, you support your favourite artists by buying their music.
Why am I still paying for a streaming music service in 2024?
You might be asking why I’m still paying for a music streaming service if I buy and build my own music collection. The simple answer is that I still enjoy discovering new music, and one of the best ways to do that is to listen to music via a streaming service, especially those with good search discovery, such as Spotify or Tidal.
Music streaming services have massive song collections and still give me access to the tracks I enjoy but haven’t yet had the opportunity to buy.
And lastly, I use my streaming service to identify the albums I should add to my albums-to-buy list.
Benefits of using Plex for managing my personal library
I use Plex to host my personal music library, and I have two main reasons for using it.
- I like the Plexamp player (Read our review of Plexamp here)
- It allows me to stream my music to other devices like my mobile phone.
- Display album cover work
Plex and Plexamp also support integration with Tidal, allowing Tidal subscriptions to listen to Tidal music on those applications. Our linked blog post lets you discover more about Plex and Tidal integration.
Conclusion
In this article, we have explored how it is possible to enjoy the discovery of new music through music streaming and the pleasure of having a more minor connection to music that you own.
I would love to know how you listen to your music.