How to Build a Music Library That You Actually Own
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It’s ridiculous that the flow of my day can be ruined by the realization that a beloved song is no longer on the streaming platform I’m paying for. As someone who vividly remembers cassette tapes, CDs, and hard drives full of MP3s, this reminds us of what we exchanged when we said “yes” to streaming services years ago.
I’ve been working on my Warped Tour playlist for the summer, but I keep running into a ton of license holes and grayed out deep cuts. The gaps are everywhere and it harms the atmosphere. It’s another heartbreaking reminder that I simply rent everything Spotify offers in its music library. That’s why I started building my music library from scratch again. Here’s how to find, buy and own music in a purely streaming world.
The Best Places to Buy MP3s
Buying and owning MP3s depends entirely on the type of music you like. If you like mainstream mega hits or your favorite grunge band is on a major label, you can look to the major players for buying music: Apple and Amazon. Apple’s iTunes Store (we still call it that!) remains one of the most robust among the “available everywhere” sect. It’s also easy to purchase high-quality 256kbps AAC files, which are technically more efficient than regular MP3s and provide CD-like sound quality without being large files. Just make sure you’re purchasing the music through the purple iTunes icon and not the red icon. Amazon’s MP3s are DRM-free, usually at 256 kbps, and you can usually find what you need there, even more obscure offerings.
If you hope to own digital And physical media, Amazon offers AutoRip. When you purchase a physical CD or vinyl marked with the AutoRip logo, Amazon adds the digital version to your cloud library for free. You can stream these purchases through the Amazon Music app without needing a monthly subscription. Apple also lets you stream your iTunes purchases directly within the Apple Music app. Even if you don’t pay for the monthly streaming service, you can access your existing library and stream what you own on the platform.
7digital is widely considered a long-standing hidden gem in the world of MP3 purchasing. The service itself is a back-end provider for other global music services, which is why they have so much access to music licensing. They’re a UK company, so if you’re listening to more international artists, this is a viable solution, as Amazon and Apple’s offerings can be region-locked. 7digital also lets you choose between high-resolution MP3 and FLAC files during checkout.
These three services have been around long enough to have a legacy of longevity. If you lose your digital files, Amazon, Apple and 7digital will allow you to re-download them through your account.
How to buy music directly from artists
Bandcamp remains the de facto standard for purchasing music directly from an artist.
Credit: Screenshot by Florence Ion/Lifehacker
If you’re buying digital music to directly support the band or artist you love, try Bandcamp before going anywhere else. It’s one of the few music marketplaces where you can choose your file type (MP3, FLAC, or WAV, in some cases) in a single transaction. Sometimes there are even merchandise and physical media, like LPs and CDs, that you can add to cart. Bands like the site because it doesn’t take a huge chunk out of what you pay the artist for an album. The Bandcamp app also acts as a cloud locker for everything you’ve purchased on the platform, so if you’re craving music you don’t have with you, you can access it through the mobile app.
Some bands and artists bypass their labels by using platforms like Patreon or Substack to distribute music files directly to a monthly “fan club.” Others leverage their labels using direct-to-consumer online stores, like Polyvinyl, which notoriously prioritizes a 50/50 profit-sharing model with their artists. The digital store also offers high-resolution DRM-free files, ensuring the artist gets a fair share while you get a file you actually own.
Where to buy better quality digital music
Even if you don’t trade in your Apple AirPods for a dedicated DAC (digital-to-analog converter) and a serious pair of headphones, you may want to own even higher quality digital music beyond 256 KB. You’ll want to look for 24-bit/192 kHz FLAC files, which aren’t available in mainstream digital music stores.
Qobuz is a global streaming service that also allows you to purchase titles in high resolution.
Credit: Screenshot by Florence Ion/Lifehacker
Qobuz is a worldwide favorite for purchasing high-resolution titles, and it’s one of the easiest to use. You can buy what you want in the browser and then use one of the companion desktop apps to batch download files. Qobuz even offers a streaming subscription that allows you to benefit from massive discounts on future high-resolution albums and EPs that you purchase. It’s a good deal if you’re serious about collecting MP3s, and the streaming capability lets you preview an album before committing.
Other popular services include HDtracks, which has been around since 2008. Founded by two audio engineers, the site specializes in definitive masters. This is a good choice if you have a more classical or traditional rock music taste, as 24-bit remasters are usually available. Bleep is another service aimed at fans of electronic and alternative music, while Boomkat serves the more experimental and underground niche.
How to Rip Your Own CDs
Part of the fun of returning to digital music is remembering that another way to collect it — and really solidify your ownership — is to hit your local record store or second-hand market for CDs. Yes, CDs, compact discs which continue, even if the players are no longer even standard in cars.
Since most modern laptops and computers no longer come with optical drives in favor of slim, svelte designs, you’ll need a simple external CD/DVD drive that connects via USB-C or another method. Brands like Asus and LG still make these combo drives. They are easy to buy and are not too expensive.
What do you think of it so far?
Next, you will need ripping software. For Mac users, the Apple Music app offers the same built-in ripper that came with iTunes all those years ago, and it’s still a viable option. If you want something more robust, there is X Lossless Decoder. It’s simple, handles album art and track names quite well, and is a good idea if you’re a fan of metadata.
If you’re willing to spend a little money, dBpoweramp costs around $40 and works for both Mac and PC. Users like it because it pulls track information from multiple databases simultaneously to ensure metadata is robust.
Windows users also have a wealth of options. Exact Audio Copy is one of the most popular free ripping suites. It cross-references global metadata to ensure you get back audio that sounds like the original, even if it requires a learning curve. I use Express RIP CD Ripper because I paid for a license a long time ago (around $40). It’s pretty simple and works well on most albums I get from Goodwill. However, it doesn’t handle compilations very well. I’m still working on a few albums in Mp3tag to get them to display the correct song titles.
One important thing to keep in mind if you decide to become obsessed with CDs: always rip to a lossless format like FLAC (Windows) or ALAC (Mac). You can convert a high-quality file into a smaller MP3 later. But you can never expand an MP3 to get the full fidelity sound of the original CD.
How to stream your music library now that you own it
Now that you have your own digital music, you will probably want to play these files without the links of your home computer. If you have a centralized storage solution at home and want to connect your library to the Internet, Plexamp lets you create your own private streaming service. You can connect to it from anywhere in the world with the mobile app and stream the files you own in high resolution.
If you don’t want to manage home servers and want to take your music with you, apps like Prism on iOS and Symfonium on Android are designed for power users. Prism connects to cloud services like Plex and iCloud and has an Apple-like interface, while Symfonium supports almost every music format and even lets you stream to other devices. You can also invest in a dedicated mp3 player, either an off-brand player or an old favorite revived, to take your music with you.
Finally, keep the 3-2-1 rule of file ownership in mind when managing your music collection: if the song doesn’t exist in three places, it doesn’t exist at all. There should be one copy on your main computer or home server, one on an external backup drive, and one in the cloud or physically stored on a shelf. Yes, it’s maintenance work, but the trade-off is that you own what you listen to.
