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?

  • TheTechnician27@lemmy.worldEnglish
    7·
    10 days ago

    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.

    • IratePirate@feddit.orgOPEnglish
      3·
      10 days ago

      Thanks for the Quobuz suggestion, which has come up in another posting here. I’ll make sure to check it out!

      1. 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…).

  • flamingos-cant (hopepunk arc)@feddit.ukEnglish
    3·
    10 days ago

    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.

  • simsala@feddit.orgEnglish
    3·
    10 days ago

    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