I used to feel trapped by Spotify Premium. I thought that if I quit, I’d have to choose between listening to insufferable ads and shelling out hundreds every month for downloads and physical media. When I finally did quit Spotify, I learned you can actually listen to quite a bit of ad-free music without breaking the bank.
See, I noticed that my individual Spotify Premium subscription cost of $12 per month was close to that of a single digital album or a brand-new CD. I thought that meant I could only afford to add one album to my collection every month without going significantly over budget. One album a month versus access to a huge virtual library of music all year long? I couldn’t make the math work—at first.
Used CDs Are Cheap and Long-Lasting
I’ve come to love the used CD section of record stores and thrift stores because they’re often priced the best while also being an all-around better format. If you don’t mind a jewel case in less than perfect condition, it’s easy to find great CD albums in perfectly listenable condition for $3 to $5. After learning that, I realized I could buy a few each month while still staying within the range of a typical Spotify subscription.
Of course, vinyl records and cassette tapes are far more trendy than CDs right now. I don’t mind bucking trends, though, so I benefit from the CD’s fewer Instagram-able qualities: their prices stay down.
Debates about sound quality aside, CDs are also undeniably more durable. An old CD from the 90s that got decent care is more likely than a vinyl record or tape, especially, to sound exactly like it did when it was manufactured. That means you’re in many ways getting more value for money.
The best part though is how easily a CD purchase can translate into an addition to your MP3 collection you can listen to on your phone. All you need is a disc drive connected to your computer. You rarely find them built into modern PCs, but you can get a high-quality external disc drive for $40, like theASUS ZenDrive Silver.
ASUS ZenDrive Silver
The ASUS ZenDrive Silver is a basic and affordable external optical drive, with support for reading and writing DVDs and CDs. It’s designed for both Windows and Mac.
Personally, I use what might be considered the Cadillac of disc drives, theASUS BW-16D1X-U. It’s certainly not cheap, but its support for M-Disc and Blu-ray (even 4K after a firmware flash) opened up new data-hoarding possibilities for me.
Regardless of which drive you get, the finished product is the same: MP3s orlossless audio fileslike FLACs that you can load onto your smartphone or keep stored on your laptop. That means offline, ad-free listening at any time, with no subscription costs.
you’re able to use whatever music app you want, but the Android app I’ve been using isPhocid, available only on F-Droid. If you prefer the Play Store, we’ve also recommendedGramophonein the past as anad-free offline music player for Android. On an iPhone, you can listen to local music files with Apple Music.
Record Stores Often Have Loyalty Programs
As I quit relying on streaming and started having to go to actual record stores to find music to listen to, I learned that the people running record stores like it when you come back often. That means they sometimes have loyalty programs where you get discounts if you make enough purchases.
If you can find a good record store near you with a program like that, it’s another way CDs and other music media end up costing less than even their price tag would imply. Of course, the purpose is also to encourage you to spendmoreon music, so you have to be careful you don’t go over budget. That tower of media is easy to keep building.
Some Artists Give Away Their Music
If you venture off the streaming apps and visit the official website of an artist you like, you might find something surprising. The music you’ve been paying Spotify or Apple Music for ad-free access to is sometimes offered for free or with a name-your-price purchase scheme.
I was surprised to discover this myself, where an artist I’d been streaming for years on Spotify Premium was letting anyone who wanted their own digital copy have it. It’s typically indie artists that do this, but if you look up the ones you know on Bandcamp, you may be surprised by what they’re asking.
Your Library Has Free Music
If you’ve not taken a serious look around your local library lately, you should. They often have music that you can borrow for weeks. It’s a nice method of listening to some music to decide if you like it before purchasing, and without having to touch a streaming service. I’ve found several CDs I liked this way, and even bought a few on the cheap at the annual library book sale.
Those weird chromatic stickers they sometimes put on CDs are anti-theft trackers to make sure no one carries them through the exit without checking out first. They usually don’t affect usage in CD players or disc drives.
If you visit your library’s website, they also typically offer digital services that can include free music through services like Freegal Music and Hoopla.
Yes, it’s usually streaming, but it at least doesn’t involve ads. Freegal Music actually gives you a small number of free MP3 downloads every week that are yours to keep for personal use.
Radio Is Still Free (and Easy to Rediscover)
One of the few things I miss about Spotify is how good it was at recommending new music. Now, I often get stuck in a rut listening to the same stuff over and over.
I’ve learned to remedy that by going back to the old tradition of seeing what the antenna can pick up. Radio stations are still kicking, and they’re broadcasting curated music all day and all night for free. Who needs Spotify’s proprietary algorithms?
You don’t even need an actual radio with an antenna to listen anymore. I visitedRadio Gardenand, clicking one “seed” near my town, I instantly heard a new song I liked and bookmarked the radio station’s website. There’sa whole world of internet radioout there too.
To be completely transparent, I probably spend a lot more on music than I ever did on my old Spotify Premium subscription. That’s because collecting has become a hobby of mine. The music I’m buying though I have forever. If it’s physical, I can always resell it later to recoup costs.
Physical music is also just a fun and rewarding hobby.Vintage cassette players are awesome, andyou can actually still listen to MiniDiscwith a modern computer.
Reshow Cassette Player
The most comprehensive way to convert your old audiotapes into a digital format.
