Do you use spotify or download from youtube?

[KikiV]

Hi, I know it's really off-topic but I was wondering where do you get your music from? Do you buy mp3s/cds, use spotify or use Youtube downloads like this?

I listen to a lot of different music and just got a premium spotify account but I still download some mixes from youtube that aren’t available anywhere else. What about you guys? What do you prefer? Do you consider it bad practice to download from youtube?

 

[Damo]

I use Spotify premium too, I too have noticed that they don't appear to have everything but the songs they miss are only an odd one or two so I don't mind paying the 99p on iTunes for a few songs.

 

[Maurice]

I occasionally download music from YouTube but this is only because the music is too expensive to buy on cd. I buy a lot of CDs and vinyl.

 

[Slonaut]

Musicians get next to nothing from Spotify even for millions of plays, meanwhile that company makes millions in profit. It blows my mind when I see music released exclusively on Spotify, it makes zero sense. No way I'll ever get an account. I mostly buy on Bandcamp straight from the musicians, it's the most fair platform as far as I know.
When I come across something I really like on youtube, first thing I do is check if they have a bandcamp.
Support the artists you love, buy their stuff instead of making streaming companies rich.

 

[Lou]

Good question.
Funny thing is that my Coffee Buddies and I just spent an hour discussing this.

I am in a sort of different place than most people.

When I was in HS, LPs were $3. and I got like $5 as an allowance and also got to pick up some money mowing lawns, washing cars and shoveling walks. I can still remember the day I brought home Sargent Peppers and the day I spent listening to Santana's Abraxas and studying the album art.

But back then my turntable was a real POS. I would have to balance a penny on the tonearm to keep it from skipping.

In my mid-20s, I had an album collection that was almost a yard long. And Then I bought my first good stereo system. Discovered that my vinyl collection was pretty much ruined. Not even the covers were any good because a roommate's cat used them as a scratching post.

I started a new album collection. And my stereo system included a cassette deck. The first time I played each album I would tape it and then never play it again. Mostly early 80s music. and maybe 2 feet long. And I still have them and have no idea what to do with them. They must be worth something.

I also bought pre-recorded cassette tapes. probably close to 100. and made a bunch more from radio shows. Plus I started getting into Grateful Dead Tape Trees. i have about 50 grateful dead concerts. Don't ever listen to these anymore cause you can download better quality stuff on the internet now.

But then the CD came out and that is all I bought. Some of the CDs I taped so I could listen to them in the car or when jogging. then when I got iTunes I put all my CDs in iTunes. According to iTunes, I have almost 5000 songs. but that number is probably inflated cause my audiobooks are in there too.

With the invention of the iPod, I almost never play an LP, tape, or CD anymore. I also don't buy much music anymore. But when I do buy music it's with iTunes.

I do like Pandora. the ads don't bother me much. I have Spotify on my computer but I rarely use it.

 

[SapphireLightning]

I use Youtube Red (YT download via the YT music app) as my primary music source, great for BT casting to my car adapter. That way I can have everything from Queen to Smooth McGroovin' in one place. I consider it free as I paid for YT red simply to rid myself of ads from YT vids.

 

[TofuRobot]

I don't buy a lot of music. When I do it usually depends on what I'm buying & where it happens to be available. I hate Spotify... I have a playlist on YT (zero $), and I listen to Di.FM (the free version). Last time I purchased tunes it was from Traxsource (not counting the one vinyl I bought (I no longer have anything to play it on though, lol).

 

[Sax]

At home I stream albums on YT, at work it's Pandora. I used to use Spotify and liked it but I don't listen to music while I'm out and about anymore.

 

[mavrick45]

I try to buy albums from the artists webpage if I can. both in CD/and MP3

If it's 10+ years old I will sometimes just download it from the high seas

I still buy used physical media from goodwill/garage sales/etc... my LP collection is always growing

 

[Jai]

I still buy CDs if it is an option for an album I want. But since I have very wide and varied taste in many genres (and almost never mainstream music) I often buy music on Bandcamp, which is a platform for independent musicians to distribute their work.

For independent electronic music, there is a site with an incredible amount of work across 100+ subgenres called Ektoplazm. Allows for free downloads of full albums too, but I urge anyone who enjoys what they find to try and support the artist if they also have a Bandcamp profile by buying some music

 

[Vanille]

lol most music I listen to ain't on spotify, at home I stream on youtube anyways and outside I don't have the best internet... A few albums aren't even on youtube, but there are several free download sites I can use for Asian music. Western music I either had already (from my past pirating) or from youtube. I don't wanna pay for music as I tend to be obsessed with songs then randomly no longer like them. I own a few physical albums but only as I like the packaging, and guess what? I even regret that... I much rather pay for a concert and buy some merch, but I haven't had the opportunity yet...

 

[Emma JC]

We often listen to music we don't already own on YouTube or we listen to a local FM radio station while cooking supper etc.

We both came to this relationship with extensive collections of CDs mostly from the 80's and so we have them stored digitally and will listen to those whenever we feel the urge. Have never paid for any digital music that I can recall although saying that I think maybe I did once, a long time ago on iTunes.

We listen to audio from Coast to Coast AM ($25 per half year subscription) and other free to listen audio like Kryon.

Emma JC

 

[Adrift]

I listen to music on YouTube. I don't have a Spotify account but it does seem like it could be useful for discovering new music. Right now I use music subreddits for discovering new music.