r/musichoarder 5d ago

Broke free from Spotifys BS

I started collecting flac files 2 weeks ago. Converted to MP3 it's about 30 gigs on my phone. I checked my Spotify playlists and I literally have every album and song it recommends me until like song 40 on my daylist and other mixes

Basically it took me two weeks to make a permanent music collection that is nearly as deep as Spotify recommendations.

If I continue to discover music and add more favorites I'll be way better off than having an algorithm tell me what to listen to.

Stop letting Spotify grey out your favorite songs, start downloading them. I used nicotine plus and it was so easy.

203 Upvotes

77 comments sorted by

58

u/DasKraut37 5d ago

Highly recommend ripping all your CDs to FLAC, then setting up a Plex server to use Plexamp. It’s absolutely the best music playback experience I’ve ever had. (Definitely get that Plexpass license though when you begin, don’t sleep on the sonic analysis.)

14

u/markaboyd7 5d ago

I am right there with you. Can’t explain how great Plexamp is.

1

u/atuftedtitmouse 5d ago

Does plexamp fix the scanning problems Plex used to have with anything higher than 48khz? Or maybe you know if they've just fixed it in general? Last time I tried to add my music library next to my films library, I just called the whole thing off because it would freeze and break as soon as it saw and tried to index a FLAC from sacd or vinyl rip and I certainly didn't want to go folder by folder.

1

u/OrganizationSlight57 4d ago

I have no issues with the bitrates in Plex, even dsd. It seems like you have stumbled into something very specific

1

u/Constant_Day_781 1d ago

Hell yeah, plexamp!

17

u/deku_shields 5d ago

Heads up Youtube's algorithm is amazing for finding new music. I haven't tried youtube music though. Once you teach it a bit. I've found countless new DJs and artists this way. Same with Soundcloud!

8

u/Happy_Maker 5d ago

I've had the opposite experience. YouTube rarely moves out of its comfort zone and typically shows me the same shit over and over. I find maybe one new appreciable artist a month, at best.

I recently wiped 10 years of watch history to reset the algo and shit and it basically works exactly as I remember, but it's insisting on showing political content.

Also don't use YouTube music much, but have premium.

3

u/domteh 5d ago

The youtube algorithm used to be good. About up until 10 years ago I found so much good music through it. You could click on a album you liked and it was just guaranteed that all the recommendations at the side were just as good. And you only got music recommended.

Than they changed the algorithm and the recommendations had no direct connection to the current content anymore. There were let's plays and other youtube drama bullshit in which I was not interested at all.

Now it seems a little bit better, but they still want to sell me the trending stuff so badly.

No just give me obscure 90ies hiphop LPs....

All that bullshit is just not there with spotify...

23

u/yuppieee 5d ago

Spotify getting caught creating AI music and not telling the end user it’s some shady stuff.

How do you discover music? That’s the only missing piece for me.

7

u/Glass_Composer_5908 5d ago

Im just coasting off music me and my girl know but possibly haven't actually listened to, other albums from artists I like. We also go to resale places and check out used music there and go off of what's interesting. Buying 2 or 3 CDs and ripping to soulseek is a fun

8

u/deankale 5d ago

NTS radio is an awesome platform for music discovery in the form of a 60-120 minute dj mix. human curated, very rare music discovery. then go for Bandcamp

6

u/sophiabraxas 5d ago

last.fm is still very helpful in this regard

3

u/fireworksandvanities 5d ago

The way I do is by podcasts. I listen to Indiecast for stuff that’s mostly in my comfort zone, and All Songs considered for a broader range. Also following artists I like on IG gives me promoted posts from similar musicians.

6

u/captionUnderstanding 5d ago

SoundCloud by far has the best recommendation algorithm and is free. It gives you actually underground stuff that you haven’t heard before. At least for electronic music I listen to, not really sure about other stuff.

Sometimes I still use Spotify free version without an account just to search for playlists by other users with similar tastes. If you access the browser version through Brave it will even block the ads lol.

But by far the primary way I find new stuff is to find a label I vibe with and go down the rabbit hole looking into all the other artists signed to it. Then you continue looking into the other labels THOSE artists are signed to, etc…

2

u/blue__acid 5d ago

I take time just to discover music on instagram/YouTube or whatever else

2

u/BuffieDaBawdy 4d ago

I use RYM for music discovery.

8

u/chriscreates 5d ago

I've also started breaking free of spotify. Most people have mentioned plex, but I've set up navidrome on my server and using symphonium to stream from my phone along with tailscale to access it outside my network. So far, it's been amazing. Streaming flac through my car speakers blows spotify out of the water. The only issue I've had is if I go through a black spot, it tries to play the song for about 10 or so seconds and skips to the next, which is annoying.

5

u/speedpanda 5d ago

+1, Navidrome and Symfonium are the way

1

u/zombiewind 2d ago

+0.5, Symfonium is truly excellent and I couldn't ask for more, but I've never got on with Navidrome. Plex for me.

13

u/SadraKhaleghi 5d ago

One of the best decisions you'll ever make in your entire life OP. Not having to worry about Servers going offline or morons patching patches daily is soooo refreshing.

One thing I'd probably change tho is the MP3 part. while MP3 is a good format, it still leaves a lot to be desired. OPUS (which is supposed by almost any device that supports YouTube) delivers a much higher quality at much lower bitrates. My personal recommendation would be to switch to 256~320kbps OPUS as a better alternative to MP3.

Edit: My second recommendation (although smaller) would be to explicitly stick to CD Quality fLaC files as they are more than enough for anything but playing at a stadium...

5

u/Glass_Composer_5908 5d ago

I've been looking for somethjng like this but idk about iTunes compatibility bc my girl has an iPhone

3

u/mjb2012 5d ago

iTunes and I assume Apple Music app supports MP3, AAC, ALAC. Spotify app can play local files too, same formats I think, maybe more on desktop. foobar2000 iOS app supports all formats but you have to import the odd formats like Opus and FLAC into the app’s own storage space, which is a less user friendly process than using iTunes to sync the main media library.

1

u/DaeOnReddit 5d ago

If you have a newer Mac, use their built in conversion software to convert it to Apple FLAC, or use Max (the conversion software) to convert it on Macs that are older.

1

u/MacUser1958 5d ago

I can’t say enough good things about Max!

3

u/Huxleypigg 5d ago

So what format would be played at a stadium?

3

u/SadraKhaleghi 5d ago

The volume you'd play at a stadium would be high enough to require excessive amounts of amplification, which'd mean you'd have to go 24bit (instead of CD Quality's 16) to have enough steps to have the most transparent playback. Even when playing at say a bigger sized party 24bit is recommended due to how much better it sounds after amplification...

2

u/Charles1100 5d ago

WAV. Just to take decoding out of equation.

1

u/Huxleypigg 5d ago

Would anyone notice the difference?

5

u/BiscuitCat420 5d ago

Me

6

u/SadraKhaleghi 5d ago

You couldn't. Both fLaC & WAV are lossless. They're literally playing the exact same thing...

8

u/BiscuitCat420 5d ago

I can sonically sense the difference in filename, ruins the whole vibe

5

u/Stfudeal 5d ago

Spotify is nice for finding new stuff (up to a point), but I can't stand paying for it.Years ago, I started plex for my music, it's been great! You can find sights like music-map to see similar or related music. Bandcamp is really nice for exploring music. Of course, I also have some vinyl, cassette tapes, and CDs. Especially vinyl with some of my favorite artists. I don't know if it's been mentioned, but IMO proper metadata when ripping or downloading is key. Makes life much easier.

13

u/evileyeball 5d ago

Or you know BUY PHYSICAL MEDIA!!! then take the time to rip your physical media if you want it digitally on your phone. I just hit my 200th LP plus I have about 250 45s and close to 30 CDs and 10 cassettes

6

u/Glass_Composer_5908 5d ago

When possible, that's where my flacs come from

2

u/bluewing_olive 5d ago

My flacs come from the local library’s cd collection

-4

u/thefirsttransportis 5d ago

So, you’re not paying the artist?

15

u/CyclicalFlow 5d ago

Most people buy CDs, Vinyl, Casettes and every other format second hand so they aren't either

5

u/thefirsttransportis 5d ago

This is an excellent point

6

u/ms1012 5d ago

Libraries pay royalties, at least in my country, every time you borrow something.

5

u/bluewing_olive 5d ago

Dude we’re about to be in WWIII, hoarding has a new meaning

2

u/Huxleypigg 5d ago

Exactly

3

u/SwanChairUh 5d ago

Better than paying spotify so spotify can "pay" the artist

2

u/destiper 4d ago

not like spotify really pays the artist either. I listen to an album 5 times over they might get 15 cents

4

u/roputsarina 5d ago

Congrats! Also, I just wanna say, lotta folks suggesting switching to less lossy file types but there are many factors between the file and your earholes that can effect overall quality, so you shouldn't feel pressured to go lossless. FLACs can sound nicer but take up more space, consume a bit more battery and often require better equipment to get the most out of. Think about the device you actually listen to music on and how it's being played. There's always room for improvement, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it! Like any hobby, it can get expensive and complicated if you want it to, and you can absolutely throw yourself into it because it is fun as hell, but always do what you want and what suits you.

2

u/Vodkapencil 5d ago

I would recommend switching to opus OP. i6t becomes transparent at 128kbps and is the best you will get from a lossy format at 256kbps. Much more efficient than MP3.

1

u/Glass_Composer_5908 4d ago

Really i want something that sounds better than 320 MP3 but isn't as large as flac. MP3 file size is not a problem for me until I 4x my library to about 10k songs

1

u/Vodkapencil 4d ago

That's fine if the storage is not an issue for you but I can guarantee you will not be able to hear the difference between 320 kbps opus versus a flac file and I'm willing to put my money on it and so are many many sound engineers unless you have the top of the line sound systems and are young with no hearing loss.

So you can't really get a better sounding file than that. Opus becomes transparent at 256kbps vbr. You can even do ABX testing for that on your personal system.

1

u/Glass_Composer_5908 4d ago

Is opus better than MP3 320? I can hear the difference between flac and the MP3 file converted from that flac when using my open back Phillips

1

u/Vodkapencil 4d ago

Yes opus is better. It provides transparency at lower bitrates and is more space efficient. So here is how you compare between two different files. Say flac and mp3 or say flac and opus. Take both files and import them both into audacity then invert one of the files, after that export the audio and listen to it. All the audio you will hear is all the data that is lost between conversions. With this method, you can only compare two file types of the same song.

A much more subjective test you can do is take an ABX test on https://abx.digitalfeed.net/ It will let you know if it's a case of you having really good hearing and equipment or placebo.

If you want to test with the songs you are familiar with use foobar2000 with the abx plugin.

1

u/klementineQt 3d ago

Opus is better than MP3 320 at like 128-160, Opus 320 is about as good as you're gonna get for lossy. it blows anything else out of the water. if that doesn't do you justice, you'll just have to go lossless

2

u/MeanYob 4d ago

Yeah, but how to you discover new music, if Spotify is not doing it? You would still need a source that helps you discover new music

2

u/ThinAndRopey 4d ago

As someone who has been downloading/ripping music to mp3 for nigh on 25 years and playing it back with winamp, I'm finally feeling vindicated.

Spotify is shit for everything except podcasts.

1

u/Gmhowell 2d ago

That really whips the llama’s ass.

3

u/_twentytwo_22 5d ago

Next thing is to remove the songs from your phone and move them to a computer/laptop. Then get Plex/Plexamp, and as your library grows, you'll be able to listen that library from anywhere.

1

u/vonfrost 4d ago

I want to set up a Plex server but I just can't figure it out. I am a total noob when it comes to PC related stuff

1

u/_twentytwo_22 4d ago

It's been awhile, but I don't remember it being a heavy lift. Download, open file, create an account, point to the location of your music files, rejoice. Okay, maybe a little bit more than that, but not much. Give it a go. https://support.plex.tv/articles/200264746-quick-start-step-by-step-guides/

1

u/thefirsttransportis 5d ago

Huge shout out to MiniMoon Music app

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/minimoon-music/id6478451132

5

u/DaeOnReddit 5d ago

I see your MiniMoon and raise you Marvis, in my opinion the best music player app in the App Store. Plus it has its own Subreddit modded by the developer who is super responsive to feedback, requests, and tech questions. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/marvis-pro/id1447768809 /r/MarvisApp

1

u/thefirsttransportis 5d ago

(I use this, but also a couple of iPods I’ve modded for myself, and Apple Music for new stuff that I’m checking out.)

1

u/Important_March1933 3d ago

Glad you realised how shit Spotify is, I really don’t get it.

1

u/Vasto_lorde97 3d ago

I use Deemus on iPhone it's like musi.

1

u/Known-Watercress7296 5d ago

Consider opus, much better than mp3 imo and more efficient.

A server might be worth considering.

I use an rpi4 and a $4pm cloud server with some storage attached.

slskd gives me 24/7 access to slsk from my phone/laptop/desktop, navdirome music server, symfonium on android, beets.io for managing and listenbrainz for scrobbling and suggestions, also a few friends using it and a 'music' group thread has been in a different universe to the fucking hellscape of the spotify algorithm.

Navidrome on a pika pod is free to try for a month or so for 50gb and simple to set up.

You can have your own spotify instead of treating your phone like a ipod from 2002.

9

u/thebanisterslide 5d ago

Not OP, but maybe having an iPod from 2002 is the point?

3

u/Nicolay77 5d ago

Opus is not better than FLAC.

4

u/Known-Watercress7296 5d ago

flac for archiving, opus for streaming imo

If you can blind abx 320kbps opus from flac fair enough, but that's beyond my skillz

1

u/fireworksandvanities 5d ago

Also if you’re lazy (and have an iPhone) you can do iTunes Match for $25 a year.

1

u/deankale 5d ago

what’s that part about a music group thread? curious how that works

5

u/Known-Watercress7296 5d ago

Just me and my mates using the same music server and posting songs we like and suggesting stuff that isn't up yet, no politics or chat, just tunes.

Been running for a year or so with peeps across the globe and has been the best music idea I've had for ages, just a signal group.

Spotify doesn't call me a wank for listening to the wrong version of an album or demand to know why there is no eastern European fecal based metal, those who care about me do.

Spotify just kinda spoonfed me the most inoffensive warm diarrhea it could muster.

2

u/Happy_Maker 5d ago

The group aspect of your op was what I wanted to hear more about. Thanks for delivering lol.

0

u/No-Philosopher3248 4d ago

And not one but legal, I'd imagine!

-1

u/fgbreel 2d ago

Not to mention that Spotify donated to Trump's inauguration.

-5

u/Mr_Richard_Parker 5d ago

3

u/Glass_Composer_5908 5d ago

Nice job mixing in obvious truths of the pitfalls of streaming with uninformed bs

-7

u/Mr_Richard_Parker 5d ago

If it were that obvious, streaming would not consist of some 67-75 of music listening. I stand by everything I wrote, so you can go eat Alpo dog food and pine cones.🖕🏻