I've decided to go mostly offline. Bandcamp purchases, ripping CD's from charity shops, etc... all going into a local media server.
I use NTS radio for on the go stuff and discovering new music. I pay for their membership which is very reasonable.
I use NTS radio for on the go stuff and discovering new music. I pay for their membership which is very reasonable.
I get discovery via Youtube and some friends, but it's way less than before with Spotify. I don't mind it though, as I've always tended to listen the same artists over and over again instead of new ones.
Considering that the Airsonic server also hosts bunch of other stuff for me, I think that the cost is similar to the 12$/month cost of Spotify (6$/month + buying 5 CDs per year). Also I get to own my bought music.
Once you've listened to an album a couple of times, you have to pay for it and then you get unlimited streams.
If there's an artist that isn't on bandcamp (many artists on major labels aren't) then I use plexamp. The monthly bill for that server has effectively replaced my streaming bill.
I have a Spotify subscription and it is great for the depth of the catalogue and playing your favourite music when you get the itch, but algorithmic playlists suck. Humans do discovery much better, and just leaving radio playing broadens your taste.