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I had tidal for a while. The downsides that I remember are that it's kind of glitchy and slower to load--I had buffering issues that I never had with spotify or apple music. It also has weak playlists... I avoid the official platform playlists (or the auto-suggest algorithm stuff) of any streaming service bc I don't like the thought that artists on certain labels the platform has deals with get pushed more, while other artists get censored... anyways... I like user-made playlists way more and tidal doesn't have much of that iirc. I didn't notice the sound quality actually being much better either.
For transfering playlists i use a paid app called playlisty. i was annoyed to have to pay for it but it was like $2 one time payment and it does the job perfectly (no playlist size limits) and i use it all the time so imo it's worth it.
Have you heard of soulseek? It's a great free app for downloading music. You could forego streaming and just have a huge mp3 collection :3 like back in the day... *wisful gaze*
I hear the youtube music catalogue has the most breadth, personally if i didn't get apple music for free atm i would probably try that but never actually used it so i can't rec it.
21h ago
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πΆI've never paid for Spotify. I started with Grooveshark (as dubious as LimeWire) and moved onto Rdio before it was slaughtered by Spotify when it launched in the united states. I'll never forgive that.
Pandora - Yes, it still exists. Yes, it's radio stations are still far better than any other streaming services. I pay for ad-free stations and use these for music discovery. I listen to stations or full albums. I don't give a fuck about playlists.
Bandcamp - This is where I buy digital albums when I can (iTunes/Apple Music when I can't). Bandcamp allows you to stream songs a few times for free before asking you to pay so I preview albums with this service a lot. You can download music you buy to the Bandcamp app on your phone, but you'll need to download on a PC and transfer to your phone if you want the files in the stock music app (I believe that's only an iPhone limitation)
iTunes is still a thing but called the Apple Music App now. It supports all its old functions but kinda worse all around because it pushes an Apple Music subscription at every turn. Like seiji points out, you can "turn off" Apple Music (streaming) and use the iOS and MacOS Apple Music app as just an MP3 player. It's almost old school iTunes with all the playlist creating tools you could want.
Yes, you can still rip CDs! As long as you have a CD reader...
Longplay - MP3 player app for iOS that only allows you to listen to albums in full. No picking and choosing tracks! I almost exclusively use this for listening to music downloaded to my phone.
Vox - Minimal music player for Mac and iOS that also plays lossless audio codecs. Feels like iTunes with all the bloat stripped out. It's completely free. They have a premium subscription that will sync your collection to the cloud (but they don't shove it down your throat). Also supports Last.fm scrobbling.
Pandora - Yes, it still exists. Yes, it's radio stations are still far better than any other streaming services. I pay for ad-free stations and use these for music discovery. I listen to stations or full albums. I don't give a fuck about playlists.
Bandcamp - This is where I buy digital albums when I can (iTunes/Apple Music when I can't). Bandcamp allows you to stream songs a few times for free before asking you to pay so I preview albums with this service a lot. You can download music you buy to the Bandcamp app on your phone, but you'll need to download on a PC and transfer to your phone if you want the files in the stock music app (I believe that's only an iPhone limitation)
iTunes is still a thing but called the Apple Music App now. It supports all its old functions but kinda worse all around because it pushes an Apple Music subscription at every turn. Like seiji points out, you can "turn off" Apple Music (streaming) and use the iOS and MacOS Apple Music app as just an MP3 player. It's almost old school iTunes with all the playlist creating tools you could want.
Yes, you can still rip CDs! As long as you have a CD reader...
Longplay - MP3 player app for iOS that only allows you to listen to albums in full. No picking and choosing tracks! I almost exclusively use this for listening to music downloaded to my phone.
Vox - Minimal music player for Mac and iOS that also plays lossless audio codecs. Feels like iTunes with all the bloat stripped out. It's completely free. They have a premium subscription that will sync your collection to the cloud (but they don't shove it down your throat). Also supports Last.fm scrobbling.
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πΆThis is my fave website to transfer my playlists from platform to platform.
If ur like me and use Spotify, Tidal and Apple Music this is such a big help and time saver.
Tune my music letβs you transfer 500 songs for free and then itβs 25 bucks a year.
Me and my homies @ the radio station swear by it.
Not a sponsored ad just a strong endorsement from a Virgo π₯°
If ur like me and use Spotify, Tidal and Apple Music this is such a big help and time saver.
Tune my music letβs you transfer 500 songs for free and then itβs 25 bucks a year.
Me and my homies @ the radio station swear by it.
Not a sponsored ad just a strong endorsement from a Virgo π₯°
Jan 21, 2024
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π§I've been using Apple Music since 2017-ish except for last year when I tried using Spotify exclusively. I pay for both cause they have super-affordable student plans here in India (~$0.69 per month)
Here are some things I like and dislike about them:
Apple Music π Better artist payouts π Apple TV+ included π Better sound quality π Sometimes has extra tracks that aren't available on Spotify (e.g. Lana's Is This Happiness from Ultraviolence, beabadoobee's cover of The Adults Are Talking) π Prettier mobile app π Radio shows π Separate Apple Music Classical app for Classical music enjoyers π Apple will NUKE your library and all your playlists if you stop your subscription
Spotify π Free tier available π Better social features π Tons of niche playlists π Love the giant cover thing on the TV app π Easier to switch which device the audio is playing from π Easier to work with 3rd party apps, websites and services π Spotify Wrapped π Algorithms better tuned to my specific taste π Shittier artist payouts
Here are some things I like and dislike about them:
Apple Music π Better artist payouts π Apple TV+ included π Better sound quality π Sometimes has extra tracks that aren't available on Spotify (e.g. Lana's Is This Happiness from Ultraviolence, beabadoobee's cover of The Adults Are Talking) π Prettier mobile app π Radio shows π Separate Apple Music Classical app for Classical music enjoyers π Apple will NUKE your library and all your playlists if you stop your subscription
Spotify π Free tier available π Better social features π Tons of niche playlists π Love the giant cover thing on the TV app π Easier to switch which device the audio is playing from π Easier to work with 3rd party apps, websites and services π Spotify Wrapped π Algorithms better tuned to my specific taste π Shittier artist payouts
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Changed my perspective on so much--namely money and history. It's shocking how so much of the mainstream story of where money came from is false conjecture. For instance, we are told that societies start out bartering for goods and then develop money to make trade easier... but actually Graeber shows in no society has bartering ever predated coinage. The actual ways societies have historically dealt with exchange of goods and services are diverse and often more humanistic. Could it be that the mainstream narrative is merely justification for the inevitability of the free market? π€ Definitely want to re-read because there's lots more too
Mar 12, 2025
Mar 13, 2025
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π₯ͺchecks all the boxes: easy, quick, cheap, minimal cleanup, all your main food groups and macronutrients, modifiable (today I added sliced mini peppers and green onion), and of course yummy.
doesn't have to be tiny british finger food bites either. I don't cut off the crusts. I pile my toppings high scooby doo style.
hard to get sick of bc you can always mix it up--dill, chili oil, salmon, garlic, olives, tomatos, tabasco... it adapts nicely to whatever you have kicking around. Salt, pepper, and a splash of vinegar is my basic default
doesn't have to be tiny british finger food bites either. I don't cut off the crusts. I pile my toppings high scooby doo style.
hard to get sick of bc you can always mix it up--dill, chili oil, salmon, garlic, olives, tomatos, tabasco... it adapts nicely to whatever you have kicking around. Salt, pepper, and a splash of vinegar is my basic default
Jun 14, 2025