This article introduces an approach to enjoying music intended for an avid streaming service user who is questioning their reliance on any given streaming platform. It proposes a “mixed media diet” of physical media, digital media and streaming as needed but being intentional and realistic about it all.

I have listened to a lot of music in my life and likely you have too.

However, were you ever in the “top 0.5%” of Spotify listeners multiple years in a row? As a remote worker who loves my headphones and music, I earned this distinction several years in a row. The number of hours I clocked up was staggering. Then something changed… But things have always been changing.

Likely like you as well I have been pushed and pulled by the various trends and media types of the day, the various hardware and software that is in vogue at the time. I had CDs, Minidiscs, MP3 players… and then it became just my phone and headphones on almost the entire time.

However, At some point the question became a little different than just how to get the music into my ears. The question for me was how to get the most out of the experience and variety. This included a mix of things, devices, mediums and places.

This post is about my journey that starts to look back and into a proposed middle golden space: trying to find a sweet spot of mixed media in 2025 even on some lower budgets.

This approach acknowledges the reality that “almost everything” is easy to access with internet and less than $15 a month to stream and for some people this makes a lot of sense. If I had less than $15 for music a month or felt limited by other concerns I’d probably still be on Spotify and I don’t judge anyone on a budget of course.

Streaming at full speed

First, I will start where you may be right now: Streaming Supremacy. With just a Spotify Account or many of the other streaming services such as Apple Music, Tidal, YouTube Music… even Amazon Music… you can likely find a lot of what you are looking for. But not everything.

These services are undeniably convenient, pretty cheap, ubiqituous. Some services that are focused on purchasing music from artists also offer convenient streaming such as Bandcamp.

I don’t know when I found Spotify but I took to it like a moth to a flame. I had “Everything” at my fingertips. It just worked. Suddenly I found myself listening to Song Radio’s on tracks, finding similar things, just listening all the time.

Spotify the final progression?

Streaming, and specifically Spotify, was never really the final evolution or replacement. Music was still performed live, people still bought things, Vinyl had been making a wave again even while I was deep into Spotify.

However, streaming almost did seem for a while to be almost unmoveable in my life. Then the world started moving, and I started to look at my “top 0.5%” status as a limiting factor, not something to brag about.

Streaming and over-saturation: loss of some joy

Firstly I started to feel I was losing joy and focus on music because it was on all the time while I was doing 5x different things at once. Or as I found, while I was working. Some songs became synonymous with working environments. I didn’t like this.

Music started to feel like a sort of… temporary soup. I didn’t find myself asking any questions, just turning on my headphones and phone, clicking something and then just letting it take me where it led me.

TikTokification of the app

Dynamic visuals, flashing lights, color patterns… this was extra to the music. And I started to resent it. Spotify started to undergo multiple redesign and supposed enhancements that made it feel sort of like a eye-distracting casino app than just music at times.

Loss of intentional music discovery

Playlists, Song Radio’s, AI generated stuff… all lead me in various directions. Sometimes good directions I would listen to for hours and save tracks from. However, I found it started to stunt my ability to find music and discover new music in anyway other than just hearing about the Top 20 tracks or what was in the cultural zeitgeist which was largely what Spotify pumped me.

Increasingly I found myself forgetting and having no way of easily finding tracks I remembered streaming a while ago unless I dug through the app. This all started to feel limiting, not expansive like it first felt.

Spotify and compensating artists

Spotify doesn’t pay very well. This is an issue with many platforms and not just Spotify but it started to gnaw at me thinking about working artist starting out and trying to make anything at all from Spotify.

Spotify and AI Drone Investments

Spotify’s CEO is deep into investing into military drone stuff. I don’t want to think about this when I click my music in the slightest. This was my final straw.

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Let us take a moment. A moment of inspiration.

How I felt the moment I cancelled my Spotify…

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Embracing Mixed Media: My antidote

I decided to approach music from a few ideas:

1. Own some music and rent some music but know the difference. Mix it up.
2. Embrace music discovery as novelty and adventure (even requiring some more effort)
3. Do future you a favor if streaming services change or your circumstances change

My proposed mixed media diet following from a strong streaming habit is the following:

• Continue to stream as needed but as a pressure release as you re-explore music. Consider your foot out the door, jamming the door open to new experiences.
• Experience Vinyl and what is available and consider getting some yourself. A good record player is not completely cheap and vinyl is not either. Plus it takes up space and needs some care and attention. But wow, to me it is worth it.
• My personal obsession right now may surprise you: CDs. This is where I believe some real adventure is to be had! (more below)
• Curate and care for a collection of (legit) MP3s. Even if it feels like a real throwback and disk space on your computer, consider yourself like you are holding a digital object. Don’t forget how to manage and care for them, even if its just for a few.

Streaming pressure release

I decided I would continue to use streaming services but in fresh newer ways including trying different platforms. As soon as the UI felt tired, or something didn’t feel right or it felt old, it was time to jump ship. This was my plan to ease off the gas of being a heavy Spotify user.

Currently, Im trying out YouTube Music for a month. Im not super impressed, and I have been reccomended to try Apple Music for higher quality audio files, so I am considering my next move.

At any rate, you don’t have to give up anything, really, just keep exploring. If I wanted something I could likely still find it conveniently.

Rome (your new music collection) won’t be built in a day

Export what you can and like from your streaming services to another medium or to archive independently as a reference. Scour what you can from it and recent good listens.

But what about my playlists!!!

Google how to export them… consider a playlist that is locking you into a platform to be a weight, not a benefit. I don’t suggest you need to cancel or quit overnight, but definitely ask yourself “why is this list keeping me locked in”.

Which one?

Just be intentional about what streaming services you do keep. My suggestion is to consider services based on UI and sound quality. I won’t reccomend any specific one but there are some that specialize in high quality music audio or have a reputation for paying more to Artists.

Vinyl (the classic, but $$)

Vinyl has been making a wave again for a while and is back in stores online and local to you. There are definitely drawbacks: Portability, care needed, cost. This likely doesn’t need to be explained.

However, consider again the principles of this new music journey:

• Does a friend have a record player? Listen to some of their records with them, they will love it!
• Try listening and doing activities in the length of time it takes to flip 2 sides of a Vinyl. You can likely do the dishes, a dash of cleaning up, reading, some other activity- in a sort of more measured and relaxed pace than something endless.

CDs

This is where I reccomend an upfront cost of acquiring a new or good quality CD Player if you don’t have one. This has been the most fun part of my music journey so far and definitely worth it.

I am not a music industry expert but CDs are somewhere in-between landfill and collectible. Many people have many of them. You might have them stored away. If you have any inclination to collect or find novelty, you can find them.

If you want to acquire CDs find yourself prepared for a whole realm of exploration:

• Contentment with enjoying one album or mix at a time. I feel it exercises my brain.
• CDs are more affordable than Vinyl.
• Every music store usually has some kind of small CD section still, some incredible bargains
• !! Thrift stores and garage sales !!
• At least where I live you can get CDs from the library and at thrift stores for like 50 cents
• CDs are MP3 adjacent and embody the mixed media journey ‘rip’ CDs in good condition to your computer with a disc drive for an MP3 Backup or copy to stream or work with digitally how you wish. Likewise, you can easily burn your own.
• Many artists still release CDs

I explicitly endorse the R300 CD Player and it turns out the NYT Wirecutter does too. It has bluetooth and a rechargeable battery- it looks amazing and feels good to own!

Owning MP3s

MP3s, legally acquired of course, are part of a balanced diet. Even if it feels like its taking up disk space (or not, in the case of Bandcamps offerings where the MP3s are on-demand to download from many purchases).

Don’t forget how to archive or backup some of your MP3s. You are doing your future self a favor for anything you want to keep.

Bandcamp downloads (not just MP3’s but FLAC and other formats)

I can’t speak for the entirety of Bandcamps business model for artists but Bandcamp has been by far the most friendly platform to buying music from a UI/UX perspective and general usability to me.

You can buy digital albums and stream off the app, or typically also download the MP3s and other formats of the music. All the cool kids seem to be buying Cassettes and CDs and Vinyl and then the digital download comes with it included and they just stream that on the daily but keep a physical reminder of the experience. Embrace the mixed media age!

Internet Archive Music downloads

If you are really adventurous, consider completely free ways to find music like Internet Archive. Even if you incorporated just a few of these tracks into your diet, you are adding some real spice.

Example: Nine Inch Nails : Ghosts I - IV [24bit 48khz]

Conclusion

Mix things up if you are feeling stale on streaming! This is just my experience so far. I feel happier and more engaged as a result of thinking more intentionally about things, and trying a little physical and digital, owning and renting, rather than just streaming Spotify.

The future? My own streaming service?

Plex? Jellyfin? Using high quality digital formats like FLAC? There is a world to keep exploring!

• Music
• Spotify
• Streaming
• CDs
• Vinyl
• Bandcamp
• MP3s
• Internet Archive