What's with lastFM these days? I used it some 20 years ago when they started and they offered free, automatically curated radios (like Spotify ), but then they flipped, thanked the users for the data they collected from listening data and switched to some subscription model
I wasn't aware of that. I quit using them when they switched from whole songs to clips.
All this work needs to pass the wife test. That is why I just hack the android version of Spotify.
*It's no longer running*
Friendly alert that it's currently Bandcamp Friday - one full day that the site gives 100% of purchases to the artists. It's a good way to support small artists and build up a personal collection.
The company that currently owns Bandcamp laid off all of the union bargaining team members when they acquired Bandcamp, or rather, didn't extend an offer of employment to all of them which is effectively a layoff or firing. Just adding on to your comment so people are more aware, in case they need extra convincing to only buy from Bandcamp on that day (or preferably not at all). Purchase directly from artists whenever possible. Pretty sure those workers who were fired are still seeking resolution, and I don't think Songtradr, the company that acquired Bandcamp, ever recognized the union even though they voted yes in their vote to unionize with OPEIU months before the acquisition. Go here for more info.
This right here is one of many reasons why you should download your purchases. Protect your collection from the inherent instability of capitalism.
Yup, enshittification comes for everything in the end. The profit motive takes no prisoners.
That's some bullshit right there. Every day should be Bandcamp Friday. I understand charging a small 1-3% fee to cover server costs, but nothing more. Otherwise Apple is just another evil record label profiting off of peoples' talent.
Because I guess nothing is ever good enough.
Server costs? I mean for a media serving website at this scale you need the servers, storage, people to run the servers, people to development the website, fix bugs, keep on top of security. If you had a very talented team that was very lean, and each member of which can wear multiple hats to reduce headcount, you’re talking $400-$600,000 a year just in salaries. Thats before you consider taxes, benefits, etc.
Do you think bandcamp is run by like one guy renting bargain bin shared cpu servers from AWS?
The most entitled people are CEOs and right after them it’s people who think everything on the internet should be free and without ads.
From what I can find, BC takes 15% for most sales, 10% for high-sellers. Dunno if that's good or bad, but it seems low to me.
id say it's quite good, storage and distribution can get expensive
It's certainly lower than the 20-30% game distribution platforms take.
I can pretty much guarantee the server & staff costs are more than 1% of sticker price, especially since BC includes streaming services.
What other options exist other than cloudflare?
Is there a "torrenting for absolute tech illiterate morons" guide out there?
Start out simple and stick with a basic BitTorrent client. Figure out where you want to download from and get a torrent client configured. I use an ISP that frowns upon piracy so here's a quick overview:
If/when you want to try Lidarr, you'll be much better off knowing the basics of BitTorrent because *arr software is confusing in its own regard. Lidarr is just a tool to organize your music library folders and also automatically queue downloads. It is not a requirement to enjoy downloading music.
Usenet and soulseek are other alternatives.
VPNs are only needed in some countries (e.g. France). They're not needed in every country (i.e. Italy doesn't give a fuck about piracy, unless it's football matches).
My issue is discovery. I'll take a look at what they've done here, but ive never been able to implement a reliable discovery process into my workflow. I still use local music, but my wife is not going to switch until I get at least some reliable and effective discovery built.
I discover new music through Discord groups, YouTube, and Internet radio.
I scrobble all my navidrome activity to listenbrainz, which gives a weekly playlist of recommendations. You might have to wait a few weeks before it can establish your tastes depending on how much music you play.
Communities, friends, family and media are your discovery algorithm! Get involved in things. It makes your music acquisitions meaningful and makes the experience of discovering and listening to music so much better.
If you’re fortunate enough to live near a well-funded library, you can peruse their new arrivals section for CDs. That’s how I discover new artists
I simply just installed Metrolist on my phone.
100 % piracy robbing musicians, but more importantly, robbing Google while circumventing Spotify altogether.
I guess I can be proud of not getting into Spotify at the first place. Instead of discovering new music, I discover older ones which I find more reliable since new music industry mostly suck. Oh, also Bandcamp is fine for discovering indie.
That's crazy to think that you need Spotify to discover new music.
Yeah, I never needed Spotify. It's either my friends recommend me something or I make my own research, since I like music from many different countries. Sure I don't randomly learn new ones much but that's okay.
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