From Spotify to fair music streaming

45 min Easy

Illustration mit Spaghetti, die in Form eines Notenschlüssels aus einer Gabel in eine weiße, muschelartige Schüssel fallen, begleitet von einem Glas Rotwein im Hintergrund.

While we’re making our own soup, we’re listening to music that’s not only good for us but also for the artists. The dominant platforms use their algorithms in a non-transparent way, track users, and swamp us with AI-generated spam music. And above all, they pay musicians very little.

If you’re not happy with this (anymore), you can now bring more community spirit and fairness to the table with this recipe: By choosing mostly European alternatives, you take control of your digital independence and support a healthy, diverse music culture.

Since a stew with too many ingredients doesn’t always taste good, this recipe focuses mainly on music – please also try our dessert when it comes to the spoken word in radio plays or audiobooks. (And don’t forget: Music is also available on CD or vinyl!)

Different ways to cook

Our digital switch recipes provide an easy, simple way to give Big Tech the push, but there are other options available. We have tried to make it easy by focusing on a single approach and a small number of options, but there are other alternatives that are just as good. After all, what we mean by ‘good’, ‘not so good’ and ‘bad’ is open to debate: DI.DAY is about easy ways to give Big Tech the push (without getting into purism or being preachy). Our decisions are based on advice from our advisory panel.

An overview of the alternatives is available on the next page:

Alternatives to Big Tech

Ingredients

1 pinch of passion

for discovering new, hand-picked music beyond mainstream algorithms

1 awareness of fairness

so that more money goes to the people who create your favourite music

Your existing playlists

that you simply take with you to their new home

Preparation

1 Choose the right foundation (your new platform)

Choose one (or more) of the following music providers:

Qobuz (France)

sound enthusiasts’ first choice. Here, you enjoy music in high-resolution quality (up to 24-bit/192 kHz) and discover new gems through insightful editorial content rather than cold algorithms. Pays artists six times more than Spotify (source). Protects user-data in accordance with the GDPR and provides a transparent explanation of how it uses AI.

SoundCloud (Germany)

at the heart of the independent scene, straight from Berlin. Here, you’re right at the source, even for new music; you can chat with DJs and find remixes and live sets that aren’t available anywhere else. Protects user-data in accordance with the GDPR, is criticised regarding the use of tracks for training AI.

Bandcamp (USA)

not a typical subscription platform: Artists only start making money once you buy songs – not just through streaming. You often set the price for the music yourself, and most of the sales proceeds go directly to the artists. Many artists also sell vinyl and merchandising directly on this platform. Bandcamp has been criticised for numerous changes of ownership and layoffs. According to its own statements, AI-generated music is not permitted. User data is (also) stored on U.S. servers – that’s why it’s unclear to what extent the GDPR is complied with.

Subvert (USA)

is a new cooperative project that wants to build an online marketplace for music and fan merchandise in collaboration with artists and labels. The platform is very transparent about its business model and sees itself as a better alternative to Bandcamp, where artists and labels hardly have any say. At the moment, Subvert is only available to members on a trial basis. User data is (also) stored on U.S. servers – that’s why it’s unclear to what extent the GDPR is complied with.

Bandwagon.fm (USA)

is a music service in the Fediverse – if you use Mastodon, for example (see our recipe), you can follow artists on Bandwagon. Bandwagon is data-efficient and 100% open source, but its main server is operated from the USA. For those who are curious: The stream radio station The Indie Beat plays Bandwagon tracks.

Deezer (France)

an allrounder with 90 million songs in CD-quality. With tools like “Flow” you can discover music to fit your mood. According to the service itself, it is “working” on transparent labelling of AI-generated content – recent reports suggest that more than half of the content is AI-generated.

Tidal (USA)

Tidal has its headquarters in the USA. The platform pays artists around six times more royalties than Spotify (source), for example, and offers high-quality audio and DJ features. Tidal is a good choice for HipHop, R&B, and pop fans. In addition, artists can track their earnings directly. Users criticise the fact that AI-music is not always clearly labelled. User data is (also) stored on U.S. servers – that’s why it’s unclear to what extent the GDPR is complied with.

2 Taste test: the proof is in the pudding

Before you make a final decision, take the opportunity to try out different services at your own pace. Most alternatives offer generous trial periods (often 30 days). This is how you can make sure that the “menu” is to your liking.

Tips for your test run:

Hardware check: Use the trial period to check whether the app runs on all your devices (smartphone, desktop, hi-fi system) without any problems. Not every service works perfectly with every operating system.
Catalogue check: Search specifically for your favourite artists and niche genres. This is the best way to make sure that your personal soundtrack can be transferred in full since catalogues can vary slightly.
The “calendar ingredient”: To avoid falling into an unwanted cost trap and ensure your trial period remains under your control, enter the cancellation deadline into your calendar right away (ideally 2-3 days before it expires). This way you can decide whether the “fling” will turn into a serious relationship.
Data minimisation: While you are testing it, look at how the app handles your data. European services are subject to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which already offers you a high level of protection – but it’s always worth checking your privacy settings to ensure data collection is kept at a minimum.

Have fun trying out these delicious alternatives – you decide what you put on your plate!

3 Moving day (transfer your playlists)

Don’t worry about losing the music playlists you’ve spent years curating. There are special “kitchen helpers” who handle the transfer for you:

Tune My Music: Offers a free transfer of up to 500 songs in total.
Free Your Music: Allows you to import 300 songs during the trial period.
Qobuz works directly with Soundiiz to transfer music and lists straight to the platform (instructions here).

Use these tools to transfer your music library or playlist to your new and fair platform in only a few minutes!

4 Enjoy your freedom

Cancel your Spotify, Apple, or Amazon Prime Music subscription and feel the relief. You are now part of a movement that values music once again for what it actually is: Art and community, not just a data point for advertising algorithms.

Dessert

Your extra serving of independence: For your podcasts, use open standards such as RSS feeds and an independent app (e.g. AntennaPod for Android or Öffi Sounds). This way you’ll avoid being dependent on closed systems that try to keep you trapped in their app. ARD Sounds (the former ARD Audio Library), the app Deutschlandfunk, or other audio services often offer words in excellent content quality – and the sound quality is great, too.

You can also stream music using your library card, for example on Freegalmusic. The Naxos msuic library offers classical music, jazz, and world music via streaming – over 3 million tracks from more than 240,000 albums. Plus over 5,000 audiobooks in English and German. You can also access Naxos via this link.

Enjoy your meal! You have just taken a big step towards a more independent digital existence.

Once you #DIDit – share our post about the digital switch and inspire others to take control of their own digital lives!

Topping

What would it be like to regain full control of your music collection? Use MP3s that you can buy directly from the artists on their websites, BandCamp, or BandWagon.fm. This way, more money ends up in the artists’ pockets, and no one can take your tracks ways from you. Less is often more; vinyl fans know a thing or two about this!

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