Non-Spotify, non-Apple ecosystem music storage/streaming?

August 21, 2024 11:45 AM

I am an Apple user who wants to quit using Spotify + Apple apps to save, store, stream, and sync my music. But leaving this ecosystem is hard. I would like recommendations for a more streamlined replacement that can: 1. play my mp3 library on desktop and mobile; 2. sync the library between desktop and mobile; 3. easily allow me to save/add songs to my library on desktop and mobile.

So far I have jury-rigged an imperfect solution: moved my mp3 library (stored locally on desktop) from iTunes to Swinsian (desktop), and I occasionally save playlists to my phone to play through VLC (mobile). I like these apps - they're reliable, easy to use, and Swinsian in particular is nice because it's an iTunes lookalike.

However, all this really accomplishes is 1 (out of the desired points above). I can't sync automatically between these two apps; if I want to move a playlist from Swinsian to VLC it's a whole affair with generating an m3u8 file + moving that and the mp3s to iCloud, then from iCloud (mobile) to the VLC folder on my phone. This also means I have redundant copies of my files which is not ideal.

I also miss the ability to easily look up a song I don't currently have on Spotify. It would be nice to have a way to do this even if it's just a little notes feature reminding me to look up the song I just heard on the radio. But also being able to download new songs to the library with equal ease from mobile or desktop is desirable in general - I just don't want to use Apple's cloud hosting to do it.

Looking through previous answers, Subsonic, VortexBox and possibly Plex seem like they could be solutions, and I think I'd be tech-savvy enough to implement them, but I'm unclear on what the time/money costs of these would be and how effectively/completely they would replace the Spotify/iCloud/iTunes ecosystem I'm trying to escape from. If possible, I'd like to keep using Swinsian as my desktop app, but am not sure whether a potential solution would require me using something different.

Finally, I have about 36 GB of music but would like not to have to worry about the size of my library getting any bigger. Freeing up space on my laptop and phone is a smaller but still relevant priority.

Have you done something similar? How much did it cost? Can you basically use it as a Spotify/iTunes replacement? Does it work on Apple products, mobile and desktop?

posted by a flock of goslings to Technology (11 answers total)

Plex should not cost you a thing and has Plexamp for iOS and ampcast for browsers. It gets picky about how your files are stored or else your metadata is not totally accurate. It doesn't do well reading mp3 metadata. I used Picard to try to sort songs into folders like it prefers, but so many are now on a random compilation album rather than the one the song was first released on. You can also get Prologue for audiobooks/podcasts.

I never got into streaming music before using Plex, so I can't answer that part of it. Noting new songs to get is something I do in Shazam. Plex interfaces with Tidal, but I have not played around with it enough to know how well it does anything you've asked here, either.
posted by soelo at 12:34 PM on August 21

I don't think it meets all your criteria, but please give Lyrion Music Server (formerly Logitech Media Server) a look. It's a web server that runs on your local network. Any devices you have can act as a remote control. It's free and open-source. There are old-school forums for help.

It'll automatically look for MP3/FLAC etc. files on the server to create a library. Browsing and searching is fast. Alongside your local files, there's plugins for podcasts, streaming services, radio stations, Bandcamp, etc.

If you want the music to come out the server's soundcard, you can install the "Local Player" plugin. But you can turn other devices on your network into "players", too. The Material skin is widely-used and works well on all kinds of screen sizes.
posted by guywithnoear at 12:58 PM on August 21

I'm using Plex and Plexamp with a 450GB MP3 collection, with my files hosted on a Synology NAS. Works great on both desktop and cell phone, no complaints, although I will note that my collection's folder organization and tagging are immaculate, so I can't speak to how Plex handles random files and imperfect tags.

Before I started using Plex, my solution involved syncing my MP3s to Google Drive, then using the iPhone app CloudBeats to listen on my phone, and Vox to listen on my computer. Pretty barebones, but worked fine with no hiccups.

In both cases, I've never had the need to add MP3s to my collection from my phone, but I suppose you could do that through Synology's or Google Drive's file apps.
posted by flod at 4:03 PM on August 21

Plex should not cost you a thing and has Plexamp for iOS and ampcast for browsers.

Plexamp does not work unless you pay for a Plex Pass. And regular Plex's music support leaves a lot to be desired.

Subsonic works ok -- I run Navidrome on my home server and use the (free) Substreamer iOS app to listen to stuff in my car. It is a bit janky though, and the UX in Substreamer isn't great. I mostly just use it to manually play individual albums that I can't get on Spotify.

On PC I just use whatever music player suits my fancy (Foobar or Strawberry, mostly) with shared drives on my server. With Tailscale (super easy personal VPN, free tier) I can even access the shares from anywhere seamlessly.
posted by neckro23 at 1:27 AM on August 22

I use Plex/Plexamp - and believe that solution can give you what you want. One point is that, to be able to stream your music from wherever, you need to have it stored somewhere that is online. Conventionally that would be using a NAS server - which is designed for being online 24/7 and holding lots of data. Plex an also host video/photos etc - and, as mentioned above, its music related functionality is therefore not entirely the focus. Likewise, a NAS can serve a number of use cases beyond music streaming - but you should be aware they it has a cost to set up and run (not so much electricity but more replacement of disks every few years).

Beyond this, I think it is worth reflecting on how you like to listen to your music. Plex/Plexamp analyse your collection in a way that allows you to automatically create a playlist given a see track, artist, tag, etc. Personally I really like that.
posted by rongorongo at 3:19 AM on August 22

Plexamp does not work unless you pay for a Plex Pass.

This page compares the features you get from Plexamp with or without a Plex pass:
https://www.plex.tv/plexamp/

I do have a lifetime plex pass and consider it money well spent. They generally go on sale around black friday. In the meantime, it is worth a try at the free level.
posted by soelo at 5:45 AM on August 22 [1 favorite]

This page compares the features you get from Plexamp with or without a Plex pass:

Huh, sorry about the misinformation then. I take it back.

I swear this used to be different -- I've been using Plex on the free tier for years and years and even had the Plexamp app downloaded, but never actually tried it because I was paywalled out.
posted by neckro23 at 7:18 AM on August 22

It is really hard to keep track of what does and doesn't require the pass, and when something does not work, it isn't always obvious why. That is one of the more annoying things about Plex in my experience trying to help others access my server. I do find a lot of good info in the r/Plex subreddit. Of course, the usual caveats about reddit apply, like try to find your answers by searching older posts before making your own and be prepared to be attacked for asking basic questions.
posted by soelo at 8:35 AM on August 22

In addition to Plex, you may want to try Roon. It will keep your music organized, has clients for Android and iOS, and plays to most types of smart speakers or network audio products you may have at home. It also supports playing music from a few different streaming services (though Apple Music and Spotify are not among them). In addition, there is also a mobile app for accessing your library outside of your home.

Disclaimer: I used to work for the company that makes Roon, though I was already using it before I started working there.
posted by strangecargo at 2:49 AM on August 23

SyncThing keeps my phone's SD card up to date with my home music library.
posted by k3ninho at 3:55 AM on August 23 [1 favorite]

As a random update, Plex and Tidal are ending their relationship.
posted by soelo at 9:21 AM on August 28