Don’t Rely on Spotify! How to Build a Local Music Library

Spotify will raise its subscription prices in 2026, according to Reuters. The popular music streaming service could become more expensive than platforms such as Apple Music and Tidal, which charge the same price for the individual monthly subscription tier. With this in mind, I decided to write this article showing ways to create a local music library.

What is a local music library?

A local music library is a collection of folders containing albums or playlists. Inside each folder are audio files of the tracks in formats such as MP3, FLAC, and WAV, for example.

What are the advantages of having a local music library?

By having music stored locally on a microSD card or on a device’s internal storage (for example, an SSD or HDD), you gain the following advantages:

• You don’t rely on an internet connection to play your music.
• The ability to listen to tracks that are not available on streaming services.
• Always having access to your music, since streaming services depend on licensing agreements to make albums available on their platforms, and there is a chance that tracks may disappear from the app at some point.

What are the ways to create a local music library?

To create a local music library legally, you can:

• Purchase CDs and rip (extract) the music into formats such as FLAC, WAV, or MP3, for example.
• Buy albums and tracks from online stores that sell music files in formats such as MP3, FLAC, and WAV.
• Download tracks and albums from music repositories with open licenses or that are in the public domain.

How to buy CDs nowadays?

If you value the experience of dealing with physical media, I recommend looking for online stores, as physical stores are extremely scarce in world.

Recommended online stores to buy physical CDs:
• Amazon
• CD Japan
• Movie Mars

If you have another store recommendation, please share it in the comments of this article so I can update the text with more options and help readers even more.

I bought the CD, but I don’t have a CD player: how to rip your music

If you don’t have a CD player, don’t worry—there’s a solution. You can simply rip (extract) the music using a computer CD reader/writer. There are not only models to install in the bays of a desktop PC case, but also external ones that you connect via USB cable.

Recommended CD reader/writer models:
• Dell Slim DW316
• Verbatim 98938

In addition to a device to read the CD, you will also need to install a program/application on your computer to extract the music.

Recommended CD ripping software:
• dBpoweramp CD Ripper
• Xrecode

How to buy albums and tracks without dealing with physical media?

There are online stores that legally sell albums and tracks from a wide range of artists and bands. Generally, the music offered for download is in high resolution, but some sites also provide versions at lower resolutions.

Recommended online stores that sell digital music albums:
• eClassical
• HDtracks
• Native DSD Music
• ProStudio Masters

Where can you download music and albums for free?

By accessing “free-use” music repositories, it is possible to download tracks for free. This is possible because these sites host music under licenses known as Creative Commons (CC).

Below is a list of major free music repositories:

• Free Music Archive (FMA)
• Internet Archive
• Bandcamp
• Jamendo
• SoundCloud
• ccMixter
• Bensound
• Musopen
• Incompetech (by Kevin MacLeod)
• FreePD.com (Free Public Domain Music)

About CC licenses

CC licenses are a way to allow the “free” use of music under certain conditions. Below are some examples of CC licenses:

• CC BY: You can use, remix, adapt, and use commercially, but you must give credit to the author.
• CC BY-SA: You can use and adapt.
• CC BY-NC: You can use it, but only for non-commercial purposes.
• CC BY-NC-SA: You can use it, but without altering it; remixing or transforming is not allowed.
• CC0 (public domain): Completely free use; no credit is required, and modification and commercial use are allowed.

Meaning of CC license symbols:

• BY: Attribution — You must give credit to the original author.
• NC: Non-Commercial — You cannot use it for commercial purposes.
• SA: Share Alike — If you modify it, you must license it under the same terms.
• ND: No Derivatives — You cannot modify the work.