Update; I went with Tidal. I’m a bit disappointed that no competitor has functionality like Spotify Connect without licensed hardware. I got Tidal running under Mopidy on my media box but I have to use a web browser and the Mopidy front end that works so so instead of the mobile app or desktop client. I don’t feel like shelling out for another third party service or change my amp when I’ve got a decent setup for everything else. I already miss the ability to seamlessly go from mobile to speakers to a computer in a different room. Weird because it really doesn’t sound very complicated to me when every Tidal client is already online and disconnects when playback starts on another device.

I’m getting fed up with Spotify because all the usual reasons and now the CEO calling music “content” with “nearly no production costs”. Fuck that, time to vote with my wallet after being a user after an early beta invite.

What I want is a service that

  1. pays music creators decently,

  2. that has a comparable catalogue outside the charts

  3. and that works well with a good UI on Windows, Linux, Android

  4. and either headless on a RPi or has a integration with Kodi with high bitrates or even lossless.

Searching for comparisons drowns me in click baits and auto-generated content. I’d appreciate some real world experiences.

Edit; Thank you kindly for advice on self hosting etc. I am well aware of that option, a hardy sailor from the olden days as I am. Nowadays though I can and want to pay for the hassle free immediate availability music catalogue as a streaming service that in turn pays the artists for their delicious sounds in my ear holes.

  • rtxn@lemmy.world
    104·
    6 months ago

    I recenty switched to Tidal.

    1. I’ve heard from others that it pays music creators better, but can’t verify those claims.
    2. It has almost everything I’ve saved on Spotify, from symphonic metal to Altai throat singing. It’s only missing a couple of early Russian rock bands. It also offers importing your library from other platforms as a one-time paid service.
    3. I haven’t tried it on Windows. The Android app is fine, more or less the same as Spotify. On Linux, the only well-maintained client is Tidal-HIFI, which is just the web app in an Electron wrapper with some hackery that allows it to play high quality audio. There’s also a Python API (tidalapi on PyPI) that smaller projects might use, so keep an eye out for them.
    4. I’ve never used Kodi or a separate device for audio streaming, but it looks like there’s an addon for it.

     

    (edit) I’d love to hear the downvoters explain why they disagree. Don’t be a coward.

    • Avid Amoeba
      5·
      6 months ago

      It’s owned by Jack Dorsey and friends so I would expect enshitification sooner rather than later.

    • blargbluuk@sh.itjust.works
      4·
      6 months ago

      I also recently switched to Tidal, the windows app works fine (I usually have it running all day). The only weirdness with it I’ve noticed is sometimes if I pause a track for a long time, when I return to play it again it just starts the song from the beginning. Otherwise the only thing I’m missing from Spotify is the ability to start playing by talking to our Google Home speakers - have to start it from the app to cast.

      Edit: I also like that Tidal appear to promote smaller/newer artists in their Tidal Rising program

    • Renorc@lemmy.world
      1·
      6 months ago

      Tidal also cut their subscription cost from $21 to $11 this year. It doesn’t have the variety of Qobuz, but for me the better GUI and track radio features make it the right choice.