I Don't Have Spotify
A small web tool that converts Spotify links into equivalents on other music services prompts wider reflections on how people share and listen to music across fragmented platforms. Commenters compare discovery quality, catalog gaps, and business practices of Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Tidal, Pandora, and Bandcamp, with many advocating for buying and self-hosting music (CDs, FLAC, Bandcamp) to avoid removals and DRM. Several note that third‑party tools are increasingly needed for playlist migration and cross‑service linking, highlighting both poor interoperability and frustration with how little streaming pays artists.
Tool purpose & behavior
- Service converts Spotify (and some other) links to equivalents on other music platforms (YouTube Music, Apple Music, Deezer, SoundCloud; Tidal support is pending).
- Several users find it very useful for handling Spotify links in chats/Slack/Discord when they themselves use other services.
- Others report poor matching for non-unique song titles or less mainstream tracks; sometimes correct album art appears with wrong links.
- Some see it more as an “art piece/statement” because it’s one-way (mostly Spotify → others) and doesn’t address common flows like YouTube → Spotify.
Alternatives and related tools
- Odesli/song.link is frequently mentioned as a more mature equivalent that supports URL pasting, search, and multi-service landing pages.
- There are browser extensions and iOS Shortcuts that auto-convert links to a preferred service, often relying on the same APIs as Odesli.
- Playlist-transfer tools (TuneMyMusic, playlists.cloud, Soundiiz, spotify_to_tidal, Playlisty) are widely used to migrate libraries between services, with mixed success on edge cases and obscure tracks.
Music ownership vs streaming
- A large subthread discusses buying instead of renting music:
- Bandcamp, Qobuz, 7digital, Amazon MP3, iTunes, Bleep, Boomkat, Beatport, Junodownload etc. are cited as sources for DRM-free files (often FLAC/MP3).
- Many advocate downloading and backing up immediately; several report stores removing purchased content from accounts later.
- Some recommend CDs as cheap, high-quality, and easy to rip; debate ensues over disc rot and longevity.
Audio quality and formats
- Debate on CDs vs vinyl vs streaming:
- CDs are argued to be technically superior to vinyl and any lossy streaming, though vinyl sometimes benefits from different mastering.
- Some users verify “lossless” files and discover upsampled or fake content.
- Qobuz and Tidal are praised for lossless/high-res offerings; others say perceived quality gains are small.
Artist support and ethics
- Many criticize streaming payouts, especially Spotify’s, and suggest:
- Buying music (especially at release week).
- Supporting artists via Bandcamp, merch, shows, donations, or sample packs.
- Some boycott Spotify over its content deals or the CEO’s defense investments; others defend such investments as national defense.
Interoperability & identifiers
- Users want a vendor-neutral identifier/format for tracks and playlists, akin to ISBN/DOI.
- ISRC, MusicBrainz IDs, acoustic fingerprints (AcoustID), and XML playlist formats are discussed; adoption across services is seen as limited and inconsistent.