Last weekend I came across a YouTube video on a resurgence in CD sales. It made me realize how many people are unaware of any part of the music business outside streaming. The commentator talks about CDs as having the appeal of “no subscription, no registration, buy it one time, play it forever.” There’s a mention of Spotify, but no hint that it’s possible to buy and download music that you can move from device to device and keep playing without depending on DRM.

In fact, a lot of companies sell DRM-free music downloads. Back in the early days of the Web, users who wanted unrestricted music files battled companies who didn’t want copying. The companies had to concede that they’d sell more music without copy protection than with it. Today you can buy music in the antiquated but widely supported MP3 format, or in higher-quality formats such as FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, and AAC. I buy a lot of music on Bandcamp and Presto Music, and I download them so that I’ll still have the files even if the companies drop the albums or go bankrupt.

Buying music helps to support artists. Streaming sites tend to pay very little per play, and Spotify is one of the stingiest. I like Bandcamp because most of what I pay goes toward individuals and performing groups who created the albums. Presto also offers streaming, and I use it to try out music; it pays a much better rate than most of the big streaming services.

I also have a ridiculous number of CDs. It wouldn’t surprise me if I have the largest collection of C. P. E. Bach on CD of any individual owner in New Hampshire. I’ve digitized some of them so I can play them in my car. My collection of purchased audio files will never catch up with it, but it’s growing steadily.

Why buy rather than stream? To support the musicians. To have the assurance that the music will always be available. To be able to play it even when you don’t have a good Internet connection. To have the satisfaction of owning rather than renting.