Our Experts CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise. Our Picks CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise. Using digital music streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music is convenient, but they come with their fair share of limitations.
Most importantly, the money you pay won't give you the ownership of any music tracks. That means you’re essentially renting music from their libraries, but your favorite songs can disappear at any time due to licensing changes or if you cancel your subscription. Plus, these services sometimes have incomplete catalogs, which means there's no telling if all your favorite tunes are going to be available on a platform when you sign up.
If these factors bother you, consider buying and owning your music, either physically or through a digital music store. There are key benefits to buying digital music files, such as MP3s or FLAC files . For hardcore music lovers, keeping the music you buy forever is important, and that's what you get from digital music stores.
If you love physical media, you can buy CDs and rip the music the old-fashioned way. However, the big question is: Where do you store all the physical discs? If that's going to be a hassle for you, online music stores are the right choice. They offer instant downloads after your purchase an.