I agree. I have left streaming services, and rely on purchasing digital downloads of albums to obtain music. I am very into a niche subgenre of electronic music where many artists don’t have their music available on streaming services. I pay for those albums (if I like the music, obviously) and I am happy about it. I also fairly happily pay $3-5 for an album that is available on streaming services. But when I encounter albums that are on streaming platforms, but cost $10+ for the digital download, it’s a hard pill to swallow. I want to give them money for their music, but to do so I must give them vastly more than their listeners on streaming platforms give them.

I know that artists often just treat digital download sales as a donation mechanism, akin to a busker’s money can. But I want to pay for music, not donate to artists who are then handing that along to streaming services by giving them their music practically for free.

I’m not sure if my feelings about this are justified, or if they’re irrational.