| For two years now I've used iCloud Music Library (iTunes Match) to handle exactly the sort of situation the article author describes. Bucking the trend here; I love it. I've written a number of scripts (the main one is on npm) that run on a home Mac Mini server, converting FLAC to ALAC, and copying music which gets added to the library via the iTunes Add to Library folder. Within minutes of hitting a synced drop folder music is converted, stored and uploaded. I then have access to that music on my phone and computer. I can access 100% of my personal 40k track library anywhere, and can listen lossless at home. I still have music in my library I ripped in the early 2000s. I've definitely hated on iTunes plenty — the search is unforgivably slow and CPU intensive, and the app seems forever going backwards on usability. Still, I have what seems like a miracle of the cloud. A reliable, personal streaming service, with none of the restrictions of Spotify or Apple Music. I'll deal with the inconvenience. For the record: I've explored a similar system with Google Play, but Apple manages the best end-to-end ecosystem across devices in my opinion. |
It took me a while to notice as usually I'm not watching the screen of my phone when I"m shuffling around and such, but now that I know it happens i've been watching for it.