Self-hosting music
Plex instead of Spotify
August 2026
I’ve been a Spotify subscriber for several years. Inspired by articles on self-hosting and the idea that musicians should get to keep more of their earnings, I’ve now switched to self-hosting.
I have quite a few MP3 files from the past, from ripped CDs and MP3s bought from places like Platekompaniet (Norwegian webshop) back when they sold such things, and I’ve bought some recently from the French service Qobuz for around €1-2 per track. I’ve read that Qobuz supports musicians to a greater extent than Spotify. They also have their own streaming service if you prefer that. In any case, the sound quality is better (CD quality), whilst one drawback is a slightly smaller selection than Spotify.
The annual cost of a Spotify subscription is equal to buying around 80–100 tracks from Qobuz. This means that if you don’t have a very large music library, it could be worth it in the long run.
By hosting the music myself, I own it outright. The files are in open formats (MP3/FLAC), so I’m not locked into Spotify and possible increases in price or changes to the terms and conditions they might introduce in the future.
To host the music, I run a Plex media server on a server at home, and for playback I use a web browser on my PC, the Android app on my mobile and the Apple TV app. To access the music outside the home, I use a VPN via my router, which gives me access to my home network wherever I am. Alternatively, I believe you can pay Plex for external access.