I want to marry you.

I've been doing something similar but but very basic. I didn't know you could also add thumbnails and metadata! Mind = blown..

I will change my old ways ASAP. A new era begins!

TYVM

I have just been downloading as it is with yt-dlp -x (created an alias so I just type dl) and then rename and sort the files manually as I find stuff is so often in different naming formats

Doing God's work

No I'm sure there will be an obscure shell script that someone wrote to do all of the install for you that will suddenly fail on a broken python dependency (because why not) and then leave your system in semi-altered state that doesnt really work wrong but its never quite right again

Musicbrainz Picard is a lot easier than beets, although it does require some introductory concepts to make sense (e.g. terminology like “release”, “release group”). And it makes it too easy to accidentally poison datasets in an attempt to be helpful. Harder to automate than beets, too.

Both of them also benefit from a decent knowledge of where your files came from, not as good for a random pile of mp3s.

I fucking love beets

Oh I’ve been looking for something like this for a long time. I wonder how this integrates into something like Jellyfin if I want to host my own personal music streaming for myself.

Picard sometimes falls short on cover arts and track names of some niche or non-english albums because of that mp3tag with discogs is sometimes needed

I download music from YouTube. Are the "completely legal avenues" better than that? In that case can you provide links in DM so I make sure to block these domains and to promptly inform the authorities? Thank you.

I have a happy middle ground:

I pay for Tidal's student subscription. I leverage the fact Tidal streams FLAC files that can be decrypted by your account to build my local collection.

So I never actually stream or use their app, but technically am paying for the downloads.

I tried buying FLACs from companies that actually wanted to sell FLACs but they have ridiculously bad catalogues.

I have that too! I also have that one folder of random shit that I've avoided sorting for the last 20 years.

Check out beets.

You're missing the new albums from dead singers generated by the slop machine though.

And in my library I actually know what version I have not some 2018 “remix”.

Same with my movie library. I can have theatrical and directors or unrated extended version.

no fucking commercials or streaming bullshit.

ZERO FUCKING DOLLARS GOES TO JOE FUCKHEAD ROGAN.

that's enough justification for mp3 imho

o7 we all learn the backup rule one way or another.

thanks for the reminder to test mine!

Mine is included in my backup script, rsync to several other devices.

For me it was 10 years worth of mp3s in my pen drive

I had the perfect collection back then

Data loss is tragic, I feel for you

I'm amazed you still have the old files. I was late for Napster but I downloaded loads of individual files from kazaa/limewire/frostwire and used them to burn CDs.

Only a few years later though I would get into torrenting and replace pretty much all those shitty old low bitrate files with 320kbps mp3 discographies.

Many years later after college when I finally had a little extra money I started buying all my favorite CDs I discovered from the previous meana and ripped them myself to ~1000 kbps FLAC and meticulously tagged and organized them into my current music collection.

CDs are unfortunately getting harder and harder to find and I've only very recently started torrenting a little again, and I prefer everything be FLAC but if it's not available I still do have some 320kbps mp3 left in the collection.

A wild Mp3tag mentioned!!

Gotta have a good backup strategy for sure. I would've lost my collection a few times if I didn't have one.

I really want to go this route. Had Spotify, tempted to get Tidal but I don't want to deal with content coming and going anymore. I have about 300 gigs of random MP3s, and Flac files. I want to obtain more and move over fully to flac. Any recommendations on making the transition back to locally stored music.

File format has nothing to do with proper sorting. I've got 350k songs properly organized by artist, album, etc, but mp3. I've no need for flac.

And no ads 😁

I was dipping my toes back in the seas earlier today, but did not find a good option, is there one you like for music other than rutracker which appears very sketch and needs an account?