Over the past year, I’ve gotten really into collecting physical media, from books to movies to TV. It’s a very unique and tangible way to experience the works of art that you enjoy, especially since now everything is all streamed and digital.
With this, I’ve been collecting music physically. In the past year alone I’ve picked up over 30 compact discs and I’ve started a vinyl record collection, now having 5 vinyl records. With this shift to physical media, I’ve also been trying to sever my over reliance on music streaming as a concept, which has resulted in me also forming my own digital library that syncs between my devices.
Forming your own digital music library isn’t difficult. Most of the process of forming (and upkeeping) a digital music library is just like a real physical library: you have to maintain, add, and remove items over time in order to keep it fresh. In the end, however, it is a fun and rewarding process that results in ownership over your music listening.
How to start a digital library
Starting a digital library is the easiest part, but might take some time (and money). I recommend starting on a computer. Create a file hierarchy for your folders (I use a folder called “Albums” to store all of my albums) in your “Music” directory and that’s it! You’ll fill that in with your music.
There’s multiple ways to obtain your music files; my personal preferred methods are to either rip a CD (want to learn how to rip a CD? This article by Windows about ripping CDs might help you; it’s not an easy process to explain in a short blog) or to purchase a digital album from a spot like Bandcamp. There are also other methods, but ripping CDs and purchasing digital albums are the best way to support the artist or local/global storefront (I love purchasing local right here in Raleigh, NC). Once you get your files, put them into a separate folder in your music library.
You also should keep in track what file format you will be using. If you want to have a lot of music, use something small like .mp3 or .opus. If you want a few files that are very high quality but take up a lot of space, use something like .flac (since .wav isn’t playable on most platforms). MP3 files will probably sound fine for most people.
How to find and set up a music player
Now you need an app. There are so many different possibilities for apps you can use to play your music. For Windows, I personally use foobar2000, but it comes with a steep learning curve; MusicBee or Windows Media Player will likely be the easiest apps for a beginner. For Android, you can get Musicolet Music Player. I do not have a good recommendation for iOS or Linux or macOS, so you will have to look on your own.
Once you get your music app on your preferred platform, you will have to link it to your music library files. The method for doing this depends app to app, but somewhere in the settings you should be able to set its location (or it will auto-set).
How to add to your library
Adding files to your library is as easy as starting your library. Just like before, find the files you want and download them. Add them to your music library in a new folder, and, if everything is set up correctly, they should be added to your app’s music library.
Some apps (like Musicolet and MusicBee) will require you to scan for files. You can sometimes set this to go automatically, but you can also manually scan for new files. It should be an option in the settings or the library.
How to maintain your files
Files take up a lot of space on your devices, so as you collect more and more of them you will need to determine some sort of system to handle that size. You also need to keep track of how you are storing your files; if you change some part of the organization, you should probably keep the rest the same. If you don’t like something, it could be a good idea to remove it.
On top of that, it could also be good to create a backup of your library in case something happens to it. This can be done through a variety of means, like a flash drive or storing it on multiple devices. You can also store it on cloud storage, though be aware this will take a significant amount of space (music files are not lightweight!).
How to sync your library across multiple devices
The hardest part of having a music library is accessing it across multiple devices. However, there are so many different ways to do this and so much information on how that it should be fairly trivialized by following a tutorial.
My personal method is through Syncthing, a free and open-source program that automatically syncs files between multiple devices. I have a Syncthing instance running on both of my laptops and on my phone, which automatically syncs everything together (except for the part where I broke it, but that’s my fault). It means I do not need to manually sync everything.
It’s also not difficult to set up; you can download a preset version of the program from the website (or from the Android store), link it to your music library on one device, and then add another device and connect its folders to the primary device. That’s an oversimplification, of course, but Syncthing has a great Getting Started guide that explains how to link files.
There are also other methods. If you want to do it the old fashioned way, connect your devices through USB (if you’re going from a laptop to a phone) and transfer the files. You can also use a flash drive. If you want to learn networking and run a home service, you can learn how to set up something like a Jellyfin server.
How to enjoy
Now, you’ve set up your own digital music library. There’s a lot more to go in depth with and a lot more to customize, but this blog was made just to get you on your feet when it comes to understanding digital media library basics. Now go and listen and enjoy your new music library.
