Russell, the US/European disparity is well documented and there are many reasons for it. TBH, when some of my US friends reel off a list of all of their financial outlay considerations (many of which we take for granted as provided for us in the UK), having to pay the current equivalent of $30/month is the least of my first world worries. Please let's keep this "above the line" rather than dragging this old chestnut up again; it is what it is and there are ways round it if it bothers you that much.

Anyway, I was musing about the extra $10/�10/�10 a month above and beyond Spotify and Tidal "Premium".

Premium (320kbps lossy) is not a substitute for a ripped CD collection; typically, it's something that Audiophiles run alongside their lossless ripped music. But Tidal (and Qobuz and Deezer Elite) are a viable substitute, particularly if you can get your head around the "perpetual" nature of the subscription model. In this respect, the lossless service might be regarded as only $��10/month (above and beyond what many audiophiles already have). It does depend very much on your point of view.

Where streaming services really win for me is that I listen to music that I would never normally buy. This is interesting. It means that for albums I don't like, hardly anything goes to the artist. This contrasts with having to buy a CD (for �10-14 at peak) which you might only play once, not enjoy, and has slurped money which might have otherwise gone to another artist. The corollary is that my music �s (which still get spent) simply end up (partially) going to the artists for the music I listen to.

Which brings me on to an interesting initiative from Qobuz which is reduced outright purchase costs for subscribers. I've not looked into this in detail, but I would take it further. I can see that an option to purchase albums, listened to a minimum X number of times, at a greatly reduced rate might be worth considering. Allay the worry over lack of ownership by being able to buy the music you really care about, in perpetuity, but getting another couple of quid to the artist. Best of both worlds for artists and fans?

Roon Developer and ex-moderator of this Forum
I am #25 in the HH1 photo of fame.