[starfly]

I have an extensive local music library which I so far would copy over to my phone and play locally. However, these days, with the eradication of microSD cards on almost every phone, getting an Android phone with 512GB of storage means getting a gigantic device (like a Galaxy S22 Ultra or Pixel 7 Pro), which I really don't want. Or the alternative is going for an iPhone 13/14 Pro with 512GB of storage, which is a much more manageable size, but not sure yet I want to switch to iOS.

So I'm wondering, is there a way to upload my own music library to a music streaming service or to some cloud service and then easily play it back on my phone wherever I am, including the ability to sync some of it to my phone for when I'm traveling and will not have a reliable internet connection.

Has anyone here done this and how?

 

[carbonF1]

Off the top of my head, I can think of two. One is Apple Music, I think it has a 100,000 song limit excluding iTunes purchases. There should be an android app now, I’m not sure how good it is though. There’s also a new Roon feature, ARC, Which will also do what you’re looking for, but it requires an always-on core (server) and that’s its own rabbit hole.

 

[starfly]

Off the top of my head, I can think of two. One is Apple Music, I think it has a 100,000 song limit excluding iTunes purchases. There should be an android app now, I’m not sure how good it is though. There’s also a new Roon feature, ARC, Which will also do what you’re looking for, but it requires an always-on core (server) and that’s its own rabbit hole.

Ok, part of the reason I wanted to avoid the whole Apple route is that at least on itunes, you can't import the actual folder structure (I have all my music organized by Artist/Album/Song folder structure), and have to convert everything to playlists. I had once done that in the old iPod days, but don't want to go through all that hassle again.

And Roon, doesn't Roon require a subscription?

 

[carbonF1]

Yes, either a subscription or lifetime license.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

JRiver has CloudPlay but it's limited in a sense that playlist must be mixed and not include whole albums.

 

[felix3650]

I'd say give iBroadcast a try
Even the free account which has a 128kbps limitation isn't bad.

 

[starfly]

I'd say give iBroadcast a try
Even the free account which has a 128kbps limitation isn't bad.

Thanks that looks interesting - and the premium tier is only $45 a year, so not too bad if I want to stream at 320kbps (which is all I need, it's more than good enough for portable needs).

I might upload a small part of my music collection to test it out. If it works well, it might mean I don't need to buy a 512GB phone anymore, and can do with 256GB.

 

[felix3650]

Thanks that looks interesting - and the premium tier is only $45 a year, so not too bad if I want to stream at 320kbps (which is all I need, it's more than good enough for portable needs).

I might upload a small part of my music collection to test it out. If it works well, it might mean I don't need to buy a 512GB phone anymore, and can do with 256GB.

You're welcome

I have a part of my library there (~6.4k tracks). The albums in need of "cleanup" (delete tracks I don't like, keep ones I like) are in my microsd. The already "clean" albums go to iBroadcast, ready for consumption.

The only thing they miss is something like WebDAV or SFTP support. They have an API but the 3rd party app needs to support that.

 

[deckerhead]

I have an extensive local music library which I so far would copy over to my phone and play locally. However, these days, with the eradication of microSD cards on almost every phone, getting an Android phone with 512GB of storage means getting a gigantic device (like a Galaxy S22 Ultra or Pixel 7 Pro), which I really don't want. Or the alternative is going for an iPhone 13/14 Pro with 512GB of storage, which is a much more manageable size, but not sure yet I want to switch to iOS.

So I'm wondering, is there a way to upload my own music library to a music streaming service or to some cloud service and then easily play it back on my phone wherever I am, including the ability to sync some of it to my phone for when I'm traveling and will not have a reliable internet connection.

Has anyone here done this and how?

I think you will have to create a library on the music streaming platform. You can't upload your library on it.

 

[wzl778633]

You can build you own cloud for this if you want to via NAS. Most NAS solution provider will include this kind of feature such as Synology.

 

[zlayde]

Plex media server + Plexamp!

 

[HeavyUzer]

Pretty sure Roon can do exactly what you are looking for. Roon is worth every penny.

I also use Qobuz with it, makes it extra great!

 

[jb001]

I've been pleased with Plex and Plexamp. Works flawlessly. Some of the UX could be improved upon though.

 

[vext01]

Two more options:

Navidrome or Jellyfin (hosted on either a VPS or at your home)

(You would need some networking knowledge)

 

[hakunamakaka]

or you can build a stream server with something like raspberry pi. Cheapest option as the only cost is for static IP from ISP