This blog post is part of a series called Digital Migrations, a space for exploring alternatives options when engaging with the digital realm. My research and special interests in the past few years have involved interrogating what it takes to move from one digital ecosystem to another. In that process, I’ve experimented with new platforms: email providers, streaming sites, online storage, app marketplaces, mp3 players and more! This series is an attempt to distill that information to others interested in finding more intentional digital spaces to land!
This post is for educational purposes only.
YOU'VE LOST ACCESS TO PREMIUM
Spotify tells me as if its not an intentional choice. Isn't it funny how companies attempt to shame you for not paying into their schemes?
Last year I made a decision. I was going to make an intentional effort to move away from as many subscription media sources as I could. Partly because fuck useless AI features, partly because I wanted to have more control over the media I'm exposed to and partly because I wanted to tangibly support the creators I actually do like. And we all know, they're making pennies at Spotify and companies like it.
So when the time came at the top of 2025 to let my friend know whether I'd like to continue to participate in the family plan they created, I turned down the offer :P and instead of sending them my annual 30 sum dollars, I paid 80 bucks on eBay for a used Zune mp3 player. Why a Zune and not an iPod? Idk I just like to be different I guess. My mom and I both had Zunes back in the day and I thought she still might have hers lying around somewhere (I lost mine and got a replacement iPod for xmas and still have no idea where that one is either). i was so excited to use hers cause I was just imagining the catalog of oldies that would, more than likely, still be on there. But she couldn't find it, so I took to the interwebs. And honestly... whoever originally owned this mp3 player has gifted me a pretty solid collection of punk rock music that I'm really enjoying. The gift is not just in the actual music, but also in the way that it calls me to remember old ways of sharing and discovering. In a way, this feels like a sort of tech gift economy. But I feel like that's a post for another day •͡˘㇁•͡˘
As I waited for my Zune to arrive, I took the opportunity to reach out to a creator I really enjoy @itsjujubae! I didn't just use Spotify for music, but for podcasts too and I really didn't wanna lose access to A Little Juju Podcast since its been so formative to my spiritual journey. So I reached out to Juju directly and asked if I could purchase her entire catalogue. We chatted about what compensation felt good, I sent the $$ and now I have access to a near and dear piece of media. In a way, it feels like I'm contributing to the act of digital preservation for future listeners (=^･ｪ･^=))ﾉ彡☆
I haven't loaded everything onto my Zune yet; the software is no longer being updated by Microsoft, it only works on PC (I'm currently working off a Mac while I wait for my mini PC to get fixed) and its gonna take some troubleshooting to really make it work. But the projects I'm working on as apart of the IG: @digiapothecary are all about process design and expanding our technological imagination. Taking a few steps back in time, i.e. relearning older tech like mp3 files and players, is how we begin to disrupt the Big Tech industry that promises us endless convenience, but instead delivers enshittification and compromised security and privacy.
I don't wanna glorify this process, it's really not easy! Re-learning this tech as a tech-curious person, but not having a formal training in computer science, is sometimes really frustrating, and when I share about this work, people are often questioning why I would do all this in the first place when streaming services give me access to sooooo much for an okay price. Having to constantly explain my politic - proper compensation for artists, supporting global south artists who don't have easy-access to these services, the price of constant convenience - is really exhausting. But just because it's tiring doesn't mean it's not worth doing, and I'll always encourage others to live what they believe as well.
So keep following me on this journey, and maybe we can learn how to rebuild better relationships to our tech, together