EDIT: As one user pointed out, this is not about Apple Music the streaming platform, this is about basically itunes but itunes no longer technically exists as an application.

So a little background: my father just died and a big part of his life was listening to music, for most of his life he's been building themed compilations of songs he liked using whatever medium was available, magnetic reel tapes in the '60s and '70s, then cassette tapes, then CDs, and of course playlists for the last 20 or so years. Now my mother and I would like to back up and save a lot of that work as those compilations have a lot of sentimental value and are pretty unique. There's lots of old obscure rhythm and blues and soul songs that you aren't really going to come across anywhere else. However, it's pretty much all locked into Apple Music, which isn't really a problem in the here and now, because we all have tended to use macs since my mother adopted them in the '80s or '90s. However, we don't really want that data just locked into a private ecosystem that has been getting more and more restricted and where we have less and less control.

So I'm looking for a way to keep those playlists intact and export them out of Apple Music in a playable format and into a less locked in system to then back them up. Most of the music should be DRM free as a lot of it would have been taken off of CDs probably as MP3 files, though a lot of that would've happened 15+ years ago.

Does anyone have any ideas about the best way to do that? I seem to be able to manually export each one into a .txt file but of course it's not really playable sound files. My tech skills are pretty limited, I have about an average amount of knowledge or even slightly more for someone my age (30s) who grew up around computers and the internet but I grew up after it necessary to have basic coding skills to use computers so my experience doing even basic coding or running scripts is pretty much nil. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Edit: it’s version 1.0.6.10

I recently got my first vinyl (Breach by Twenty One Pilots) for my birthday. I've had it on streaming nonstop but want to play it properly and start a small collection.

I've seen a lot of recommendations for the Audio-Technica AT-LP60 as a beginner option (affordable and apparently decent quality) but also read that spending a little more can get something more "serious", though I need speakers too.

The thing is that it needs to be new gear only or easy to buy: My partner plans to gift the setup for Christmas and marketplace/used gear is hard to source locally where we live, so that's probably out. We have a budget of around €150 for the turntable and other €150 for the speakers, or €300 total. Open to a modest stretch if it avoids an early upgrade. Manual or semi-auto is fine but preferable plug-and-play.

Prefer compact powered speakers with good near field clarity, not necessarily loud since they'll sit behind my PC monitor on my desk.

Questions:

• If I'm considering the AT-LP60, what's the smartest "slightly more €" upgrade path for a first set-up?

• For small desks, which powered speakers pair well with entry-level turntables (good clarity but not boomy)?

• Anything to avoid or other advice you may have for a beginner?

Appreciate any guidance. I’m looking forward to spinning Breach and building out a few more records.

Ps: Already ordered anti-static inner sleeves, outer sleeves, and a carbon-fiber record brush to keep things clean!

So I have a car that's ~10 years old and I like to listen to music as I drive. I was relying on the CD player, but it only works intermittently these days, so I'm looking into alternatives.

I'm not big on connecting my phone via Bluetooth for security reasons, battery life concerns, and poor connection for streaming. I've got radio of course, but it's slim pickings where I live.

I starting looking into digital audio players. They sound ideal - compact, big offline library, physical controls - so I was hoping someone on Tildes can recommend one to me. Alternatively, if you've another solution, I'd love to hear it.

Have you ever wondered where all the background music comes from in commercials, documentaries, training films, or TV shows? It is a genre of music called Library music, but also referred to as "production music" or "stock music".

For example, some American football fans might recognize this tune: Heavy Action by Johnny Pearson

Or maybe Tomfoolery by David Snell

I have some standout favorites myself such as Plucking the Strings by David Snell and really the whole Bruton BRN11 Prestige album has great tracks.

What I love about library music is how direct it is where every track tells you exactly what feeling or mood it’s meant to capture, so finding the right piece for a moment becomes straightforward. It’s music created for utility that is commissioned, catalogued, and sold to fit commercial needs. That makes it oddly fascinating to me. Out of the thousands of albums, some pieces slip into our collective memory while others fade into obscurity or as a one-time background sound. I feel the people making this stuff were clearly talented, but they worked in a strange niche where their art was never meant to be more than an enhancement to a visual effect. Digging into it feels like uncovering a forgotten corner of pop culture.

If you want to search more example of library music, I think the go-to's are any of the Bruton or KPM libraries, but there are many more out there.

KPM Playlist
Bruton Playlist

Hey all, I'm just curious what bands or songs you keep in rotation for your kids. I usually split this question into two lists: one that is for songs specifically geared towards kids or otherwise your kid loves to hear, and another for songs that are somehow enhanced in the context of your children (and example for me is Perfect Day from Lou Reed).

If you want to give any additional context to your answers, great-- but not required. That might be approx age or the decade you had kids, or some story about it. And yes, many kids just listen to whatever stuff the parents would normally listen to, including mine, that is normal, but not really the question here.

I'll start with one and come back later with more:

Kid: Okee Dokee Brothers
Me: Perfect Day - Lou Reed