I don’t really know where else to ask this question so I figured as a noob in the hifi space I would ask here.

I have tidal, can’t really afford the highest tier of tidal but I want to start an offline collection of flac.

Where/How does one look for flac files?

This is a genuine question and I am not trolling, I just need a little direction.

  • Nerdy1980s@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    Thrift shops. (When travelling) (CD’s to be specific).

    It’s pretty much a shot in the dark. 95% of the time a thrift shop has jack worth even looking through after the most cursory look.

    But occasionally, I hit a good cache of CD’s and find a few worth buying

  • dhuff2037@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    If you want free flac files just go to your local library and borrow CDs. Rip them with EAC to a perfect flac file. My local library has a fantastic CD collection.

  • Getagraxx@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    Sign up for Tidizer for 1 month. Then use the software to stream and save the files from Tidal.

    • JoeyJabroni@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      I’ve pretty much churned through my local library’s collection. My town chose to have their own library instead of joining with the county library system, so they’re much smaller. As a resident it also prevents me from becoming a member of the county library branch that’s 5 min away from me. Bums me out as I know they’ve curated a way bigger collection, aquire new titles regularly, and even have blu-rays.

  • totallyshould@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    Mostly I buy used CDs and rip them to FLAC, but more and more I’ve bought them directly from artists.

  • blakeconway@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    I have the perfect answer for you as I was just asking the same question a few days ago. This is an open-source and free software that allows you to RIP audio from Tidal, all you need is a Tidal subscription (either tier works.) It’s incredibly easy to install and works almost perfectly. It works as of yesterday and I’ve downloaded about 2800 FLAC songs onto my DAP.

  • ForrestGrump87@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    I use apple music and just download whatever i am listening to currently on my phone.

    I only stream to find new music though… my collection is all physical at home

  • gots8e9@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    Not flac files but can find mp3- Download songs on laptop using iTunes , right click and you’ll find an option to locate the actual file… copy paste the file to wherever you want

  • reddsbywillie@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    I’m just going to say that unless you have access to a lot of CDs for free, you are likely going to spend more money on building a FLAC library than moving up to the HiFi Plus plan. If you figure you are paying $5 per CD, plus additional storage for all the files, and potentially additional equipment for networking, the math of saving money through flac files really isn’t there in my opinion.

    Yes, there are ways to do flac files for less. But if you’re building a collection of music you WANT vs music you can just find cheap, streaming is the way to go.