Best place to buy music? (based on artist payout, catalogue size, and overall ethics)
Executive summary
Bandcamp stands out as the best place to buy music if the goal is to maximize artist payout and support ethical, direct revenue models, while Qobuz, Tidal, and buying through Apple’s store remain strong alternatives depending on priorities like audio quality or platform reach; major streaming services such as Spotify still dominate discoverability but typically return less direct cash to artists and often route most revenue through labels [1] [2] [3] [4] [5].
1. Why “buying” matters more than streaming for artist income
Multiple commentators and watchdogs emphasize that direct purchases funnel substantially more revenue to creators than per-stream royalties, and Ethical Consumer explicitly notes that purchasing music gives artists significantly more than streaming while also warning that payouts reported by platforms are to rights holders and labels often keep the lion’s share of streaming revenue [5] [4].
2. Bandcamp: the buyer-first choice for direct artist support
Bandcamp consistently ranks high in analyses of artist-friendly platforms because it distributes revenue more directly to musicians and encourages fans to buy music and merch rather than rely solely on streams; reporting cited places Bandcamp among the best for direct artist support and fair revenue sharing, making it the leading option if “buying” equals maximal artist payout and ethical clarity [1] [5].
3. Qobuz and Tidal: premium audio and higher per-stream returns, but smaller audiences
If the buyer also values superior audio and wants to support platforms that pay relatively high per-stream rates, Qobuz and Tidal are notable: independent analyses rank Qobuz as paying among the highest per-stream rates (reported around $0.0136 in one breakdown) and Tidal is repeatedly labelled an “artist-first” service with higher-than-average rates, though both have smaller market share which limits discoverability and overall catalog reach compared with the majors [2] [3] [6] [7].
4. Apple Music / iTunes ecosystem: wide catalog and solid payouts if buying within the store
Apple’s paid ecosystem is cited for offering competitive per-stream payouts and a huge user base, and historically its download store and subscription service have been good options for listeners who want to purchase or pay into a closed, relatively higher-paying platform; multiple sources place Apple among the better mainstream options on payout metrics while noting the company’s vast catalog and integration advantages [8] [9] [6].
5. Spotify and the discoverability trade-off
Spotify remains unmatched for catalogue size and discovery power—crucial for exposure and indirect income streams such as touring and merch—but nearly every payout comparison shows its per-stream rates lag behind higher-paying niche players, and critics argue that the pro-rata model and label splits often leave artists with only a sliver of the platform’s payouts [4] [10] [5].
6. Hidden agendas and practical caveats
Coverage across industry blogs and guides tends to emphasize per-stream numbers that are averages or gross payouts to rights holders, not net payments to artists; Ethical Consumer cautions that record labels typically take the largest share, sometimes leaving artists with as little as 2% of streaming payouts, and some platforms have legal or ethical baggage (lawsuits, AI-content controversies) that complicate the “ethical” label for any single service [5] [11] [7].
7. Bottom line recommendation
For “best place to buy music” focused on maximizing artist payout and ethics, Bandcamp is the clear first choice because purchases are structured to favor creators and minimize label/platform siphoning; for listeners who prioritize audiophile quality and still want relatively fair platform-level compensation, Qobuz or Tidal are good secondary picks; for reach and discovery that can translate into long-term artist income, mainstream platforms like Apple Music (for paid listeners) and Spotify (for exposure) remain important to use in combination with direct purchases [1] [2] [3] [9] [10] [5].