Where to Buy Digital Music in 2025
While streaming is convenient, buying digital downloads means you own your music permanently. No subscriptions, no disappearing albums when licensing deals expire. Here are the best places to buy in 2025.
The Main Platforms
iTunes/Apple Music Store remains the most straightforward option for most people. It's integrated into Apple devices, offers lossless quality (ALAC up to 24-bit/192kHz), and has virtually everything. Standard albums are usually $9.99.
Amazon Music Store is similarly comprehensive with competitive pricing. They offer both MP3 (320kbps) and lossless FLAC for many releases. Often has sales and discounts.
Bandcamp is the best platform for independent artists. They take a smaller cut than other stores, and you can often download in multiple formats (FLAC, MP3, etc.). Great for discovering new music while directly supporting artists.
HDtracks specializes in high-resolution audio. If you're an audiophile looking for 24-bit/192kHz files, this is your destination. More expensive but the quality is there.
7digital offers a large catalog with both MP3 and hi-res FLAC options. Less well-known but solid selection at competitive prices.
Audio Quality Explained
Lossless formats (FLAC, ALAC) provide CD-quality or better. File sizes are larger but you get the full quality of the original recording.
Compressed formats (MP3 at 320kbps, AAC at 256kbps) are smaller files that sound excellent to most listeners. The difference between these and lossless is subtle unless you have high-end equipment.
For most people, 320kbps MP3 or 256kbps AAC is perfectly fine. If you have a good audio setup and care about archiving the best quality, go lossless.
Why Buy Instead of Stream?
You own it. Your music won't disappear if an artist or label pulls it from streaming services.
Better for artists. A single album purchase gives an artist roughly the same revenue as 1,000+ streams.
No monthly fees. After a few years of streaming subscriptions, you could have purchased a substantial permanent collection.
Higher quality options. Streaming services compress audio. Purchases can be lossless or even hi-res.
Making It Work
Use streaming to discover new music. When you find albums you love and will return to, buy them. You'll build a collection of music that truly matters to you while supporting the artists who made it.
Most platforms let you re-download purchases if you lose your files, though it's smart to keep backups.