I feel very fortunate to have grown up before streaming (ie, music you can't own). I collected about 800 CDs that I still have and listen to, and about 1200 LPs mostly given to me by people getting out of vinyl. I love the big artwork of LPs, and the ritual of cleaning and playing them, many of which are unavailable online. I ripped most of the CDs so I can avoid losses due to damage and listen on any device. I pay zero dollars to streaming services, nothing paid to Apple, and nothing supporting Joe Rogan. The down side to this approach is mostly just space for storage.
I sorta feel the same way as you as I spent a lot of money on music when I was younger.
But, that said, those 800 CD's and 1200 LP's cost you around 800 * $15 + 1200 * $10 = $24000. That's enough to pay for 200 years of streaming at $10/mo. And with streaming, you'll get 1000x more content to choose from. So I kind understand the appeal for the younger crowd.
I had the same experience when all the alternative rock radio stations shut down in our area, after their heyday had passed. All the music I had been listening to for years was suddenly no longer on the air, and unless I remembered something specific I had no way to track it down.
I understand too. However I didn't pay for a huge portion of those LPs, because people gave them away by the box load, including a long time subscriber of the Capitol Records club who didn't play them. I lucked out and I'd rather keep playing them than subscribe to anything.
