You can 100% continue to purchase content and add to your library. Just because the apps have split (as they already have on Apple’s own platforms), does not mean you can not download purchased content or continue to purchase new content for download.
Buy music from the iTunes Store
If you don’t subscribe to Apple Music and you want to add your favorite songs or albums, you can buy and download music from the iTunes Store. And if you previously purchased items from the iTunes Store, you can download them to your authorized computers and devices (up to 10 total).
I'm assuming the content you download has Apple DRM so you continue to rely on them? And when they do away with that service your 'purchases' are just files taking up disk space?
A sarcastic, but genuine question (been reading about the Sony / Crunchyroll / Fun over the last few days).
Surprisingly, all music purchases through apple’s store are DRM-free (now, though it wasn’t always that way. They got in early on the DRM wagon in fact until iPods stopped mattering).
I don't wan to pay for music i don't own, the free version of Spotify is pretty useless due to the severe limitations, spotify grayed a lot of
songs in my playlists because of uncleared samples and I also want to support artists when I can afford it
Since i'm not paying for streaming services, I can't download the tracks for offline playback and on Spotify the limit is 10k tracks but my library is over 40k tracks.I also think local players are better than sttreaming services players. My music player Musicolet is the only music player that allows me to create queues so i don't have to remember the latest track i listened to on every playlists
If you must have digital files there are plenty of ways to get them from a streaming service. But buying digital files of music is imo where the line should be drawn.
I will even buy or rent new film releases from a main platform if I missed it at the cinema, etc.
But owning music is a very personal thing. I have CDs going back to the first days of the format, many of which are very sentimental. Being able to stream them is like magic to me. But there is no reason I can think of to pay for a digital file of them or any music that can be found on CD or streamed.
Each to their own, of course. I just find the concept of digital file purchase for music utterly abhorrent. Once it became apparent that the music industry was going to do this, I vowed never to do it and I think it was a good decision.
The streaming services are a convenience that we have to decide on the value to us as users, despite their many obvious faults. But paying to own a, usually compressed, audio file? I can't agree that's good for consumers.
I don't want to take care of physical media due to my disorganization, I also listen to music a lot outside so I have to own the digital version too. Music released on CD is become more rare anyway. I also like the flexibility of digital music locally I can back it up in multiple places, I can remove bad songs easily and i can bring my music everywhere instead of bringing a collection of cd's and can risk of forgetting them . I'm also not an audiophile I can't even hear the difference between 128 kbps and 320 kbps MP3's, I value artistic quality and not audio quality.
You can 100% continue to purchase content and add to your library. Just because the apps have split (as they already have on Apple’s own platforms), does not mean you can not download purchased content or continue to purchase new content for download.
Buy music from the iTunes Store
If you don’t subscribe to Apple Music and you want to add your favorite songs or albums, you can buy and download music from the iTunes Store. And if you previously purchased items from the iTunes Store, you can download them to your authorized computers and devices (up to 10 total).
I also listen to music a lot outside so I have to own the digital version too.
Why, are you not able to stream it?
CD is become more rare anyway.
I'm not sure that's true. Are there numbers you can point to to back that up?
flexibility of digital music locally
I can make Spotify store locally. It's really weird how fast that is come to think of it. Very useful for patchy data. Easy to skip tracks you don't want as well.
bring my music everywhere
I use Spotify but I think ITunes does similar. I feel strongly about Apple products though so I've no experience.
I'm also not an audiophile
Although this has no impact on streaming or use of temporary downloads, or any relevance to your need for purchasing audio files, I am what many would refer to as an audiophile.
I have worked as an audio engineer in music recording and post production, I own professional audio reproduction equipment and I make my own music as a hobby.
Even so, being able to throw on a favourite album, old or new, while driving or at the beach or a friend's house, is to me akin to magic.