I tried Spotify for a couple of years, paid for it even. I have nothing good to say about it, not even the music discovery part. At least, in terms of personal use. It prevented me from listening to what I wanted to listen to more than half the time, even if what I wanted to hear was on the platform.

I get what you’re saying. You’re right that they are different things in some scenarios. For a generic DJ (think weddings, school dances, etc.), it becomes a crucial utility. Service almost any request without having to lug around hard drives/records and have to anticipate what will be requested. Although arguably, that was part of the art of being a DJ for hire at one time, knowing your audience and music well enough so you only bring what you’ll need.

At the end of the day, said services can just disappear for several reasons. That happens, and you’re shit out of luck. You’ll have to either start pirating or start paying for a new service. Either way you’re rebuilding your library.