De-shittify Your Entertainment
Streaming services, music platforms, and ebook stores are all playing the same game: lock you in, raise prices, and erode what you're paying for. These steps help you watch, listen, and read on your own terms—starting with the easiest wins.
Paying too much for streaming? Our finances guide covers how to audit your subscriptions, rotate streaming services instead of stacking them, and track renewal dates so you cancel before you're charged.
1. Use your library card
Your public library probably offers more free digital media than you realize. Libby (44) gives you ebooks and audiobooks. Hoopla Digital (28) adds movies, TV, music, and comics. Kanopy (22) offers indie and classic films. All free with a library card.
These aren't piracy or workarounds—they're publicly funded services your taxes already pay for. The apps are well-designed, the catalogs are large, and the holds system means popular titles cycle through regularly.
If you don't have a library card, most libraries let you sign up online in minutes. Some library systems (like Brooklyn Public Library) offer non-resident cards for a small annual fee, giving you access from anywhere.
2. Try the indie streaming alternative
Nebula (14) is a streaming platform owned by its creators, not by a media conglomerate. No algorithm deciding what you see, no ads, no engagement optimization. Creators get paid directly from your subscription instead of fighting for fractions of a cent per view.
The catalog is smaller than Netflix—it's focused on educational and documentary content from creators like Wendover Productions, Real Engineering, and Lindsay Ellis. If that's your thing, it's a better deal at a lower price with none of the enshittification pressure that comes from answering to shareholders.
3. Own your music
Spotify (58) pays artists fractions of a cent per stream. You don't own anything—you rent access to a library that Spotify can modify at any time. Songs disappear from the catalog, playlists get reshuffled by algorithms, and the app increasingly pushes podcasts and audiobooks you didn't ask for.
Bandcamp (28) lets you buy music directly from artists and keep the files forever. Artists get 80–85% of the sale (compared to Spotify's fraction-of-a-cent model). You download DRM-free files in any format—MP3, FLAC, whatever—and they're yours. No subscription, no app required, no risk of losing access. One caveat: Bandcamp was sold to music licensing company Songtradr in 2023, with half the staff laid off. The platform still works the same way for now, but its long-term direction under corporate ownership is worth watching.
You don't have to go all-or-nothing. Use streaming for discovery, then buy the albums you actually love on Bandcamp. You'll support artists directly and build a music collection that can't be taken away from you.
4. Buy books from anywhere but Amazon
Amazon controls nearly 70% of the US ebook market through Amazon Kindle (60), and Audible (66) dominates audiobooks. That share climbs above 80% when you include Kindle Unlimited. This is textbook monopoly lock-in: Kindle ebooks use DRM that ties them to Amazon's ecosystem. You don't own those books—you license them, and Amazon can revoke access at any time.
Bookshop.org (15) sells books online while directing profits to independent bookstores. For used books, ThriftBooks (27) offers massive savings. For physical books, your local bookstore or library are always options that don't feed Amazon's dominance.
Libro.fm (10) is the audiobook alternative to Audible—same credit-based model, but your purchase supports an independent bookstore of your choice, and audiobooks are DRM-free. You can listen in any app, not just theirs.
For ebooks, look for DRM-free options from publishers like Tor Books, or buy directly from author websites. If you use a Kindle, the Calibre software can manage your library across formats and devices.
5. Build a personal media library
The ultimate hedge against enshittification is ownership. Rip the CDs and DVDs you already own, buy DRM-free digital media when possible, and host it yourself with free software like Jellyfin (4).
A personal media library can't raise its prices, insert ads, remove content from its catalog, or require a subscription. The upfront effort is real—ripping discs, organizing files, setting up a server—but the result is a permanent collection that works on your terms.
You don't need special hardware to start. An old laptop or a Raspberry Pi can run Jellyfin. External hard drives are cheap. Start with the media you care most about and grow from there. (You may see Plex (46) recommended for this—it was once the go-to, but Plex has been adding ad-supported streaming, increasing data collection, and pushing its own content. Jellyfin (4) is fully open source with no commercial agenda.)