About this site

trib·u·tar·y

/ˈtribyəˌterē/

noun: tributary; plural noun: tributaries

1. a river or stream flowing into a larger river or lake.

What is Tributary?

Tributary is a newsletter focused on music that isn’t available on most streaming platforms (i.e. Spotify, Apple Music, etc.)

Why am I starting this?

I’m known amongst friends and family for a strong hatred of the streaming music industry, particularly Spotify. I’ve used both Spotify and Apple Music (and even tried out a free month of the reinvented Napster) for brief periods of time, but predominantly make it through life with a 1TB hard drive, a robust Bandcamp collection, and a rolodex of sources for mp3 downloads.

This is partly a moral position, as I don’t want to give money and data to the companies devaluing and destroying the art form I hold sacred. It’s also largely borne out of the same instinct that makes one repeatedly decline iOS software updates: a curmudgeonly resistance to new technologies when “The old ones work just fine for me, thanks.” As someone who came of age in the era of mediafire downloads and mp3 blogs, I’ve always felt like iTunes was the easiest and most intrinsic way to maintain a library including music that never became available on streaming platforms.

However, since most people (understandably) don’t have the same fastidiousness about library maintenance, streaming has become the default of “what exists” as far as music to listen to, putting a vast wealth of music at risk of being lost forever to the digital dustbin. This is my contribution to the small (if persistent) chorus of listeners arguing for the sweep pile on the floor. This isn’t meant to be an argument in favor of my Sisyphean hobby; rather it’s a little opportunity to ramble about a few of my favorite songs that exist a little off the beaten path and the ways in which I found them.