Streaming Music and being able to keep them as your personel files

The Tidal app on iOS (and I imagine Android, though I've never tried it) allows you to download content to your device to be able to play it locally without an internet connection (such as when you're on a plane).  It does need to periodically authenticate with the Tidal servers, though I don't know how often that happens, you could probably keep your offline files offline for at least a week and have them still work, but eventually they're going to stop playing until you allow Tidal to connect to the internet and authenticate you still have a valid subscription.  

I wonder if it’s possible to record the Tidal digital signal off the digital output of my Esoteric DAC as Tidal streams through the DAC in real time. I have a Tascam digital recorder that should be able to pick that up from the DAC's RCA digital output and record it.  Alternatively, it's a straight-forward process to pass a DAC's analog outputs into the Tascam's ADC for recording.  However it would be nicer to avoid multiple digital-to-analog conversions by keeping the process in the digital domain.

Spotify too lets you download music to a local hard drive for listening while off-line.  You don't own the music outright;  you need an active subscription and must periodically re-connect to Spotify (1x/mo?) to maintain access to the downloaded files.  

If, at some point, there is signal coming from RCA outputs, isn't this recordable?

@dweller 

Sure, you could do that, but you'd have to time the track breaks just right, then you have to convert what will probably be a raw .WAV file into something more usable, input all of the metadata manually for each track, and go through a lot of hassle when it would be easier to just buy the album from HDTracks or iTunes if you want to keep it forever and move it across multiple devices.

When you sign up for a streaming service you are't buying the music, you're buying access to play any of the music from their catalog for as long as you maintain your membership.  If you want to keep the music you need to buy the album from a service that offers that.

Thanks for the info...

And what exactly to I do once I enroll in membership in either Tidal or Spotify.Meaning is there a specific procedure to follow in uploading music to my personal files? Sorry,im not that profecient in these sites for streaming..Im more of a cd/lp sort of an audio enthusiast.

Very simple once a member of tidal, Deezer, Spotify etc.
At least on tidal the proceedure is once you are highlighted on an album, there will be a drop down,menu on the right to access. This gives you options like, play, add to favourites and download.
If I remember right this option to download is only available to mobile devices and versions( android and iOS).
I know it does not exist on my desktop tidal app.
Good luck.

Thank u uberwaltz..

I will indeed give that one a go.

I can confirm that a Tidal stream-- including Tidal MQA masters that decode to 24/96--  can be digitally copied from the digital output of a DAC. That's all she wrote...

@dgarretson 

Now THAT is interesting indeed!

@tutetibiimperes - I meant after digital stream is downloaded, converted and ready to be amplified (post DAC), you can copy it to whatever you want. May be a simpler way to do it but at least it could be done.

I think Murfie Music is what the OP is looking for.
You buy or sell music you want/own. They also offer digitizing service for CD's and LP's.
Bob

@dweller 

Sure, that's not fundamentally different from using the tape loop with a tape recorder back in the old days to record from a turntable or a tuner.  

You're not going to end up with a bit-perfect copy of the original though, and it's not going to have any of the metadata that makes it easy to manage in a portable player.  

It's also a bit more dubious from an ethical stance - making mix tapes and copies for personal use of music you already own or that's being broadcast freely over the airwaves is one thing, doing it to make permanent copies of music from a streaming service where the royalties to the artists are paid per stream/play is another.  

Agreed it would most likely constitute an infringement of copyright... In other words piracy.....not that it has ever stopped some folk.

Wow...

      dgarreson,you answered some questions in that single response about Tidal streaming and hi rez files! I was going to start a whole new disscusion of the "How To" transfer streaming music into a lossless digital hi res portable media players,( e.g.Fiio x5,Cayin N3).Because these players do in fact have built in DACs.So I may have just cut out a few "Third Parties" in reaching my final quest.. 

@zyac39 Well, I guess I raised more questions than I answered.  Several hours after copying that file into my NAS for replay through the Roon core, the file and its folder mysteriously evaporated!  However, it still resides on the PC to which I originally transferred it from the digital recorder.  So for the moment it looks like Tidal and MQA have thought this through.  I surmise that it may be possible to keep such copies alive on a device that doesn't ping the net-- but there are precious few of those. 

Hmmmm,

            You may just be redtricted in just how many devises you will be able to "Sail through Safely"..
Meaning,locking in your info,and than moving onto the next step,without being rerouted to your first place of origin,which is your pc...

You may want to contact Tidal support and ask them how to transfer their property onto your laptop.  The only way I know of is to purchase the tracks/albums you want to keep after your subscription.

This is what I figured gs 5556.Even on other forums ive been on,their exists to some extent a "Temporary Fix" to saving streamed music on your computer,but its seems to be just matter of time as to how long your able to keep it also...

A quick Google search gave me this
Not tried it as not something I want or need to do but may be of help

https://www.apowersoft.com/record-tidal-music.html

And I do believe you can "buy" a complete album on Tidal but not cheap and limited I think to MP3 quality so really a non starter.

Tidal, Deezer et al are really in the business of selling you a means to stream music on a monthly subscription not selling music per se.

Revisiting my hi-res recording of a streamed Tidal master off the digital output of a DAC, it appears that the recorded file survives intact and is playable through Roon, provided that the Tidal version of that album is not tagged to the Roon library.  We'll see if that lasts.  

@amg56 

The only was of 'keeping" the music is to record it, most likely via microphone in front of Speakers

Not if you have one of them thar tape decks ;-)

Bkeske..
Ooh that be them new fangled cassette tape type thingy.
Bit high tech.
😎😎

@uberwaltz

Now don’t go tellin all these folk about our little high tech analog recordin secret.

Recording from Tidal or Qobuz streams in real time in the digital domain works. To complete the experience you need software like Vinyl Studio to sequence the tracks and find the metadata.

I have noticed a Spotify Converter from DumpMedia that helps me stream the songs from Spotify to my computer. Actually, it is very easy to use! I just have to choose the songs I want to convert and the output format I want to keep on my computer. Then click the convert button. Finish! The songs have already saved in my local folder. I hope this tool might give you a hand. 

You could install a program called Sound Tap and record to your desktop anything you are playing in either MP3 or WAV files. I do that and it gives me back superb sounding files and you can adjust the program for original sound file copy up to 24/96 files.