MSTREAM
Host your own music streaming server
Nick Peers discovers how to make your personal music collection available from anywhere with this simple, but effective, music server.
Credit: https://mstream.io
OUR EXPERT
Nick Peers would like to introduce himself: “Hi, I’m Nick and I’m an optical disc addict.” At last count, he had nearly 1,100 albums. Don’t ask about the Blu-rays or DVDs.
The likes of Spotify may give you access to an almost unlimited library of music, but if you don’t want to pay a subscription, listen to ads or risk losing access to favourite songs, there’s no substitute for owning your own music collection, ensuring you’ll always have access to your favourite “bangers” (as the Radio 1 DJs like to term them).
But how do you combine the benefits of streaming music services – easy access to your music from anywhere without having to sync files or flip through CDs – with your own music? The answer lies in building your own streaming music server. Not only does it allow you to store your music in one location and gain easy access to any track, album or artist from a wide range of devices and computers, but you can also opt to store and stream your music uncompressed, so it sounds even better through speakers or headphones.
There are plenty of options, from dedicated music servers such as Logitech Media Server to support for music via a more universal media server, such as Jellyfin and Plex. But if you’re looking for something that’s quick to set up and deploy, one that has features to satisfy most audiophiles, including free apps for listening to music on the go, take a look at mStream.