January 6, 2026
From playlists to pitchforks
How Spotify Made Me Self Host
Price hikes, forced shuffle, and ad fatigue push fans to build their own libraries
TLDR: Spotify’s price hike and free-tier limits pushed the author to self-host a Jellyfin media server, igniting cheers for privacy and ownership. Comments split between DIY freedom and streaming’s lower cost, with heated talk about artist pay and ads — a sign more fans may ditch big platforms.
Spotify bumped prices, the free tier felt like shuffle jail (no skipping around the song, limited choices), and the author rage-quit straight into a DIY media setup using Jellyfin and a rented server. The community didn’t just nod — they roared. One camp shouted, “Host it yourself!” for privacy, ownership, and not being “hostage to a platform.” Another camp fired back with receipts: streaming still costs less than buying tons of albums and movies, and convenience matters.
The ethics debate got spicy fast. A metalhead blasted Spotify for “sucking the life” from the music scene and linked to reports on playlist-friendly “ghost artists” earning pennies (Harpers). Meanwhile, practical voices demanded a proper cost breakdown before declaring DIY victory. Tech flexes flew: Tailscale (easy private tunnel) plus Jellyfin, and WireGuard (secure connection) were the cool-kid stack; Plex caught strays for allegedly blocking certain hosts and losing favor. The thread even spawned a Rust-made Linux client plug, because of course someone turned outrage into code. Jokes about “enshittification,” “seek bar banned,” and “my new Netflix has ads… from my cat” kept things punchy. Bottom line: the vibe is pitchforks and playlists, with fans rebuilding the music world one self-hosted server at a time.
Key Points
- •The author cancelled Spotify Premium after an August 2025 price increase in Germany and found the free tier restricted by forced shuffle and no progress scrubbing as of late 2025.
- •They cite broader trends across streaming services: price hikes, ad-supported tiers, UI changes, and password-sharing crackdowns (Amazon Prime, Netflix, Disney+).
- •A self-hosted media server was deployed on a Hetzner CAX21 VPS (4 vCPUs, 8GB RAM, 20TB traffic, 80GB SSD).
- •Media is stored on a Hetzner Storage Box (mounted via SMB), using Jellyfin as the media server; Plex was rejected due to reported Hetzner blocking.
- •Remote access is provided via WireGuard VPN, configured through a FRITZ!Box at home and client profiles on devices, with a sample server config provided.