USB drives? It's much easier.

No, I get that. I dont do it myself, but if I did, id buy the cd, rip it, and then store the cd in my home so it doesnt get all fucked up from repeated use. Classic Ipod or even usb stick didnt have a subscription.

Word, same, I like owning the physical format. Though it feels more of a collectors thing to do now but I like listening to albums. Sort of a lost art but you can stumble on less played songs and keep growing that playlist.

I like and appreciate the extras that physical albums bring, as well as the freedom and reliability of physical media.

But even as an old guy that's all about connecting with the physical world and stimulating all the senses and all that, when it comes to the mechanisms of listening to music it's hard to beat FLAC albums on the Jellyfin server. It takes up so little space.