How I purchase e-books

I have a Kindle e-reader myself, but don't like a single monopolist like Amazon to control the market. So I try, whenever possible, to skip their market place. And that is perfectly possible. But say goodbye to one-click shopping.

(same argument probably also applies to the Kobo store, another popular eReader-manufacturer, but perhaps less evil for not being Amazon and supporting 'local' shops, e.g. Bol.com in the Netherlands… which is basically the Amazon of the Netherlands, and a huge market player…)

The alternative

Many books these days come without DRM(!) … they're still watermarked, but that doesn't stop you from converting books.

So, it takes some dedication but my approach is:

1. To search for the book's publisher, check their website for a purchase link and purchase it there.
   • Or use libris (Dutch independent booksellers collaboration), which allows you to pick a local Libris connected bookshop, and purchase an e-book fro…

Are streaming services sucking money out of the industry?

I'm just a single person. A music listener and lover, for quite some time. What I was curious about is whether my actual spending on music had changed with the new online options offered these days, most notably since I started using the streaming service Spotify. Artists are complaining, and streaming companies trying to defend their position. So as a user of streaming services, can I still honestly say that I'm a music lover who supports the artists that make it? Luckily I have most of the data that I need to investigate it for myself.

What I used to spend and the revenue.

I own about 150 CD's. It is not a lot, but looking around it seems above average (also compared to my parents collection of vinyl records from the past). I bought most of them between 2002 and 2012. So let's assume that I bought 15 CD's per year. I have no recollection of how much I spent on CD's, but I believe the €9,9…