This is absurdly sad to me. I like to own my media (in the most practical sense that current IP laws let me do so). I run a Plex server and use PlexAmp as my primary way of listening to music, and my criteria are always this:
* FLAC or similar, I want this to be a lossless preservation of what was on the best-available source.
* No DRM. No mandated player. Just let me download a dang file.
* "Real" flac: this is technically already covered under the first bullet, but I call it out because I've seen it happen before: if I can open the flac in audacity and see it's obviously just a re-encode of a lossy format that clips the upper and lower frequency ranges off, that's a smell and I don't like it. (I know, most people can't tell etc, but this is less for listening purposes and more for archival purposes).
* Supports the artist!
Now, I'll admit, when push comes to shove, I drop the last bullet point first. So previously, my source for music was:
1. CD's (and I would follow What's guide for making Perfect Flacs)
2. What
But then what shut down and I lost my main music discovery mechanism. Enter bandcamp! Now I've been very happy with:
1. Bandcamp (I buy CDs because I like the artwork and they're cool).
2. CD's (+ Perfect Flac ripping guide still)
Now I'm not sure what to do. Epic has really soured me on their brand already, and I already boycott their launcher and any EGS exclusives. I guess I have to find some other way to get stuff now.
Consider alternatives to Plex (Jellyfin being the main competitor).
With Plex, you may own the media, but Plex, Inc. owns the authentication. You're not allowed to access the service running on your own hardware unless you can log in with a Plex account.
Also: losing What was indeed a massive blow, but there are others still carrying that torch...
Unfortunately, nothing currently beats Plexamp in terms of quality music listening, shuffle, smart playlists, etc.
You can still set up local login for Plex to avoid their auth on your own network or list of allowed IPs. It's not 100% what people want, but it's something.