Playing my music for free on Google Home

Question

Until now I have been using Google Play Music to play music that I own from my Google Home devices. I can upload my music content to Google Play Music and then play specific songs, albums or artists "from my library".

I was just given notice that Google Play Music is being discontinued and that I am expected to use YouTube Music instead. The problem is that YouTube music won't play specific songs or artists unless you have a subscription. Yes, you read that right - you need a subscription to play songs that you already own on YouTube Music. As their motto says "Let's Be Evil".

Is there any kind of workround for this, or alternatively any other subscription compatible with Google Home that allows for playing your own music for free?

Answer 1

I suggest you to use your own shared hdd folder at home with VLC which supports casting to chromcast or similar devices compatible with Google home.

You can store or clone your data using Google drive or OneDrive, but in the end, if you have a lot of GB of music, probably you end paying some service...

I personally prefer to store all my music in a NAS using RAID and/or cloud or local backup to avoid paying external services.

If you want, some NAS offer also the possibility to have "your own cloud" in two clicks, but stored in your house, accessible from internet and synchronizing files with your devices.