No Plex yet?

Build your own music library.

Plex is free software that turns a computer at home into your own private music service. Set it up once, and your albums play anywhere with myStereo. Plan on an afternoon, plus however long it takes to rip your CDs.

Know someone with Plex? Server owners can share their music library with your free Plex account. That's the fastest way to try myStereo.

1. 1

   Pick a home for your music

   Plex runs on a computer at home that stays on and plugged in. An old laptop or desktop works fine, as does a Mac mini or a network drive (NAS). Windows, Mac and Linux are all supported.

   How much space? Roughly 300 MB per album in lossless quality, or about 100 MB as MP3. A 1 TB external drive holds thousands of albums.

2. 2

   Install Plex Media Server

   Make a free account at plex.tv, then download Plex Media Server for your computer from the Plex downloads page. Install it and sign in with that account. It runs quietly in the background.

3. 3

   Fill it with music you own

   Put all your music in one folder. Some ways to fill it:

   • Rip your CDs. The Music app on a Mac or Windows Media Player can do it. For the best sound, pick a lossless format (ALAC or FLAC). Free tools like XLD (Mac) and Exact Audio Copy (Windows) are made for this.
   • Buy downloads you keep. Bandcamp pays artists well and lets you download in lossless. Many new records also come with a download code, so check the sleeve.
   • Digitize records and tapes. A USB turntable or tape deck and the free app Audacity will do it, one side at a time.
   • Gather what you already have. Old iTunes folders, MP3s from years ago and files on old drives all count.
4. 4

   Tidy it up

   Plex works best when each album has its own folder: Artist › Album › tracks. The free app MusicBrainz Picard can fix names and add album art for you.

5. 5

   Add a Music library in Plex

   Open Plex, go to Settings › Libraries › Add Library, choose Music, and point it at your music folder. Plex scans everything and adds artwork and album info on its own.

6. 6

   Listen away from home (optional)

   To play your music outside your house, turn on Remote Access in your Plex server settings.

   Plex charges for streaming video away from home, but music isn’t part of that rule right now. Plex changes its plans from time to time, so check their remote playback page for the latest.

7. 7

   Open myStereo and sign in

   In myStereo, go to Settings › Plex and sign in. It finds your server and loads your artists, albums and playlists.

Need records to start with? See the shops in Go local.