Tiny music player that I can download music onto

[CharlotteBog]

I am a stumped.

I run. I don't take my phone, but take a tiny mp3 player.
Over the years I've gone from ripping cds onto my laptop and copying them to the player, to buying music in the Apple Store and converting to mp3 then copying to the player and it's all just got so complicated that I don't bother anymore. I have been listening to the same set of music for years.

I have Spotify premium. I can download music into my Spotify library.

How do I then get this onto my little player?

I have a Mac. I have Spotify on the Mac.
I see there are many different 'convert to mp3 apps' but they all seem so clunky and complicated.

Am I missing something?

I don't want to run with something that needs a network - it's sketchy when I'm out and about.

The point of downloading is that you don't need a network to use the songs to feline afterwards.
They will be in a folder on your phone.

Download them into a folder and get an armband.

I don’t have the answer but I’d like to know too.… and how to get the music I’ve bought out of Amazon player.

Sorry offline. Not feline

Would an Apple Watch work? I have Spotify on my watch…..never used it though so not sure if you can play downloaded Spotify tracks through it while you leave the phone at home.?

I don't want to take my phone running.

I've got a Garmin. Randomly posted before I was ready. See full reply below.

My son has this as we didn't want him to have screens all the time:

www.mightyaudio.co.uk/

Instructions here for getting Spotify music onto an iPod www.syncios.com/spotify/sync-spotify-music-to-ipod.html www.syncios.com/spotify/sync-spotify-music-to-ipod.html]]]]

not sure how easy it is.

I got a Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music watch. You can sync the watch to your phone (I use Amazon Music) and then download the music to the watch. I then connect my earbuds to my watch and away I go.

The Vivoactive 3 is an older model. You can pick them up on ebay fairly inexpensively. There are newer models that do the same.

I used wired headphones (I don't get on with wireless ones at all) so that wouldn't be an option. Also that would be quite a spendy option!
I have a Garmin watch that I'm happy with.

Lovely. Expensive! Maybe I'm worth it.

I don't have an iPod.
Also, I have googled 'how to get mp3s on my music player' and the answers are extensive and seem overly complicated. That's why I'm asking here, I thought there must be an easier way.

I should have said in my OP that I use wired headphones - sorry.
I can't edit it now (don't know why).

Buy an old small phone and use Spotify on that

I have a Sony digital audio player (which plays mp3 AND other formats hence not called an mp3 player). I transfer music files to it from my laptop using a Sony app on the laptop but am pretty sure I could just copy the music files to the player. Is the problem that your player needs mp3 files? And not that you don't know how to copy the files form the mac to the player?

The honest answer is you probably can't.

Spotify is a streaming service, you haven't bought the song in the same way as a CD or download, you just have the right to stream it through the app not download it onto a separate device.

What MP3 player do you have? It sounds like it's probably not very modern so there may not be a way to do it other than your current methods.

I think you're right.
All the conversion apps are workarounds - it's not what they want you to do.
I suppose I'm thinking that I don't want to buy music I already own on cd (but no longer have a way to transfer to my laptop) and my thinking is that I already pay for Spotify premium and Amazon Prime Music (not unlimited), I just want to listen to it outside of streaming.

It is an old mp3 player, so I'm happy to upgrade, but I don't think that would solve my issue?

I am able to download from BBC Sounds so do get podcasts.

Correct. I need mp3.

Of course the Mac is sometimes a pain in that you're worshipping at the alter of Apple so plugging my (very non Apple!) player into already freaks it out.

I miss MP3 players. I used to have a Creative Zen about the size of a matchbox that was brilliant. It would have been perfect for running.

When you say you own the CD but don't have a way to transfer to your laptop, what do you mean?

I do agree though that with Prime Music and Spotify the idea is you stream, you can't in theory download the file to use on other devices outside of the app.

When you say you own the CD but don't have a way to transfer to your laptop, what do you mean?

That my laptop doesn't have a disc drive. Not many do these days.

I've got an Apple Watch but it doesn't work with Spotify. It starts to play and then stops as though there is a software restriction. I have cheap headphones instead of iPods because I'm not paying £300 for something that will fall out and get lost and I suspect that is why. Apple Watch might work better with Apple Music.

Isn't it a racket plenty of simple solutions used to exist and they took them away. I take my phone running in a backpack and stream from Spotify.

The other reason I prefer a simple player that clips to my shorts is that it's so easy to skip or repeat songs. With a phone, I'd need to stop, unlock it, fanny about with sweaty fingers, put it away.
If my player fell off and got crushed sounds like it's the best thing for it in fact I wouldn't be too bothered. If the same happened to my phone it would be a royal pain. Also, I worry more about a phone getting wet.

I realise I have quite specific requirements!

All the simple solutions were for when you owned the hard copies / files, and you could put them anywhere. The streaming model has changed all that. Plus the smoothness and easiness of tech has moved on so much, what seemed easy then probably appears cumbersome now (I’d rip my cds to mp3 / synch them with iTunes, plug iPod in to computer, create playlist on iTunes, copy over to iPod being careful of the capacity etc, ). My kids had little clip jam mp3 for audio books when they were little but it was so much more involved than “buy from audible, click, listen”.

I’d do as suggested above and either get that mighty audio one, as it looks like it’s designed exactly for your purposes, or get a small as possible refurbished phone, and use that to download your Spotify stuff onto and carry with you.

When I used to run I had a Lycra running belt with a pocket big enough for a phone, it was safe and not noticeable when running. I’d spin it round so the phone was at my back. And had Shokz bone conducting headphones, they do have a little button on for skipping a track. They don’t fall out your ears, etc and I felt they were safer for running as not actually in your ears.