> but how am I supposed to find new music to buy without some kind of radio/recommendation system
You can do both; use Spotify / Youtube whatever to find new songs, and then buy your own copy if you find something you like.
> Also I haven't owned a CD player that connects to a computer in 7 years. Even the gamer PC I just built 2 months ago I didn't put a drive in it.
Personally I no longer buy CD’s, I buy files on Bandcamp etc., but with the exception of the artwork most of the advantages are the same. And the songs synchronise with your tablet, your phone and will always be there without internet connection. I have a Spotify enabled DJ-app, and that integration stopped working recently, which was inconvenient, but really not a big deal because I have the files for my core library.
> I'm thinking I'll buy some of the songs I had marked in Google Play Music. I'm not sure I'll buy all of them or even if I can.
That’s a great idea. It’s true that you won’t find everything. But in between Bandcamp (lossless and big cut to artists), Qobuz (lossless and more major labels) and the iTunes Store (high quality AAC, cheap) a lot more is available than before, and DRM free. A much better situation than with video, for example.
You can do both; use Spotify / Youtube whatever to find new songs, and then buy your own copy if you find something you like.
> Also I haven't owned a CD player that connects to a computer in 7 years. Even the gamer PC I just built 2 months ago I didn't put a drive in it.
Personally I no longer buy CD’s, I buy files on Bandcamp etc., but with the exception of the artwork most of the advantages are the same. And the songs synchronise with your tablet, your phone and will always be there without internet connection. I have a Spotify enabled DJ-app, and that integration stopped working recently, which was inconvenient, but really not a big deal because I have the files for my core library.
> I'm thinking I'll buy some of the songs I had marked in Google Play Music. I'm not sure I'll buy all of them or even if I can.
That’s a great idea. It’s true that you won’t find everything. But in between Bandcamp (lossless and big cut to artists), Qobuz (lossless and more major labels) and the iTunes Store (high quality AAC, cheap) a lot more is available than before, and DRM free. A much better situation than with video, for example.