Songs on my Mac won't play on my iPhone and other devices

I have spoken with Apple twice about this issue now.

My advisors were excellent, but the problem is Apple. Apple has engineered the Music app so I can no longer play my own music without a pricey subscription to the Apple Music service. For context, we're talking music that I've been collecting since the 90s when I was in college and afterward. After several decades, moves, jobs, and raising a family, of course, I no longer have the original CDs and audiocassettes I originally used to input my song into Apple Music.

Apple should at least let me play what I originally put into their system, or they've stolen it from me. It cannot be that the only "solution" now is for me to spend over $100 every year just to listen to my own music via an Apple Music subscription.

Can anyone out there escalate this issue up the flagpole? Apple is effectively stealing music from customers like me.

PS - The error shows the songs greyed out on my iPhone and other devices, although I can play the songs on my Mac--and only my Mac. Syncing doesn't work because the songs appear greyed out on my other devices and I get the error message: “This item is not currently available in your country or region.” All my devices are up to date with no screentime restrictions, and all device settings are correct as per Apple.

PPS - Apple took down an earlier version of this post, so I have reworded it. I hope Apple lets it stay up this time or at least offers an explanation if they take it down again.