There are plenty of places you can stream music to listen to, but what if you want to own your music? What if you want to be able to be able to listen to music at any time without having to worry about having an internet connection?
I love music, and I love having the ability to bring it with me on my MP3 player. I especially love it when I can find free music downloads. Free music downloads are a great way to learn about new artists and explore new music genres.
So today, I thought I’d share where to find free music downloads so that you can enjoy some tunes when you’re on a tight budget.
Where to Find Free Music Downloads
These sources for free music downloads offer legal MP3 downloads for you to enjoy.
Band and musician websites. Visit your favorite band’s website to see if they offer a free song or two to their fans. Some bands like to show their appreciation for their fans or tease a new album by giving away a free song download. Some bands and musicians use free music downloads to build their mailing lists and introduce themselves to a wider audience.
Social Media. Look for official musician Facebook pages. Sometimes bands and artists will offer free music downloads to their fans. And even though it has dipped in popularity, you can still find groups that use MySpace to get the word out about their music, so be sure to look there for free downloads, too.
iTunes. Some artists will give away free music downloads on iTunes as a way of reaching new audiences. In addition, iTunes regularly features up-and-coming artists with free music downloads. And don’t forget to check out free music podcasts as these can be a great way to hear new music and learn more about the artists.
Amazon. Search through the MP3 downloads by price and you’ll find hundreds of free songs to download at Amazon
Google Play. Be sure to check out Google Play as another source for free music downloads. Occasionally you can download an entire album for free, so check back regularly.
NoiseTrade. NoiseTrade is one of my favorite sources for free music downloads. Artists who participate in Noisetrade offer up a free sampler of their music to download in exchange for your e-mail address. You can leave the artist a tip if you want, but it is completely optional. I’ve discovered some fabulous new music through this easy-to-use service.
Archive.org. If you’re looking for music that’s been around so long it’s become part of the public domain, then you’ll love browsing the audio files at Archive.org. Look for classical, jazz, blues, and experimental music here. You an also find recordings from live concerts.
Last.fm . Last.fm is a service that allows you to stream music for free. But they also have a substantial collection of free music downloads available, too.
SoundClick. Bands looking to make themselves known will sometimes offer free MP3 downloads through SoundClick. SoundClick has been around since 1997 and has thousands of songs you can listen to for free in a variety of music genres.
SoundCloud. SoundCloud is another source to find free music downloads. You can search their huge database by artist or by music genre.
Event promotion. Keep an eye on websites promoting live music events for free music downloads. I’ve gotten some great free music downloads from events like SXSW and Lallapalooza, so be sure to check the event websites just before, during, and after the event.
Before you download any free music, make sure you are downloading it from a reputable source that has the rights to distribute the music. Free music is great, but if it is downloaded illegally or comes with a computer virus, it comes with far too high of a price.
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Many public libraries, including ours, have teamed up with a service called Freegal that allows you to download a few tracks per week. They only have affiliations with a couple of major labels, so selections are limited, but I’ve found a good number of songs that have appealed to me over time.
Thanks for the tip! I haven’t heard of that, but I am definitely going to check it out!