Music streaming services are not without their problems. The biggest problem is the lack of ownership. If you use Spotify, you don't own any music - you just got a license to listen to it.
Contents1. YouTube audio library2. Free music archive3. Jamendo4. NoiseTrade5. Musopen6. Amazon7. The Internet ArchiveWhat happened to FreeAllMusic?Learn more about downloading musicBut do not worry. There are still ways to get free music. They are completely legal and the music will be yours forever. Here are the best sites to download free music legally!
The YouTube Audio Library is primarily for people who need royalty-free production music to use in videos. However, anyone with a YouTube account can access the library through YouTube Studio and download as many songs as they want.
According to the library's terms and conditions, you may use the tracks in any content you create; it's not just limited to videos. You can also use the songs in monetized videos on the YouTube platform.
Each song has a sample available, which you can listen to by hitting the little Play icon. If you like what you hear, click the Download button.
In addition to free music tracks, the YouTube audio library also includes sound effects. Again, they are free to use in all your designs.
The free music archive has been around for many years, but it remains as popular as ever.
WUFM — an independent radio station in New Jersey — curates the content. Most of the songs available are from lesser-known artists, but occasionally you'll see a famous name pop up.
You don't have to worry about the legality because all the tracks on the site are free for personal use. However, if you plan to use the songs commercially, you should check the license associated with each individual recording.
Jamendo is a platform that allows unsigned independent artists to easily distribute their music to their fans. It currently has over 400,000 tracks from 40,000 artists.
The music is built around "Communities". Navigating to a particular community (e.g. #Rock) will introduce you to its top tracks, albums, and artists. You can sort music by all time popularity, trending and latest releases.
If you want to test the waters before committing to a download, you can tune into one of the site's themed radio stations. By the way, check out the best music download apps for Android and iOS if you want your music to go.
They say there is no free lunch. And if you use NoiseTrade, that's partly true.
Artists who have their music listed on this site want something in exchange for the free download, usually a street address or email address. The idea is for bands to easily connect with people who love their music – perhaps to announce an upcoming tour or mark the launch of a new album.
The flip side is that you're more likely to find artists you recognize. Of course, you won't find The Killers' latest release, but most bands are already signed to a label and have albums available.
What if pop, rock and other mainstream genres weren't your thing? Well, if you like classical music, you're in luck.
Musopen has recordings from some of the most famous classical musicians of all time. You'll find everything from Bach and Beethoven to Tchaikovsky and Holst. You can search by composer, performer, instrument, period and form to locate the content you want.
The site goes beyond music downloads. You will also find many free sheet music and even teaching resources.
Many people don't realize that Amazon has a huge repository of free music downloads. At the time of writing, over 6,000 songs are available for download.
Unlike some of the other free music download sites, you can often find famous bands. Right now, you can find music from the Foo Fighters, Boy George, Lisa Loeb, Boyz II Men, and Carole King, and many more. Artists change from time to time, so if you find music you like, grab it while you can.
Anyway, from famous names, the collection also does a surprisingly good job of covering niche genres. Unfortunately, Amazon removed the feature that let you filter free music by genre (although it's still there for paid music). As such, you will have to dig yourself.
Did you know that the Internet Archive is useful for more than just laughing at how bad the Web looked in 1999? It's also a fantastic free audio library.
For a music lover, the best part of the site is the Live Music Archive. It was built in partnership with etree.org and features shows and concerts from a range of top artists. All of the bands in the collection are "commercial", meaning they have granted fans the right to freely trade some of their music for non-commercial means.
The library doesn't just cover music; you'll also find old news and public affairs talks, radio shows, audiobooks, and poetry readings.
Almost all of these sites specialize in downloading music from unknown and upcoming artists rather than current stars. This is largely unavoidable, as bands that have already been successful don't need to give away their music for free.
Generally, if you see a site offering you a free copy of Justin Bieber or Taylor Swift's latest album, it will probably be illegal to download it. In this case, you should proceed with extreme caution.
One such illegal example is FreeAllMusic. Like The Pirate Bay, it has been taken offline several times, only to return to a new area. A rebooted version persists to this day. Our advice is to keep it clear.
While it's nice to be able to access free music downloads legally, there are plenty of ways to pay for the biggest and newest releases.
Before you pull out your wallet, though, it makes sense to check if you love music first.
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