lifewire.com, by Stacy Fisher
There are plenty of websites out there that offer free music downloads, and we've weeded through them so you can find only the best and brightest in this list of the best 15 places to get free music downloads legally.
At these websites, you'll be able to download free music in high-quality MP3 format so they'll play on your computer, phone, or tablet. Since you can download and save them, they'll forever be yours.
All the free music downloads here are legal. They're either public domain or, in most cases, the artists have given permission for you to download and enjoy their hard work. That means you can feel great about listening to the music and discovering some hidden gems you might have otherwise passed up.
Jamendo
What We Like
Lots of ways to browse for music downloads
Lets you stream music, too
Includes an online radio function
There are mobile apps you can use
What We Don't Like
Downloads are in MP3 only; no option for other formats
Requires you to make a user account (it's free) to download the music
Free downloads are in MP3 quality only, not HD
All the free music downloads at Jamendo are made available through Creative Commons licensing meaning that the artists themselves have decided they want to give out their music for free for the masses to enjoy.
You can discover new music at Jamendo by viewing the most popular music and the songs that trending. There's also a Latest music filter to see recently added songs. You can also search for artists that you know to see if their music is available for download.
Another way to find great music here is by listening to one of the Jamendo radio channels. When you find a song or artist you like, you can then download that single track or the entire album.
Yet another way to browse this free music is via playlists, like "Best of January," "Electro Funk Frenzy," "Valentine's Day," and "Girls On the Rise."
If you'd rather stream the music at Jamendo instead of download it, they give you that option, too.
NoiseTrade
What We Like
You get the whole album at once in one click
Lets you preview the tracks before downloading them
Provides a way to tip the artists
Also includes eBooks and audiobooks
What We Don't Like
Must download the whole album; can't pick specific tracks
You have to enter your email address to download the music
You can download thousands of free music albums from NoiseTrade, through Paste Magazine, and they're all completely legal to take. The artists want you to check out their creations and if you like it and are inclined to do so, you can tip them or help promote them to your friends.
You can stream part of the songs right now, but to download an album and access the full-length music, you need to enter your email address and zip code. You'll receive the album as a ZIP file which contains the MP3 files.
You can easily find new albums you want to download by viewing the "Notable" picks on the home page, plus there's a list of genres you can comb through.
NoiseTrade also offers free eBook and audiobook downloads for authors who'd like to share and earn your tip.
Amazon
What We Like
You can sort the list of music downloads
Provides several ways to filter and refine the list of downloads
The songs can be previewed
What We Don't Like
The download process can be confusing
You have to log in to your Amazon account to download the music
Only the music through the link below is free; other music on Amazon is not
There are thousands and thousands of free music downloads at Amazon.com, making it one of my favorite websites to visit when I'm looking for new music to download legally.
You can see the all the free music downloads by choosing a genre or sorting by popularity, release date, length of the song, reviews, or in alphabetical order by title, artist, or album.
You can play the songs before downloading them, but when you're ready to save the songs to your computer, add the item to your cart. Then, you can check out as if you were purchasing something by pressing Confirm Purchase. You'll be taken to a link to download the free music, and it'll also be saved in the Digital Orders tab of your order history.
Bandcamp
What We Like
Lets you download songs and full albums
Includes lots of tracks you won't find on other free music download sites
You can choose to pay if you want to
No user account is needed
What We Don't Like
Not every song you see is free to download
You have to explicitly say that you're choosing to not pay for the music
There isn't a "free only" page
Bandcamp makes it easy for artists to share their music in a "name your price" type of setting. This means that while you can pay for the music, another option is to put a zero in the payment box and download the song for free.
The Discover page is a great way to find the best selling music at Bandcamp, plus new arrivals and songs recommended by artists.
Not all songs can be downloaded for free but for the ones that don't have a minimum price, put a zero in the "Name Your Price" box. To do this, choose Buy Digital Track, enter 0 in the box, select download to your computer, and follow the on-screen prompts to get the download.
Sometimes, there also isn't a minimum price on entire albums, so you can use the Buy Digital Album option to get all of its songs for free.
Internet Archive's Audio Archive
What We Like
Lots of free audio downloads to pick from
Several sorting and filtering options
Most music can be downloaded in several audio formats
Supports previewing music
You don't need a user account to download the free music
What We Don't Like
Has a lot more lower quality music than other music download sites
Navigating the website can be confusing
Internet Archive's Audio Archive has millions of results for free downloads of music, audio, podcasts, radio programs, and most notably their Live Music Archive.
You can sort the free music downloads by most viewed items, title, date published, or creator, as well as filter the results by media type (concerts, audio, etc.), topics & subjects (e.g. rock or funk), language, and more.
You'll find all kinds of artists with free music downloads here including Jack Johnson, John Mayer, Grateful Dead, 311, and Smashing Pumpkins.
There are usually multiple file formats that you can download the free music in, like MP3 and OGG. These are listed in the DOWNLOAD OPTIONS area of every download page.
SoundClick
What We Like
Includes music from signed and unsigned artists
Lots of genres to pick from
No sign in necessary
Includes lots of music download deals and discounts
What We Don't Like
Not every song is free
There isn't a single page where you can find all the free music; it's mixed in with music that costs
Some songs can only be streamed
SoundClick is the ultimate portal into finding free music downloads directly from the artists websites. These artists have decided they'd like to let people download their music for free. This includes signed and unsigned musicians.
With SoundClick, you can browse through the music charts and genres until you find a free music download you'd like to have and then either listen to or download that song.
You can also create custom radio stations, get to know other listeners on the forums, and read more about your favorite SoundClick artists.
While you can, of course, download free music from SoundClick, some artists make their music available only after you've paid for the download, and others allow music streaming only.
Last.fm
What We Like
Every download is available in one click
A user account is not required
There are lots of ways to browse for music
What We Don't Like
It's hard to search for free music only
You can't preview songs before downloading them
MP3 is the only download option
Last.fm has several pages of free music downloads that fall into all genres. You can browse these free downloads by category, new releases, coming soon, or by simply looking through the whole list.
Just one selection will download your chosen song.
Besides free music downloads, you can also stream thousands of songs and get recommendations of bands you'll love.
SoundCloud
What We Like
Tons of content
Includes music downloads from well-known and new, up-and-coming artists
Every track can be streamed before downloading
Easier to find free downloads vs some other music download sites
What We Don't Like
You have to log in to download music
Finding free downloads can be difficult
SoundCloud is a website that lets you stream and download free music. Content at SoundCloud is sometimes uploaded by professional artists, while others are shared by independent musicians.
Not all music on SoundCloud can be downloaded, and some require you to Like a Facebook page to get the file. However, music that can be downloaded instantly and without an account, either have a Download file button in the More menu or a FREE DOWNLOAD button under the song.
Audiomack
What We Like
All songs are streamable
Easy to find popular song downloads
Many ways to sort, filter, and browse for free music
No need to make a user account
Mobile apps for streaming music
What We Don't Like
Not every song can be downloaded
No way to find just the free music downloads
You'll like Audiomack if you like SoundCloud and are interested in finding new music. All the music on this website is 100 percent legal and free to stream, and depending on the artist, you'll find music downloads, too.
The Audiomack website is very easy to use. You can search for songs, albums, and artists or browse the Trending or Top Songs sections. There's also a Recently Added page to find all the newest music at Audiomack.
Some of the music genres on this website include reggae, pop, R&B, hip-hop, instrumental, and afrobeats.
You can download music at Audiomack without needing a user account. Most if not all of the songs are in the MP3 format.
If you prefer to stream music from your phone or tablet, Audiomack works that way, too, on both Android and iOS devices.
Spinrilla
What We Like
Stream and download.
No user account necessary for albums.
Download in bulk or individually.
No website ads.
What We Don't Like
User account is required for single-track downloads.
Some tracks can only be streamed.
Spinrilla has free hip-hop mixtape downloads. You can browse for these music downloads by the mixtape name, single, or chart, such as the most popular mixtapes today, this month, or all time.
The website navigation is clean and easy to understand, and you only need a user account if you want to download individual songs. Whole albums can be downloaded in seconds without an account.
This website also lets you see which mixtapes will be released in the future. The Upcoming Mixtapes page shows when each mixtape will be available.
These music downloads are accessible from the website but you can also listen on your Android or iOS device via the Spinrilla mobile app.
Musopen
What We Like
Completely free music downloads you can use for anything
Includes sheet music downloads
Lots of unique ways to find free music
Supports previewing the music
Includes an online radio option
What We Don't Like
Music downloads require you to log in to a user account
Per-day download limits
No free HD audio
Musopen has sheet music and recordings that are completely free, legal, and copyright-free. You can listen online or download the music for whatever purpose. There's even an online radio you can listen to from a computer or through their Classical Radio mobile app.
There are lots of ways to find free music downloads at Musopen: browse by composer, performer, instrument, form, or time period. Of course, you can also do a manual search to see if they have something specific.
Another way to find music downloads here is to use the Music Discovery Tool. With this tool, you can filter all the music on the website by instrument, rating, and license type (to find only public domain music, creative commons music, etc.).
You can preview music without logging in but to actually download anything you find on Musopen, you have to create a user account. A free account gives you access to five music downloads every day and standard, lossy audio quality.
ReverbNation
What We Like
Helps you find up-and-coming artists
All the music can be streamed
Lets you browse for downloads by genre
What We Don't Like
Not every song is free to download
You need a user account to download some music
ReverbNation is a good pick if you're looking for music downloads from artists you don't yet know about. Several now-popular bands like Imagine Dragons and The Civil Wars started out on ReverbNation.
Not every song you see on this website can be downloaded, but it is all streamable through your web browser. Downloadable songs are indicated by a small download button next to the song.
The Discover page is a good start if you're not sure where to begin looking for new music downloads at ReverbNation. To search by genre, use the Charts page.
DatPiff
What We Like
Includes mixes from popular artists
Lets you download entire albums at once
Mobile apps are available
No user account is necessary
What We Don't Like
Limited mainly to rap music
Music can be downloaded as MP3 only
If you're into mixtapes and rap, you'll love DatPiff because that's most of the free music downloads you'll find at this website. You can stream as well as download the music.
What you'll find at DatPiff are not only mixtapes made by fans but also releases from artists looking for recognition by giving out their music for free.
One easy way to find free music downloads at DatPiff is to look through the most listened, most downloaded, highest rated, and hot this week sections. Those can be further broken down into all time, this month, this week, and today to see what's been popular over time.
Some of the most popular mixtape downloads at DatPiff are from artists like Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, Big Sean, Meek Mill, and Jadakiss.
DatPiff is available on not only computers but also your mobile device. You can get the DatPiff app for free for iOS, Android, and Windows.
Free Music Archive
What We Like
No user account is needed to download music
Several ways to sort the music
You can listen before downloading
Categorizes song downloads into several genres
What We Don't Like
MP3 is the only download option
You can also download free music at Free Music Archive, which is directed by the freeform radio station WFMU. The music here is free for you to legally download (even without a user account) and is a mix of public domain and Creative Commons licenses.
The easiest way to find music you'd like to download at Free Music Archive is to browse through the genres of music or watch their blog for collections, artists, or songs they'll highlight. They also have top charts for all time, this week, and this month.
If you create a free account at Free Music Archive you'll be able to make your own collections and interact with other listeners.
YouTube
What We Like
There's a lot of music available
All the songs can be streamed
Apps let you stream from your mobile device
What We Don't Like
It's really hard to find free music downloads
It's too easy to download copyrighted music accidentally
Yes, YouTube is a huge source for music and most of it is illegal to download due to copyright restrictions.
However, if you filter your search results for Creative Commons videos only, it's completely safe to download music from YouTube. Look for videos that have download links to the audio, but if you're sure it's legal and don't see a download link, you can still get it with a YouTube to MP3 downloader.
You might also filter Duration for Short ((here) to find what are most likely music videos instead of interviews, YouTube movies, etc.
Despite YouTube being the largest video streaming service on the internet, we've placed it at the very bottom of this list because it's not easy to find free music among all the other content.
Source: https://www.lifewire.com/free-music-downloads-1356648
