There are many problems with music streaming services. The main problem with Spotify is the lack of ownership. You don’t own any music, but you have been granted a license.
Don’t worry. Look no further if you are looking for ways to download music. You still have options to get free music. These are legal and you can keep the music forever. These are the top MP3 sites to download free music.
1. YouTube Audio Library
YouTube Audio Library is designed for people who require royalty-free music for their videos. Anyone can access the YouTube Audio Library via YouTube Studio, and download as many songs they want.
The library’s terms and condition allow you to use the tracks in any content that you create. It’s not limited to videos. The songs can be used in YouTube monetized videos.
You can find a sample of each song by clicking the small Play button. Click the Download link if you like what you hear.
YouTube Audio Library includes sound effects, as well as music tracks. They are also free to be used in your creative projects.
2. Free Music Archive
Although the Free Music Archive has been around since many years, it is still very popular. You can download music from it for free.
WUFM, an independent radio station in New Jersey that broadcasts freeform radio, curates the content. Although most of the songs are by lesser-known artists you may occasionally find a well-known name. It is a great way to find new music .
All tracks are available for personal use, so you don’t have to worry about their legality. If you plan to use the songs in commercial settings, however, you will need to verify the licensing associated with each recording.
3. Jamendo
Jamendo allows independent artists without a contract to distribute their music to their followers. There are currently more than 240,000 tracks that are royalty-free and 40,000 artists.
Music is built around “Communities”. Navigating to a specific community (for instance, Rock) will take you to the top tracks, albums, or artists. You can sort music by popularity, trending and the most recent releases.
You can listen to one of the site’s radio stations to get a taste before downloading.
4. NoiseTrade
There is no free lunch. NoiseTrade is a good example of this.
Artists who list their music on this site would like to receive a free download. This is usually a postal address or email address. It is designed to allow bands to connect with fans of their music, perhaps to promote upcoming tours or announce the release of a new album.
On the flip side, you are more likely to find artists that you recognize. You won’t find The Killers’ latest album, but you will most likely find albums by bands that are already signed to record labels.
5. Musopen
If pop, rock, and other mainstream music are not your thing, what should you do? If classical music is more your thing, you are in luck.
Musopen is a great site for downloading free Beethoven music. You can find recordings by some of the greatest classical musicians ever. It has everything, from Bach and Beethoven to Tchaikovsky or Holst. To find the content you are looking for, you can search by composer or performer, period, instrument, form, and/or author.
This site offers more than music downloads. There are many free sheet music, and some educational resources.
6. Amazon
Amazon offers a huge collection of music downloads for free. Many people don’t know this. More than 6,000 songs were available at the time of writing.
You can often find music from famous artists on this site, unlike other free music downloading sites. You can currently find music from Ashaneen and Tony Elman as well as Carole King and many other artists. You might find some music that you like. The artists change from time to time.
The collection covers niche genres and is able to cover famous names. Amazon has unfortunately removed the ability to filter free music by genre, though it is still available for paid music. You’ll have to do the digging.
7. The Internet Archive
The Internet Archive can be used for more than just laughing at the state of the internet in 1999. It also has great free music.
The Live Music Archive is the best section of the site for music lovers. The Live Music Archive was created in partnership with etree.org. It features concerts and shows from a variety of top artists. The collection includes all the top bands. They have granted their fans the freedom to trade some of their music in exchange for non-commercial purposes.
The library has more than music. You’ll find radio programs, audiobooks, old news, poetry readings, radio talks, public affairs talks and radio shows.
8. ReverbNation
ReverbNation is an excellent site for up-and-coming bands that want to sell their music online .
It doubles up as a great resource for anyone looking to download music free of charge. This site is not for current chart-toppers, but it’s primarily for new bands.
But don’t let this put you off. ReverbNation is the home of many popular bands such as the Alabama Shakes or Imagine Dragons. You can become the coolest student at school by downloading music today’s top artists, before they become well-known.
9. SoundClick
SoundClick, like many other sites on this list features mainly new artists who are still developing their careers in the music industry.
Some songs are not free to download. The artist must make each song available on a case by case basis. Others require a small fee. You often have the option to choose which quality you want when downloading songs. You can choose from a MP3 at 320 kbps, a MP3 at 160 kbps or a WAV file.
10. CCTrax
CCTrax provides music downloads for free that are protected by a Creative Commons license. This site focuses on electronica and dub techno as well as ambient music.
All songs on the site are free to download and there is no cost. You can only embed songs that have the “BY License” special, but be aware.
What happened to FreeAllMusic
Nearly all these websites specialize in downloading music from unknown or upcoming artists, rather than current stars. This is a natural phenomenon since bands that have made it big don’t need to give away their music.
It’s illegal to download the latest album from Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, or any other artist unless you are offered a copy for free. You should exercise extreme caution in such cases.
FreeAllMusic is one such illegal example. It has been taken offline numerous times, but it is now back at its original home on a new domain. To this day, a rebooted version is still in existence. We advise you to stay clear.
Find out more about downloading music
It’s great to legally download music, but there are many ways to purchase the latest and greatest releases.
