Your favorite free songs! Sounds good, right? There are many ways to get them, some legal, some not! Read the following steps to find out the different ways to download free music from the Internet.
Steps
Method 1 of 9: Download from Free Popular Sites
Step 1. Visit the music store of your choice
Major online music stores offer a large variety of songs available for download. These are often single songs from a full CD or songs from new artists. For these free songs the download is completely legal.
- Amazon has a very large selection of free mp3s that changes regularly.
- Google Play Music offers a rotating selection of free songs to download.
- 7Digital occasionally offers free songs for download. Click on the "Free MP3 & Offers" button on the top menu.
- Jamendo offers tons of free music, released under a Creative Commons license. This means that the music is free to download for personal use.
Step 2. Check out the music sites during the sales
Major retailers often feature special offers and events with heavily discounted or even free music. Be sure to check the sites often to take advantage of any promotions that are usually offered around major holidays.
Step 3. Check iTunes
Among the web stores, iTunes has its own archive which is accessed from the program. Click the "Free on iTunes" link to browse all the free music currently available. The selection changes often.
Method 2 of 9: Use Music Communities
Step 1. Visit a music community site
A growing trend in digital music is the use of music streaming sites. Some of the most popular sites are BandCamp and SoundCloud. They allow artists to upload music that visitors can stream and sometimes download.
- Not all songs on SoundCloud and BandCamp are free to download. Often, new releases will have a limited number of free downloads available.
- PureVolume offers many free downloads. When you select an album, click on the link to download mp3 songs for free.
- NoiseTrade is a music community, where artists post songs that fans can download for free. All music is completely legal to download.
- Last.fm offers a lot of free music from different artists.
Step 2. Find the music
You can search directly for the artist, the name of the song or explore the various musical genres in search of new songs. These sites often feature remixes of popular songs that can be downloaded or streamed for free.
Many artists start releasing their singles and some preview songs for free on sites like these
Step 3. Convert the stream to downloadable files
There are several websites that will allow you to enter the URL of a song on SoundCloud and convert it into an *.mp3 file, which you can download. Be aware that this process goes against SoundCloud's terms and conditions of use.
Method 3 of 9: Visit Sites That Publish Mixed Song Collections
Step 1. Go to the first page of the site you have chosen
The collections of songs, also known as mixtapes in English, contain remixed songs by various artists and / or the author of the compilation. The online communities that produce these collections adhere to certain standards to keep their compilations transparent and lawful, so you can download them without fear of legal retaliation.
- The largest free direct compilation download site is DatPiff, which mainly offers underground hip-hop music and songs by enterprising DJs.
- Other popular sites include That Mixtape, LiveMixtapes, and MonsterMixtapes.
Step 2. Register if necessary
Find the area of the page from which you can access the site. Su DatPiff is on the right side of the main page, towards the top. Click on the "Register" button and enter the requested information.
These sites make a lot of money on advertising and will likely try to get you to accept advertising offers during the sign-up process. To refuse them you should always look for the link that says "No thanks" or something similar. On DatPiff.com there is typically a red text at the bottom right
Step 3. Browse the compilations
Read user ratings and comments to find the most popular ones or throw yourself into new songs, not yet reviewed.
Step 4. Download a collection
When you find one that interests you, click on "Listen" or "Play" to listen to a preview. If you like it, click the "Download" link to download it to your computer.
Some communities of this type set a daily download limit, which you can remove by paying money, but will also offer some free collections, without affecting the download limit. Start browsing the free compilations to make sure you can get lots of new music every day
Method 4 of 9: Follow the Artists
Step 1. Find the artists you like
Track them on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and via their website. Become a fan of their social media pages and subscribe to their mailing lists.
Do a search on your favorite artists to find all the different social networking platforms they are featured on. This will guarantee you the most complete insight into the artist
Step 2. Become a fan
You can follow many bands and artists through sites like Facebook or by joining a mailing list on the artist's personal site. People who show their loyalty to their favorite artists are often rewarded with free downloads of new singles, demos, rarities and live session recordings.
Step 3. Stay up to date on developments
Periodically, bands you like will give you and other fans free songs to download. If you follow a lot of artists, you might even get a new song every week, completely legit.
Method 5 of 9: Visit Free Music Sites
Step 1. Visit free music sites
There are many sites and blogs that offer free mp3 downloads. Some offer entire albums before they hit the market. In addition to general music sites, there are several blogs dedicated to specific music genres.
Most of these sites are in danger of falling into crime. For music to be distributed legally and freely, look for sites that release music under a Creative Commons License or that host music in the public domain
Step 2. Search for a song
Browse the songs on the front page or enter the name of the artist or song in the search bar at the top of the screen to search for specific music.
Do not click on advertisements. They tend to be misleading and risk downloading dangerous or invasive software. They very rarely lead to additional free music
Step 3. Examine the technical characteristics of the song
On most sites, the song data will be displayed next to each result. Some files have a detailed description, with duration, size in Mb and bitrate. Choose a result that meets your requirements.
- The transfer rate reflects the audio quality of the file. In general, *.mp3 files range from 60 to 320 Kbps, where higher quality is represented by a higher value. CD quality sound is 256 Kbps, while radio quality sound is 192 Kbps.
- A lower bitrate will lead to smaller file sizes. This is useful for users who don't have a lot of storage space on their computer or MP3 player, but still want to have lots of music.
Step 4. Listen to the preview of the song
Click on the "Play" link under the song title to listen to it directly from your browser and make sure it's the right one.
Step 5. Download the file
When you are ready to download the song, right click on the "Download" link under the song title and choose "Save as". Select a folder to save the file on your computer.
Some sites will refer you to download services instead of having you download the file directly from the site itself
Step 6. Verify it works
Find the file on your computer and double-click it to open it. Check that the file was downloaded correctly. Once you are satisfied, archive it and add it to your chosen music player.
Method 6 of 9: Convert Music from YouTube
Step 1. Visit a YouTube video conversion website
There are a couple of sites that allow you to insert a link of the YouTube video in an input field and "capture" the audio track for download, usually in the form of medium quality mp3 (128 Kbps).
Converting YouTube videos violates the site's terms of service. By performing this type of download too often, YouTube may prevent further access from your IP
Step 2. Go to YouTube and find a song you want to download
Select your browser's address bar to copy the video's URL address.
Step 3. Paste the link into the conversion site field and click "Convert Video"
The conversion process can take several minutes, depending on the length of the file.
Step 4. Download the file
Once the file is ready, it will appear above the text field. Click on the "Download" link to save it to your computer.
Step 5. Open the file on your computer and make sure there are no defects
Years ago this problem often happened with mp3 conversion; today it seems less frequent, but it is still prudent to check.
Method 7 of 9: Download Music with Torrent
Step 1. Get the specific software for torrent files
It's probably the most popular way to share songs and albums on the internet - torrent files copy bits of a song or folder (such as an album) from other users until you assemble a complete copy.
- This software manages torrent files. µTorrent is a small, fast and reliable program for exchanging music for free. You can download it from the official site.
- While searching for torrents and downloading them is not illegal, the usual copyright laws apply to any content transferred through this type of file. This means that if you don't legally own a copy of the song you're downloading, it's illegal.
Step 2. Install the software
Double-click the downloaded file to start the installation. Setup will most likely attempt to install search bars and other additional software. You can choose not to install them.
- Find a torrent file. There are many sites that allow you to search for these specific files, as they are not illegal in themselves.
- When you find torrent files, check user comments or star ratings. Choose songs that have positive ratings and comments, because other files can be misleading or dangerous.
Step 3. Download the torrent file
It must be very small, about twenty Kb at most, because it is just a set of instructions that explain to the program what to do. It should open automatically as soon as it is downloaded, otherwise you can open it via its client.
Step 4. Wait for the song to download
Downloading a file via torrent can take anywhere from a few minutes to several days. Factors affecting the overall download time are the size of the file and the number of seeders available, ie people sharing the complete file.
Step 5. Consider leaving the torrent open
After downloading the music, you can unzip the files and listen to them at your leisure. At this point, it is considered polite to leave them on the sharing list so that others can download parts of the files from you, but it is not prudent to do so.
Some private torrent communities require you to maintain a certain download - upload ratio in order to remain a part of the site
Method 8 of 9: Find a Music Forum
Step 1. Find a community that shares music
Often, popular sites (like Reddit) offer one or more groups dedicated to music. Observe with peace of mind and learn forum etiquette before posting a post.
Sharing music through a forum is no longer legal than sharing through torrents. The particularity of using a forum is that you are much less likely to be caught or prosecuted by the authorities due to the confidential nature of the forum members
Step 2. Keep an eye out for discussions titled "Share" or "Sharing"
According to the site you visit, these can occur infrequently or several times a day. Find a discussion, try to insert yourself.
Step 3. Choose an album
You will see people posting albums with hyperlinks to sites like Mediafire, Zippyshare, and Mega. These links lead to the download of the albums in question.
Copy the link and paste it into a new browser tab. When prompted, click to download the file
Step 4. Scan for viruses
Once the file finishes downloading, check it with the antivirus when you can. This is usually an option in the right-click menu when you click on the file.
Step 5. Open the file
Once everything looks in order, open the compacted file and extract the music contained within. You are not expected to share it with anyone, like you do with a torrent.
Step 6. Think about reciprocating in some way
Once you are comfortable with the community, you can ask other users if by any chance they have the music you are looking for. However, you might get a better response if you first offered an album of your own.
Method 9 of 9: Use File Sharing Software
Step 1. Download music from a file sharing network
It means exchanging files directly with other users. Soulseek is by far the safest and most reliable free sharing system. It also provides access to one of the Internet's largest music selections.
- As with all file sharing programs, you have to be careful about downloading files from unknown sources. Programs such as Soulseek do not check for viruses or prevent users from sharing malicious files. It is up to the user to ensure that they download everything securely.
- Sharing music through a file sharing program is illegal if you don't have a copy of the music you are downloading. Providing music for other downloads would also increase the potential charges against you. These programs are generally safe, because they are used in controlled communities, but you must be aware that there is a legal risk in sharing music that you do not own.
Step 2. Download Soulseek software
The latest version can be found at https://www.soulseekqt.net/news/node/1. Just click on the link above, under the heading of your operating system (Windows, Mac or Linux).
Step 3. Install the software
Double-click the downloaded file to run and install the program.
Step 4. Start Soulseek
You will be asked to create a username - it doesn't really matter, so you can choose any one.
Step 5. Prepare a music folder to share with other users
Most Soulseek users don't allow it to download from their libraries, unless you share yours. You don't necessarily have to share your entire library, even if it's considered polite to do so.
- Click the Options tab.
- Click the File Sharing tab on the Options page.
- Click the Share Folder button at the top of the window.
- Navigate to the folder you want to share and click "Share". You can do this as many times as you like if you want to share multiple folders.
Step 6. Find and download the music
Click the Search tab and perform your search in the text field. Press ENTER to view the results. Check the bit rate on the right side of the results and the file format (on Soulseekfile you can find MP3, M4A and FLAC types). If you like what you see, double click to download the file.
- You can sort the list by transmission speed in order to be downloaded by users with a fast connection.
- To download an entire album at once, double-click the directory above the track list. You will be able to download everything present in that directory. Some users don't sort songs by album, so be careful not to accidentally set up an entire directory with thousands of songs.
- Continuously check for results updates as long as you leave them open.
- Each new search you do opens a new tab below the search bar. You can close it when you're done.
Step 7. Track your progress
Choose the transfers tab to see two other tabs, Upload and Download. Download shows you what you are downloading right now or what is on the waiting list to be downloaded. Upload indicates which files, if any, other users are copying from your computer.
- The light blue text means you are still waiting to download that file. If your album list stays blue for too long, right click and choose Retry Download. Most users allow a limited and predefined number of concurrent downloads which means there is often a long queue to get the desired file.
- Dark blue text indicates that the file is now being downloaded. You'll see a progress bar on the right, as well as a bit rate indicator. Higher numbers mean faster downloads.
- Green text means the file was downloaded successfully. There will also be a full progress bar next to the file name.
- If the text is red, the download has been canceled or aborted. This can happen for many different reasons. Wait until all the other songs have finished downloading and then try again with some songs in red before looking for them elsewhere. You can right click on the file and select Retry.
Step 8. Add the files to your library
By default, Soulseek stores your music in the subfolder on your hard drive called "Full" under "Soulseek Downloads". Once you have the files you want, drag or copy them from the download folder to the music player of your choice.
Advice
- You may want to consider streaming music directly over the internet instead of downloading files. You will be able to listen to songs on the Internet instantly, without having to use up your hard drive storage space. Grooveshark, Pandora, and Last. FM are some popular websites that offer free audio streaming. YouTube is also a good choice for streaming specific songs, if you don't mind having them accompanied by movies.
- Podcasts often have music, although you may have to listen to background voices or between songs. AOL has a podcast called "MP3 of the Day" which offers one free song a day.
