There are tons of sites out there where you can download free music, some legal and some not so much! It’s hard to tell which ones are legit and which ones aren’t, so we’ve compiled this list of 7 of the best sites you can use to download free music from. If you know of any other great sites that we should include, let us know in the comments! Please share this with your friends who love music! Enjoy! (And please don’t forget to support your favorite artists by purchasing their songs!)
1) Google Play
A great place to find popular music is Google Play. There are millions of songs available on the site and most albums are completely free. On top of that, you can create an account so you can use their apps to download a song straight onto your phone.
Once an album has been downloaded, it will remain in your library indefinitely without running out like many other streaming services. All in all, this is a great site with tons of benefits for artists as well as listeners!
2) GrooveShark
GrooveShark has been around for a while now, and it’s arguably one of the best sites available. It is best known for its eclectic selection that covers most musical tastes, ranging from rap and hip-hop, to rock and classic hits. There are over 18 million songs on offer, with new music being added all the time. The site is fast and easy to use, and is an awesome tool for making sure you never run out of tunes again.
3) YouTube
YouTube is one of the best sites on the internet for free music. Videos range from user-uploaded covers, such as The Battle by The Piano Guys, to creative versions like Tori Kelly’s live piano performance of her popular song Dear No One. If you’re looking for a specific artist, use YouTube’s search function to find their official videos uploaded onto the site and containing all their original tracks. You can also search specifically for that artist’s concerts, which are another good source for live performances and previously unreleased songs.
One more cool way to get free music on YouTube is using their interactive cover tool that allows users to create amazing arrangements out of a chosen song by themselves or collaboratively with others in real time.
4) Bandcamp
For an indie artist, Bandcamp is an essential site. The site takes a small cut (between 10-20%) of the revenue and lets musicians sell their music directly to fans. This cuts out distribution middlemen and places more money in your pocket as an artist. Plus, it has a built-in merch store where you can sell t-shirts, vinyl records, or other merchandise directly from your profile page with no additional cost or effort. And for listeners?
5) SoundCloud
SoundCloud is an excellent source for great music. Not only can you find anything on SoundCloud, you can also upload your own work. The site is a favorite among DJs and producers. There are tons of remixes, mashups, and original songs uploaded every day and all content can be streamed from anywhere in the world. You do need to provide credit to artists if you’re going to share their work on your website or make money off it; but otherwise, uploading is free. You don’t have to sign up for an account either which makes things a lot simpler as well.
6) iTunes Store
CD Baby is a company that will turn your music into an online storefront with albums and singles on sale. You can set it up so 100% of your download sales go to you or 60%, whichever you prefer. Once you set up an account, all that’s left for you to do is upload your music. When customers buy your tracks, CD Baby takes care of converting it into the right format and delivering it via email or FTP, depending on which option you choose.
7) CD Baby
CD Baby is a very popular site that offers, not only music downloads, but also deals on CDs and vinyl. They are really easy to navigate and if you are an independent artist, they offer an online store where you can sell your albums. The best part is their prices; they have free downloads for artists who would like promotion. CD Baby accepts most major credit cards so it’s fairly easy to buy things with them. Overall I would say that CD Baby is one of the best sites for downloading free music.