Streaming music services are not without issues. The biggest turnoff is the absence of ownership; if you use Spotify, you only have a license to listen to music; you do not actually own any of it.
But don’t be alarmed. Look no further if you want to learn how to download music. Free music is still accessible in a few different ways. They are completely legal, and you can keep the music for as long as you like. The top MP3 download websites are listed below.
1. YouTube Music Collection
The metrolagu YouTube Audio Library is primarily intended for users that require production music that is free of royalties to use in videos. But anyone with a YouTube account may use YouTube Studio to access the collection and download as many songs as they like.
The tracks may be used in any type of content you produce, not just videos, in accordance with the terms and regulations of the library. Additionally, you can use the music into YouTube-hosted, for-profit videos.
By clicking the tiny Play icon, you can hear a sample of each music that is available. If you enjoy what you hear, select Download from the menu.
The YouTube Audio Library has sound effects in addition to free music recordings. Once more, you are free to utilize them in all of your creative efforts.
2. The Free Music Archive
Despite being around for a while, The Free Music Archive is still very popular. It is among the top websites on the internet for free music downloads.
The content is chosen by WUFM, an independent freeform radio station in New Jersey. While lesser-known musicians compose the majority of the free song downloads, occasionally a well-known name will appear. Whatever the case, it is a fantastic method to find new music.
The music on the website are entirely free for personal use, so you don’t need to be concerned about legality. However, you must confirm the license for each individual recording if you intend to utilize the music in a commercial context.
3. Jamendo
Unsigned independent artists can simply share their music with their audience through the Jamendo platform. More than 240,000 royalty-free music by 40,000 artists are currently available on it.
The song “Communities” serves as its foundation. You may learn about the top tracks, albums, and artists in a given community by navigating to it (for instance, Rock). The music can be sorted by all-time popularity, current trends, and most recent releases.
You can listen to one of the site’s themed radio stations if you want to try things out before deciding to download.
4. NoiseTrade
No such thing as a free lunch, so the saying goes. And to some extent, that is true if you use NoiseTrade.
The musicians who have listed their music on this website often ask for a mailing address or email address in exchange for the free download. The goal is for the bands to be able to quickly establish connections with fans in order to promote upcoming tours or the release of new albums.
On the other hand, you’re more likely to find musicians you’re familiar with. Sure, you won’t find The Killers’ most recent album here, but the majority of the bands already have records under their belts.
5. Musopen
What if you don’t like pop, rock, and the other popular genres? So you’re in luck if you prefer classical music.
For fans of Beethoven, Musopen is among the top websites for downloading free music. Some of the greatest classical musicians of all time have recorded for it. From Bach and Beethoven to Tchaikovsky and Holst, you can find it everything here. To find the information you’re looking for, you can search by composer, performer, instrument, period, and form.
The site offers more than just music downloads. You can also find some instructional resources in addition to a ton of free sheet music.
6. Amazon
Many people are unaware of Amazon’s extensive library of no-cost music downloads. More than 6,000 tracks are available for download as of this writing.
Contrary to several other free music download websites, this one regularly features well-known bands. Music by the Foo Fighters, Ashaneen, Tony Elman, Carole King, and many others is currently available. If you hear any music you like, download it as soon as you can because the artists do periodically change.
In addition to featuring well-known authors, the anthology also does a surprising good job of addressing obscure genres. Sadly, Amazon no longer offers the option to filter free music by genre, but it still does so for paid music. You will therefore have to perform the digging yourself.
7. The Internet Archive
Did you know that there are a lot more uses for the Internet Archive than just making fun of how ugly the web was in 1999? Additionally, it has a great free music website.
The Live Music Archive is the website’s biggest feature for music fans. It was created in collaboration with etree.org and offers performances and concerts from a variety of top musicians. The “trade-friendly” nature of all the bands in the collection allows fans to freely exchange some of their music for personal use.
The library offers more than just music; you may also listen to poetry readings, vintage news and public affairs discussions, radio programs, and audiobooks.
8. ReverbNation
A wonderful website to use if you’re a new band looking to sell music online is ReverbNation.
It also serves as an excellent resource for those looking to download free music. You won’t discover any songs from the current chart-toppers on the site because it is mostly geared toward new artists.
But don’t be deterred by that. Many well-known bands, including the Alabama Shakes and Imagine Dragons, got their start on ReverbNation. This implies that you can download music from tomorrow’s hottest performers before they become well-known and become the coolest kid at school.
9. SoundClick
SoundClick, like many of the websites on this list, focuses mostly on emerging artists who haven’t yet established themselves in the music business.
Some of the songs on the website cost a minor fee to download; the artist is required to make each track available on a case-by-case basis. Where downloads are offered, you frequently have a choice in the level of quality. Normal MP3 bitrate options include 320 kbps, 160 kbps, and lossless WAV files.
10. CCTrax
Free music downloads with a Creative Commons license are available at CCTrax. Electronica, dub, techno, and ambient music are featured prominently.
There are no fees everywhere and you can download any music on the website. The only songs that you can embed on other websites are those with the unique “BY License,” so pay attention to those.
