websites for free music

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12 Best Places to Listen to Free Music Online

Stream all kinds of music on free sites like Mixcloud, Jango, SoundCloud, YouTube, and more

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Below is a list of the best free music websites based on my experience using them. I refresh this list each month if any of the websites are no longer free or change their features, and I'm always watching out for other awesome music sites to include.

For YouTube Fans: YouTube Music

Lots of ways to find music.

Works in several countries.

Stream your own music files.

Build custom playlists.

Subscriptions are available for more features.

No account necessary.

YouTube Music is a version of normal YouTube dedicated to streaming songs and music videos. It works like the regular website, but excludes all the non-music content. It's easy to search for music, create playlists, and subscribe to channels for updates when a new song drops.

You can find playlists for specific genres, decades, activities, or moods, and categories for kids. YouTube Music also lets you upload your music to listen from anywhere. The site's home page has personal mixes and handy categories; I've seen Mindful instrumentals, Dance Moods, The Holiday Season, All-time essentials, and International Women's Day.

I like that I can hide the video; it's a great way to listen without distractions. I'm also a huge fan of the lyrics that I can read for some songs — they even show up in line with the music for some tracks. This works from the TV app, too.

This site is especially useful if you use it often. I have found so much new music here because I get recommendations based on my playlists and listening history.

With a paid subscription, you can listen ad-free, offline, and with your screen off (on mobile). There are individual and family plans.

Unlimited, Super Customized Radio: Jango

Lots of customization options.

Listen without creating a user account.

Available as a mobile app.

No skip limit.

Can't share your custom stations.

Jango is another free streaming radio service that makes it easy to listen to free music online from a computer, smartphone, or tablet.

Beyond the unlimited listening and minimum commercials, what makes this service great is that you can build custom radio stations by simply picking your favorite band or singer. There are also hundreds of pre-made stations you can look through by genre.

One neat feature I enjoy using is the variety setting. While playing from any station, adjust the variety meter to teach the site what it should play for you. There's also an edit button where you can choose other artists to add to the station; Jango will play songs by them and other related artists.

Visit the trending section to jump to the most popular radio stations like Viral Global Hits, Dance Virality, Indie Life , and The Millennium Bug.

A Mix of New and Old Music: Spotify

Includes modern and older music.

Create unlimited playlists.

Works on a variety of devices.

Great for recommendations.

More features if you pay.

Can't stream songs on-demand.

Must make a user account.

Limits the number of songs you can skip every hour.

Some features only work if you pay.

Spotify is one of the first apps I reach for when I want to stream music because I like the way it works and that it includes tens of millions of songs.

Once you're set up, search and listen to your favorite music, create playlists, and share music with your friends. You can also access curated playlists. There are plenty of free tools for creating a Spotify playlist online.

Premium plans let you download Spotify music, listen without ads, stream higher-quality audio, play songs on demand, read song lyrics, and skip songs as often as you like. There's one for individuals, families, and students, and all are usually free for the first few months.

The free music through Spotify plays through a web browser, mobile device, or desktop manager that you can download to your computer. Grab the Spotify app , or visit the link below to stream the free music from a browser.

Find Up-and-Coming Artists: SoundCloud

Constantly updated with new content.

One of the best ways to find new artists and bands.

Listen to any song on demand.

No need to log in.

Doesn't include many of the songs found on other music streaming services.

SoundCloud is a long-time favorite of mine that I return to when I want to hear something new. It lets people upload music for free, so it's a great place to find up-and-coming artists.

You can see what's trending on SoundCloud and browse genres like disco, electronic, country, ambient, and more. There's also a search tool, so you can quickly find tracks, bands, and podcasts. Follow artists to stay on top of their new releases, and like tracks and playlists to store music in your personal music collection.

SoundCloud Go+  lets you listen without an internet connection, removes ads, and offers higher quality audio. You also get access to premium tracks. A free 30-day trial is available, and it's half off for students. Free SoundCloud mobile apps are also available.

Professional DJ Mixes: Mixcloud

Multiple ways to find radio stations.

The music is handpicked by real people.

Apps let you listen from a phone or tablet.

A user account isn't required for the web version.

Supported by ads.

Can't listen to specific songs on demand.

Songs can't be skipped.

Mixcloud asks you to re-think radio. The music here is put together by DJs and radio presenters from around the world, making for a different listening experience than what you may be used to. Sort these mixes, radio shows, and music podcasts by mood or genre as well as searchable tags.

For example, if I open the classical music show, I can add ambient and chillout tags to get a highly customized stations that will play that type of music.

There are Mixcloud apps available for iPhone, iPad, and Android if you want to listen on your phone or tablet. It's also available for Apple TV. You can pay for more features like zero ads, the ability to rewind, and early access to new features.

Create Custom Radio Stations: Pandora

Works on many devices.

All the music is free to listen to.

Unlimited skips if you watch ads.

Pay for more features.

Several helpful browsing methods.

Can't choose specific tracks to listen to (unless you watch a video ad).

Includes ads.

Pandora is a great place to find tracks from your favorite artists, and it's a great place to discover new music. When you search for an artist, genre, or composer, the service creates an online streaming radio station based on what you like.

What I appreciate most about using Pandora is that as I listen to custom stations, I'll hear songs and artists similar to those I've already liked. I can then tell Pandora to play more tracks like what I've listening to or to move in a different direction.

It lets you make dozens of unique custom stations that contain music that you love. But if you're not even sure where to start, I recommend the Top Stations  and Genres page.

Premium and Plus are the ad-free, paid versions of Pandora that include features like a desktop program, higher audio quality, offline listening, and more. You can also get the family plan for six people. There may be discounts if you're a student or in the military.

See everywhere you can stream Pandora for links to app downloads.

Listen to Live Radio From Around the World: TuneIn

Includes thousands of live radio stations.

Stations can be favorited for easy access.

Don't have to make a user account to use the website.

Doesn't let you choose which specific songs to listen to.

TuneIn is probably the best place to listen to live radio stations over the internet. It's possible to  find local stations in your area , but you can also search over 100,000 stations from around the world.

Sort radio stations by genre to find anything from rock, ambient, and religious music to sports stations, business news, and travel podcasts. I like to look through the trending radio stations to see what other users are listening to.

TuneIn works from a web browser or desktop program on a computer and through mobile apps. Your favorite stations can be stored in your account to have access from all your devices. For more features like fewer ads, you can try TuneIn Premium for 30 days.

Stream Music Ad-Free Every Day: AccuRadio

Skip songs an unlimited number of times.

A different genre has commercial-free music every day.

A user account isn't required.

Unique genres.

Supported by advertisements on most days.

AccuRadio is like other online radio services on this list. Browse for a station by genre, or have them pick a random one if you're not sure what you want to listen to. You can also view the most popular music for inspiration. There are a handful of mobile apps so that you can listen on multiple devices.

Sign up for a free user account to hear fewer commercials, customize your channel to suit your tastes, and save channels as favorites. You can also "ban" an artist or song to stop hearing that music.

I love that, on certain days, you can listen with zero commercials without a paid account! This is awesome, and very different from most of the music sites I've used.

Some of the interesting genres available here include beautiful music, Canadian, love songs, opera, movie & TV music, and Nordic folk songs. If you make a free account, you can even blend channels together for a unique mix.

Live Local Radio: iHeartRadio

Thousands of local and international radio stations.

Make custom radio stations.

Don't need to create a user account.

Can't play songs on-demand.

The service contains advertisements.

Only a specific number of songs can be skipped per day.

iHeartRadio combines live radio and custom music streaming into one awesome website and app. You can listen to live radio stations on iHeartRadio by selecting the city and genre that you like, and it displays the stations that match your search criteria. You can also build custom stations around the songs and artists you like.

I've had a good time using the iHeartRadio mobile app because it supports a sleep timer and has an alarm to automatically play my favorite stations in the morning.

To play specific songs, replay music from the radio, listen offline, build an unlimited number of playlists, and skip more songs, you have to pay for Plus or All Access .

No-Commercial Radio: LITT Live

Premium radio with no commercials.

Stream radio stations online.

Mobile apps to listen to the radio on the go.

Clean and clutter-free website design.

Multiple ways to find new radio stations.

A limited selection of genres.

Some genres have only a couple stations.

LITT Live (formerly Dash Radio) is another internet radio website where you can stream free music. I like it because there aren't commercials, there's a link to read lyrics, and you can browse for songs by decade.

Some of the other genres include jazz, classical, world, hip-hop, pop, Latin, and country.

Apps are available on dozens of platforms, including Android and iOS.

A Different Way to Find YouTube Music: Freefy

Plays songs from YouTube.

Unlimited skips.

Lyrics for some songs.

Occasionally has trouble streaming.

Freefy is another free music streaming service you can use without making a user account. What makes this website different from the others is that it plays audio from YouTube, so it's similar to YouTube Music, detailed above, but it provides some different ways to find stuff to listen to.

For example, you can use Freefy to search through your recently played songs. YouTube provides a list, but it's not searchable. Freefy can also play all the items in your listening history.

Like YouTube Music, this service separates music by new releases and what's popular right now. There are also featured playlists and genres. Another thing I like are the playlists, which I can make public and even open up for collaboration if I want someone else to help me build a collection of songs.

The mobile app works on Android and iOS.

Music With Relevant News: LiveOne

Listen to stations made by others.

The website is easy to navigate.

The music is 100 percent free.

Subscriptions give access to additional features.

Doesn't let you choose which songs to play.

Has audio and video ads.

Can't skip an unlimited number of songs.

With LiveOne, you can create custom radio stations built around the songs, genres, and artists you enjoy. After choosing the type of music you like to listen to, this website streams similar music mixed in with the songs you suggested.

In addition to browsing through radio-like stations, which is a great way to discover new music, are all kinds of music-related news, performances, interviews, and more.​​

There's a Plus version with no ads, unlimited skips (free users get six per day), and maximum audio quality. The Premium version includes those features, as well as offline listening, fast-forward abilities, and the ability to play any music on demand.

LiveOne was previously called LiveXLive, and Slacker Radio before that.

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Play millions of songs and podcasts, for free.

Why spotify.

Play your favorites.

Listen to the songs you love, and discover new music and podcasts.

Playlists made easy.

We'll help you make playlists. Or enjoy playlists made by music experts.

Make it yours.

Tell us what you like, and we'll recommend music for you.

Save mobile data.

To use less data when you play music, turn on Data Saver in Settings.

No credit card required.

Got questions.

Playlists are a great way to save collections of music, either for your own listening or to share. To create one: 1. Tap Your Library. 2. Tap CREATE . 3. Give your playlist a name. 4. Start adding songs (and we'll help you along).

1. Tap Home . 2. Tap Settings . 3. Tap Data Saver . 4. Switch on Data Saver.

Any playlist with the shuffle icon will play on shuffle. Some playlists won't have the shuffle icon, so you can tap any song to play it.

Tap Search . Under Browse All , tap Podcasts.

Ready? Let’s play.

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The best free music download sites that are totally legal

Paying for your favorite tunes on services such as Spotify and Apple Music is great, but what about when you are looking for something free? While free music might conjure up images of illegal pirating, quite a few sites offer free music legally. You can discover some fantastic new songs, albums, or entire bands with the click of your mouse or the tap of your finger. Here are a few websites to check out if you want to jam to fresh tunes without needing to rip into your wallet.

Free Music Archive

ReverbNation

Live Music Archive

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Below, we’ve rounded up some of the best sites we’ve found for downloading free music. Keep in mind that many of them are void of Billboard artists such as Taylor Swift, but if you look in the right spots, you’ll find a few hits from some big-name artists, along with scores of fresh independent artists, which should keep your ears happy and your wallet heavy.

In 2009, New Jersey-based WFMU Radio embarked on a project to make contemporary music of all genres available to the public, and the Free Music Archive was born. Since its inception, WFMU has partnered with dozens of other curators, and the site has become a veritable treasure trove of free content.

The site combines two different approaches to posting tracks: First, it indexes free music posted by all of its partner curators, and second, it allows users to post their own music directly to the archives. This synthesis of sources creates a mind-boggling library of tracks that you could spend months browsing through, whether you choose to do so by curator or genre, or go even deeper with its newly returned search function . The site also hosts a myriad of podcasts, and renowned radio stations such as Seattle’s KEXP frequently post live cuts from their studio sessions with big-name acts passing through. The smash tracks may lack some post-production, but they’re also free.

( Note: Tribe of Noise recently acquired Free Music Archive. While the website remains operational and continues to host a full archive of everything that’s been uploaded , the developers have disabled uploading. Previously, searching was also unavailable, but that functionality has since been restored. There’s no certain timeline for the return of FMA’s full functionality. Be sure to follow FMA on Twitter for regular progress updates.)

Not every song posted on SoundCloud is free, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a significant selection of complementary content to choose from — both Billboard and independent artists have been known to offer a selection of their older tracks at no charge, though you may have to drop them a like on Facebook or a follow on Twitter for the privilege.

Songs can be navigated in a flurry of ways, ranging from artist and genre to what’s trending right now. There’s also an entire section of the site dedicated to tracks released under Creative Commons licenses that are free to download and remix, and royalty-free audio, which can be used for marketing purposes and in monetized material. Note that while there’s a paid element to SoundCloud, it’s entirely optional and doesn’t impede your ability to find free tunes.

Big names like Alabama Shakes, The Civil Wars, and Imagine Dragons all got their start on ReverbNation by sharing their music for free and building up their loyal fanbase. There is a mix of every genre on ReverbNation, but the site tends to lean toward more pop, alternative, and hip-hop than anything else. With a community of nearly 4 million artists, labels, and users, ReverbNation helps you sift through its immersive catalog with cool features like the site’s  Discover app and a page that will help you find who is about to be the next big thing.

You’re probably used to using Amazon to buy everything from the best headphones to dog food, so why not add some free music to your shopping list? Believe it or not, the retailer has a massive assortment of thousands of free tunes available via its digital music arm, letting you pick through everything from obscure indie and classical music to hits by Carole King and the Foo Fighters . Checkout is quick and painless, and it works just like buying a song that costs money on Amazon, sans payment. Simply add a song to your shopping cart, check out, and the tunes are yours.

Since the mid-aughts, the hip-hop community has become a veritable breeding ground for free music, much of which comes in the form of mixtapes. Some are original compilations by artists looking to cop some shine, some feature rappers freestyling over popular instrumentals from their contemporaries, and some are just dropped by artists looking to reward their loyal fans with some free tunes — we’re looking at you, Curren$y.

DatPiff is also the only site on this list that consistently offers free music from mainstream artists — think Future and Drake — and remains the No. 1 spot for fans to download new tapes, view release schedules, and listen to fan-made compilation albums. The site even features a pop-out player so you can listen before you download, as well as a news aggregator that collects stories from sites like HipHopLately .

There’s a new kid on the block that’s challenging DatPiff’s domination. It’s called Audiomack, and it’s home to what’s fast been branded the best collection of hip-hop, rap, and trap — comprising everything from smash hits from heavyweights like Kodak Black to viral tracks from emerging artists like NBA YoungBoy. As of late, however, a lot of creators have decided to disable downloads, instead opting to use the service’s streaming feature; though rest assured, there is still a large amount of downloadable material, including some mixtapes from Migos, Playboi Carti, and Rich The Kid.

Live Music Archive is essentially a partnership between Internet Archive and etree.org , a community dedicated to providing high-quality, lossless versions of live concerts. You can think of it as a bootlegger’s paradise given the site’s sheer abundance of concert material, much of which focuses on jam bands such as the Grateful Dead, The String Cheese Incident, and Sound Tribe Sector 9. Still, there are a host of other bands to choose from — The Smashing Pumpkins, Jack Johnson, Animal Collective, etc. — along with plenty of genres, from jazz to reggae, to browse.

Navigation is a bit of a chore due to the overwhelming wealth of content, but there are ways to filter the results by title, publish date, or original creator. Once you find a particular show, you can often stream or download the individual tracks as a FLAC or MP3, allowing you to play the tracks in your media player of choice. Unfortunately, the site doesn’t ensure a quality performance — so we’d recommend previewing anything that sounds like it could tickle your fancy by using Live Music Archive’s web player before taking the plunge and downloading it for local playback.

With hundreds of thousands of tracks from thousands of artists, Jamendo is easily one of the biggest repositories of free music on the web. You won’t find all of your favorite artists here, but the site’s streamlined user interface makes it great for browsing and finding talented new musicians. In the past, Jamendo was mostly one-dimensional in its discovery approach, allowing you to pull up tracks from individual genres sorted by criteria such as release date. Popularity is based on user ratings, so despite the massive number of tracks on the site, you don’t have to spend a lot of time searching before you find stuff that pleases your ears. To be sure, the site’s penchant for lesser-known artists and experimental tracks makes it more suited for someone looking for something new or unique rather than specific artists.

NoiseTrade is one part free music site, one part promotion platform. You can download any individual track or album an independent artist uploads to the site if, in turn, you generously supply them with your email address and postal code. The freemium promotion platform also encourages you to spread the word about artists you like via Facebook and Twitter while giving you the option to quickly tip the artist a suggested $4 donation.

The site’s user interface is also remarkably clean and simple, allowing you to effortlessly search or browse artists within a visual hub loaded with recommendations and complimentary mixtapes that cover a wide swath of genres, musicians, and forthcoming events. Furthermore, the site often boasts exclusive samplers and releases from artists before they premiere elsewhere, along with corresponding links that connect you with artists’ social media pages and management. Some of our favorite albums being offered last time we checked? Wild Ones’ Keep it Safe   and John Prine’s Live in Asheville ’86 .

If you’re a fan of classical music, finding free downloads is easy — after all, most classical compositions and many performances have long been in the public domain. Musopen, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and accessibility of classical music, hosts an impressive library of compositions without any copyright restrictions. Users can browse by composer or performer, or filter results based on the time period and instrument. Whether you enjoy the complex arrangements of the Baroque period or the fierce passion of the Romantics, Musopen probably has what you’re looking for.

The selections are available for streaming or downloading — some even in high resolution — and the site offers a copious amount of helpful background info for your perusal. If you’re curious about what a rondo is or what defined Chopin’s style, you can learn all that here. Musicians may also be delighted to learn that the site provides sheet music, so if you find yourself falling in love with a particular piece, you can follow along or even learn to play it.

When Last.fm was initially created in 2002, it functioned as an internet radio station in a similar fashion to Pandora and iHeartRadio . In 2005, however, the site adopted Audioscrobbler, a music-recommendation system that collects data from dozens of media players and music-streaming websites to craft individual user profiles that reflect their musical taste and listening habits. Last.fm has now “scrobbled” info from nearly 100 billion plays, which total more than 7 million years’ worth of listening.

Unbeknownst to many Last.fm users, though, is the site’s repository of free music. It’s accessible via the “Free Music Downloads” link at the bottom of the page — or  here  — and offers a fairly diverse library of free music, ranging from Sufjan Stevens to The Glitch Mob. It’s eclectic, if limited, and free.

One of the sleepers of the lot, SoundClick should command your attention for its vast library of free amateur music. It’s a lot like SoundCloud in that it primarily offers a melting pot of tunes from the independent scene, all uploaded by the artists responsible for creating them.

SoundClick, which has been in business since 1997, has millions of tracks across over a dozen genres, including hip-hop, country, jazz, alternative, and more.

You can download many of those songs for the price of mere megabytes and a few seconds of your time, and streaming (up to 160kbps, a boon for free services like these) is an option for anything that you can’t. Like others of its ilk, you’ll come across your fair share of forgettable music, but it’s worth wading through to find the gems.

Popular among independent musicians, Bandcamp allows both artists and labels to upload content to the site and sell albums, singles, and merchandise directly to fans. However, not every artist charges for their work, making Bandcamp an excellent location to find a few new tunes for free . Founded in 2008, Bandcamp has amassed a collection of works across popular genres, including electronic, rock, alternative, hip-hop, punk, folk, jazz, ambient, experimental, and more.

If you find a piece of music that you love, you can later contribute to the artist by purchasing other albums or memorabilia. One factor that makes Bandcamp unique is the ability to pay a minimum set price or higher amount for works; some musicians use this system to allow fans to pay what they can and choose how much they wish to support an artist.

If you’re a fan of electronic music, you’ll want to check out CC Trax, which offers up free downloads of great dub, techno, house, downtempo, and ambient singles and albums. Music is organized by genre neatly, and you can keep an eye on your favorite musicians or labels. Much of the music featured on CC Trax has a Creative Commons license, so you can search for tracks that you can use on YouTube videos with no penalties. If you don’t want to decide what to listen to next, CC Trax offers up a selection of one-click playlists sorted by genre and tempo.

This guide highlights a great collection of sources for grabbing free tunes, but CC Trax stands out as the ultimate option for electronic music fans. You can check the charts on the homepage to see what music is getting the most plays. CC Trax isn’t limited to electronic music; it also has rock, modern classical, and jazz songs, but those categories aren’t as robust as some of the other options on our list.

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Movies are not just about what you see onscreen. The auditory component of many cinema classics is just as integral (if not more) than the visual pastiche of images that flood your local theater's screens. Effective sound design is a crucial component, but our focus today is the scores and soundtracks of Hollywood's finest. Think of how many times you've walked out of memorable movies. You may find yourself humming the melodies from several key scenes in the flick, whether you intended to or not. Movie music has a way of working itself into your mind, acting as a spiritual counterpart to the images of the silver screen.

To celebrate these cinematic musical masterpieces, we've put together a list of our favorite film soundtracks, separated by scores and soundtrack compilations, in no particular order. Whether you're a lover of the purpose-composed epics that propel your favorite films' plot points, or a fan of the perfectly assembled playlist that colors a film's overall tone, you'll find something to love below. Best original scores Star Wars -- John Williams

History is an endlessly fascinating and illuminating topic that can tell us a great deal about where we came from, how we got where we are today, and even what might happen next. Too many people are turned off the subject by the limited scope of school history classes, but in enthusiastic and knowledgeable hands, history can be wonderfully entertaining.

In this roundup, we have deep dives into popular events and characters, the past divided into digestible chunks, passionate explorations, academic vigor, and more than a touch of comedy and drama. Sit back, relax, and take a trip through the ages with the best history podcasts.

True crime has long been a popular genre in print and television, but in recent years it has exploded in the podcasting world as well. What draws people to stories of deception, theft, and even murder? Is it a thirst for adrenaline? A way to cope with the horrors lurking in the world? Whatever your reasons for listening, we combed through the many true crime podcasts out there, assembling a list of the very best.

For those looking for different fare, we also put together a list of the best podcasts as well as the best true crime shows. If you're feeling brave, you could even check out the best scary podcasts -- but leave the lights on. So grab yourself a mug of your favorite brew, cozy up, and enjoy our favorite true crime podcasts. To Live and Die in LA

The 9 Best Free Music Download Sites to Legally Download Music for Free

Here are several sites where you can download free music without resorting to digital piracy. Grow your digital music collection legally.

Quick Links

• YouTube Audio Library
• Free Music Archive
• The Internet Archive
• ReverbNation
• Audio Library

Key Takeaways

• Download free music legally from several online sources.
• Audio Library, Free Music Archive, and YouTube Audio Library are three places you can download songs for free.
• Many songs you download for free will come from up-and-coming or largely undiscovered artists.

Whether you need beats for a creative project or you simply want to have music files rather than streaming, you'll find plenty of websites to download music legally and for free.

1. YouTube Audio Library

The YouTube Audio Library is where you'll find lots of aesthetic music you've mostly heard in vlogs. It's mainly aimed at people who need royalty-free music for YouTube videos . With a YouTube account, you can access the library via YouTube Studio and download as many songs as you wish.

According to its terms and conditions, you can use the tracks in any YouTube video you create, including monetized ones. Besides free music tracks, the YouTube Audio Library also includes sound effects.

Hit the small Play icon to listen to each song sample. If you like what you hear, click the adjacent Download button. Attribution is not required unless the track carries a Creative Commons license.

2. Free Music Archive

The Free Music Archive has been around for many years but remains as popular as ever. Most of the free song downloads are from lesser-known artists, but occasionally, you will see a famous name pop up. Regardless, it's a great site that's similar to apps that help you discover new music .

All the tracks on the site are perfectly free to download and listen to. However, if you intend to alter the songs or use them commercially, you need to check the license associated with each recording and follow the correct attribution format.

3. Bensound

Bensound is another good place to get music. You can filter the tracks by genre and mood, such as cinematic, ambient, rock, hip-hop, and more. You can even filter the music by instrument.

As a free user, you have access to more than 80 copyright-safe tracks. The site is particularly suitable if you're looking for music for your social media videos. Just make sure you provide the attribution correctly.

If you don't like pop, rock, and other mainstream genres, you can download classical music for free at Musopen.

Musopen has recordings from some of the most famous musicians of all time. You'll find everything from Bach and Beethoven to Tchaikovsky and Holst. You can search by composer, instrument, period, and mood to locate the content you want.

The site extends beyond music downloads; it's also an online source for free sheet music and educational resources.

5. The Internet Archive

The Internet Archive is useful for much more than just laughing at how bad the web looked in 1999. You can also download music for free.

The best part of the site is the Live Music Archive. It was built in partnership with etree.org and features shows and concerts from a range of leading artists. All the bands in the collection are "trade-friendly," meaning they've granted fans the right to freely trade some of their music for non-commercial means.

The library doesn't just cover music; it's also one of the best websites to download audiobooks . You'll also find public affairs talks, radio shows, and poetry readings.

6. ReverbNation

If you're an up-and-coming band, ReverbNation is a great site to sell music online . Since the site is primarily aimed at new bands, you won't find tracks from the current chart-toppers. Don't let that put you off, though.

ReverbNation has launched the careers of many top bands, including the Alabama Shakes and Imagine Dragons. That means you can be the coolest kid at school by downloading music from tomorrow's hippest artists before they become famous.

To download an artist's music, you need to create an account on the site first, head to the artist's profile, and tap the Become A Fan button. The Download icon will then appear next to the selected songs available for users to download.

Owned by Paramount Global, Last.fm is a large music website that tracks your music and recommends new songs accordingly. The site also offers a list of free music downloads. Just tap the Download icon next to the track to save it.

While you can download the music for free, it's best to only play them for your enjoyment because Last.fm's free songs cannot be used for commercial projects. They're for personal use only.

CCTrax offers free music downloads that are covered by a Creative Commons license. It specializes in electronica, dub, techno, and ambient tunes.

You can download every song on the site, and no payments are involved anywhere. However, you need to read about the Creative Commons license . You can filter the music by license type on the main page so that the tracks from the resulting list can be utilized without legal repercussions. ​​​​​

9. Audio Library

Audio Library is a comprehensive website to download free music from, and you can use all the tracks you find on the website in various projects. You can also download these songs for free if you only want to listen to them privately. If you use the songs elsewhere, you just need to credit the author (you'll see a prompt to do this when you download a song).

Audio Library covers music across several genres, including cinematic, dance, hip-hop, and more. You can also browse based on mood and artists. The website is very user-friendly, and you can choose to either download from the artist's website or direct from Audio Library instead.

The sites above mostly specialize in helping you download music from unknown and upcoming artists rather than current stars. It's largely inevitable, as the biggest names in music generally don't distribute music for free. If a site offers a free download of Justin Bieber or Taylor Swift's latest album, it's probably illegal.

If you want to legally download the latest mainstream singles, you still need to use paid services like Spotify. But if your goal is to discover gems by independent artists or get free songs for your YouTube videos, these free music sites will meet your needs well.

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Norman Music Festival returns with 200+ free live performances: What you need to know

For three days every April, Norman becomes the epicenter for live, original music.

Now, the time has almost come again for the Norman Music Festival .

The free, nonprofit, independent festival returns for the 14th time in 16 years April 25-27 to the Walker Arts District in downtown Norman. 

"This festival means so much to so many people. It’s a place to discover new music, see local favorites and for some, it’s a space they can come be whoever the hell they want to be, and fly that freak flag high," said Cody Giles, who is on the board of directors of the Norman Music Alliance, the volunteer-run nonprofit entity that produces the festival.  

Billed as Oklahoma's largest music festival, NMF annually brings hundreds of acts and about 100,000 music fans to Norman for three days of live music at several indoor and outdoor venues.

"Our marketing budget from Year One has been $0. This is all just word-of-mouth and love and community spirit and musicians and really great sponsors that pitch in because they believe in it. And this year is our first year that we're really trying to spread the word to surrounding states and say, 'Hey, we've got maybe the coolest little festival you might not have heard of right here in Oklahoma,'" said Shari Jackson , executive director of the Norman Music Alliance.

"Our lineup is definitely a terrific one this year."

Here's what you need to know about Norman Music Festival 2024:  

When and where is Norman Music Festival 2024? 

Founded in 2008, Norman Music Festival started as a single-day event with just a few bands and has since grown to a massive three-day music extravaganza.

This year's NMF will feature live music on four outdoor stages — the Main Stage will be set up at the corner of Main and Porter — with local bars, restaurants and other businesses supplying a dozen indoor stages.  

Festival hours are 6 p.m. to midnight April 25-26 and 11 a.m. to midnight April 27, with live music continuing until 2 a.m. all three nights on some of the indoor stages.  

How many bands are on the lineup for Norman Music Festival 2024?

This year's festival headliners include Alvvays , Moor Mother, Tropa Magica, Radkey, Sweeping Promises and Oklahoma acts Husbands , Jared Deck, Cliffdiver , Ken Pomeroy, Beau Jennings & The Tigers, Steph Simon and Branjae .

"We love that we get to bring in Alvvays really at kind of the zenith of their rise to stardom. ... The touring bands we've got this year are wonderful," Jackson said.

"But we've just got a spectacular group of musicians in the state of Oklahoma. ... Part of our big mission here is to shine a light on just how good Oklahoma musicians are."

NMF organizers received 650 applications for this year's festival, and she said 95% of those were from Sooner State acts. More than 200 artists have been tapped to play this year's festival.

"The about 10 that we're bringing in from out of state are the only ones from out of state," Jackson said. "The rest are Oklahoma artists. So, when you come to NMF and discover your new favorite band, that's likely a band that you can go see again somewhere local."

What bands will play when at this year's Norman Music Festival?

Local band Easier will open up the festival at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 25, on Monster Energy Alley Stage, followed by fellow Oklahomans World Peace Death Ray , Norman rapper S. Reidy and Oklahoma City indie synth-pop trio The Ivy . Kansas-based duo Sweeping Promises will close the fest's opening night.

On Friday, April 26, Oklahoma acts on the lineup include Rainbows are Free , Helen Kelter Skelter, Psychotic Reaction, Em and the Mother Superiors, Traindodge , Cowtippers, Lunar Division, LABRYS , Chelsea Days, Audio Book Club and Kat Lock .

On the main stage April 26, OKC hip-hop act Original Flow and the Wavves and Tulsa rapper Steph Simon will be followed by Missouri punk rock band Radkey and Pennsylvania musician, poet and activist Moor Mother .

The festival will expand to its full potential on Saturday, April 27, with multiple indoor and outdoor stages showcasing a wide range of music. Sooner State performers will include Husbands, Jared Deck , Branjae, Ken Pomeroy , Cliffdiver, Sophia Massad, Beau Jennings & The Tigers, Chase Kerby , Jahruba & The Jahmystics, Stepmom , Lincka and recent "The Voice" contestant AJ Harvey .

Also on April 27, Grammy-nominated Canadian band Alvvays will close the main stage, while East Los Angeles duo Tropa Magica will cap the lineup on the Alley Stage.

How is Norman Music Festival 2024 appealing to families with children?

To appeal to families with children, Norman Music Festival organizers are planning Kids Fest on the Gray Street Stage from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 27. The lineup will include DJ Kaylene Snarsky's kids dance-along at 11:30 a.m., Character Connection Co.'s "Tangled" sing-along at 12:30 p.m. and Michael Todd's "Jaminalz Animal Jamz" at 1:30 p.m.

In addition, the Norman Lions Club again will set up its annual carnival alongside NMF in downtown.  

"What great fun to be able to be out on the top of the Ferris wheel and see festival stages going. ... It's a great partnership and a nice added experience for festivalgoers," Jackson said.

What other entertainment will be offered at Norman Music Festival? 

Norman Music Festival also is continuing its partnership with OKC's deadCenter Film Festival to present a free screening of the Oklahoma crime drama "Tenkiller" at 7 p.m. April 25 at Norman's Sooner Theatre. Along with the screening, there will be a discussion and Q&A with Edmond husband-and-wife filmmakers Kara and Jeremy Choate , as well as members of the OKC sludge metal band, Chat Pile , who wrote the soundtrack for the movie.

Also at the Sooner Theatre, the Friday night comedy show returns to Norman Music Festival at 8 p.m. April 26. Native American-owned, Tahlequah-based Full Blood Productions is assembling a showcase of Indigenous comics.

What are the ticket options for NMF 2023?

While general admission to NMF is free, VIP ticket options are available for $100, $200 and $300. 

All three options come with VIP access to the main stage and a NMF sticker, but at the higher levels, ticketholders can get a free T-shirt, entry to the VIP room and even access to priority parking. Plus, VIP ticket buyers help keep the festival free for other attendees.

"We are a unicorn in the festival world. ... But NMF is committed to remaining a free festival. It's important, because I think something like a huge community-wide event like NMF is a really powerful and healing thing, when you just get to go see all your neighbors and there are no barriers," Jackson said. "It's fun, and it's also incredibly economically impactful for the community. ... It just generates good things."

Where should festivalgoers park? 

Since NMF attracts large crowds to downtown Norman, organizers recommend that attendees be ready to park at a distance and walk over to the event or use ride-share services. 

Those who drive to NMF are advised to use either city of Norman parking lots, legal street parking or private lots selling access to parking.  

Norman Music Festival 

• When: April 25-27. 
• Where: Walker Arts District, downtown Norman. 
• Information: https://normanmusicfestival.com . 

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Sarah McLachlan Says Music Saved Her

Singer reminisces about career, talks new tour, keeping fit and why she’s funding music education.

Jennifer Bradley Franklin,

Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan, 56, captivated fans with songs such as “Possession,” “Adia” and “Building a Mystery,” then made an indelible mark on the music industry when she launched the all-female Lilith Fair festival in 1997. This year, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of her Fumbling Towards Ecstasy album, she’s performing in 30 North American cities, starting with Vancouver on May 23. She’s also working on a new album, which she hopes to release next May. McLachlan tells AARP how she got her career start, how she keeps fit in her 50s and why she’s funding schools to educate the next generation of musicians.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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When did you realize you wanted to be a musician?

I have early memories of myself singing. My mom was really into American folk music, and I started learning a lot of the songs that she was listening to. I remember being 4 years old and begging for a ukulele, because I wanted to be Joan Baez. That being said, my parents were very encouraging of music as a hobby, not as a profession.

So how did it become your profession?

When I was 16, I heard Peter Gabriel for the first time, and his music blew my mind. I thought, I want to make music that makes people feel the way he makes me feel. Around the same time, I was in a band, and we played a few gigs. The very first gig I ever played, at 16 years old — when I saw people dancing and singing along and smiling to the music, I was like, This is the best drug in the world. This is what I want to do. I guess I was pretty darn lucky when a couple of years later, I got offered a record contract based on that very first gig I ever did.

Wow, that’s incredible.

Yeah. Just this crazy luck of being in the right place at the right time. Sure, it was having some talent, but lots of people have a ton of talent and they don’t have those opportunities. So I consider myself to be incredibly lucky that it all worked out for me.

How is life different for you now in your 50s?

It’s quite wonderful, actually, with the exception of some of my body parts aching. I’m having a fantastic time. I feel revitalized. I feel like I still have a lot to say. I’m making a new record. I’m very excited about this tour, as well. I haven’t done a proper tour in almost nine years.

How are you staying healthy in preparation for the tour?

A lot of the work beforehand is just staying in shape. I live outdoors. I hike a ton. I skate and ski. I swim as soon as the ice is off the top of the lake. I eat really well. I don’t smoke. I hardly drink. I try to get a lot of sleep. It’s just consistency.

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Do you feel like music helps you stay mentally acute?

Making music makes me really, really happy, and I think that’s a big part of keeping my mental state in a healthy place. That and being outside. Being outside and exercising in nature, for me, is incredibly important mentally. Hiking every morning with my dogs, which I usually do by myself, is sort of like a walking meditation. I’m often writing lyrics at the time, too.

What advice would you give to your younger self, or to newer musicians who are starting out?

I would just say, “Stay true to yourself. Know what you want, and don’t expect it to come easily.” But I would also say, “Don’t be so hard on yourself.” That comes as a double-edged sword. I think me being hard on myself was what pushed me to be better, but there was maybe a little too much self-loathing that went on.

You have collaborated with some amazing artists. Who is your dream duet partner?

It would probably be Peter Gabriel. That’d be my top choice, because I love his voice. Ray LaMontagne is another one.

What artists are you listening to these days?

Ethan Gruska. I think he’s fantastic. And Phoebe Bridgers, who is also part of Boygenius. I love them. I’m trying to do a Joni Mitchell deep dive, because everybody’s like, “Oh, you’ve been listening to Joni your whole life.” I haven’t. I’d only listened to a few songs. I just started listening to [her 1976 album] Hejira , and I’m just sort of digging into all her albums.

You founded the Sarah McLachlan School of Music, which offers free music education programs. Why is that so important to you?

I think music saved my life as a teenager. It was the one thing that I had that was mine. It gave me a sense of my own value. The same time I did Lilith Fair, I ended up making quite a bit of money, so I put that into a foundation and was trying to think, What can I do to continue the legacy? Around the same time, a lot of music programs were being cut from the public school systems here in Canada, and everywhere for that matter. I realized that kids didn’t have any opportunity to figure out who they were through music. I thought,  I can try and start a program. It grew from there. I’ve been helping to fund it for the last 21 years, and we serve over 1,000 kids a year now in three locations in Vancouver, Surrey and Edmonton. It’s completely free. It’s been one of the greatest blessings in my life.

McLachlan’s Top 3 Canada Travel Recommendations  ​

McLachlan was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and resides in Vancouver. When asked for the top three places to visit in her native country, she offers this advice: ​

Vancouver Island: “In particular, a small place called Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island. It is heaven on Earth. It’s a beach community with 2,000 people year-round, and in the summer, [the population] swells. It’s a great surf community, and it’s just one of the most beautiful places.”

Cabot Trail, Nova Scotia:  “I haven’t done it in a long time, but if you can drive up and down the coastline in Nova Scotia, it’s absolutely beautiful, especially in September.”

British Columbia: “I love B.C. so much. Everywhere is so beautiful. There are lakes everywhere. There are mountains everywhere. There’s the ocean. It’s all fantastic.”​

Jennifer Bradley Franklin is an Atlanta-based journalist, editor and author who has contributed to the Wall Street Journal , Travel + Leisure , Conde Nast Traveler , People magazine, USA Today and others. She's an avid traveler, ballroom dancer and is more than a little coffee obsessed. Read more of her work at jenniferbradleyfranklin.com.

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