Free Music Downloads

You can get free music downloads in a number of formats depending on the software or hardware used to play them. Included are MP3, WAV, AAC needed for iTunes, psp for some Sony systems, RA, and others. The most common are WAV and MP3, with AAC and psp for specific codec requirements, and you can get more information on file formats here.

As with most media downloads, free music downloads are available from so called ‘free’ sites which are file share or p2p programs. If you come across an advert offering you music downloads free of charge, this will frequently be a p2p site. I have nothing against p2p sites: they are very useful and I belong to several of them, though the major problem is copyright.

Most new music is covered by copyright and it is not legal to download it free. It is therefore up to you to make sure that the artist, or copyright owner, has given permission for the download. More on this on our legal page .

Assuming you have ascertained that permission has been given, free music downloads are legal.

Nevertheless they are not free, as you may know by now. You pay an annual or lifetime fee (I think the latter is best) for support, and maintenance of the software. However it is well worth the expenditure. The downloading software is actually part of the free Gnutella project but you are far better to get the paid version. I have tried both, and you get what you pay for, including support and much faster download times as well as far better features to make the whiole process of downloading and filing your downloads much simpler.

A lifetime memembership of $25 - $35 is not much, given that one CD will cost about half of that, and a DVD almost the same.

The sites we recommend are available via the menu buttons to the left. These are segmented into specific formats, so if you want AAC format music for your iPod, click on iTunes. You will then be given options or our main recommendations, depending on our assessment of the available sites. I have registered for several sites to get first hand experience of them, and how good they are. I have also read reviews on each site offering free music downloads to ensure that my opinion is backed up by others.

Prices tend to be comparable, though the best deals are those which offer a lifetime membership. You can download for the rest of your life, or for the lifetime of the site, but you must ensure that your music downloads are legal. You can be prosecuted if you illegally make free music downloads, though action is rarely taken against individuals not involved in selling illegal copies.

Music Streaming

File share programs allow free music downloads, but there also many which offer you with free streaming music. We have a page specifically for streaming music. It’s a great way to listen to selected tracks, or listen to a sample as you can do in many record shops prior to purchase. Streaming music sites do not allow you to download music online, at least not without paying, but I use them a lot. You can buy them from about $1 or 80P, but unless you want chart music protected by copyright you may be better to join a file share group if you want free music downloads over a period of time.