13 Best Places to Get Free Music Downloads Legally

Want to stream instead of download? We keep a list of the best places to listen to free music online . You can also listen to free online radio stations that play all types of music.

The downloads through the sites below are either public domain or, in most cases, the artists have permitted the site to share their music. That means you can feel great about listening to the music and discovering some hidden gems you might have otherwise passed on.

There are plenty of websites that offer free music downloads, and we’ve weeded through them to find the 13 best ones that aren’t just free, but perfectly legal.

01

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Free Music Archive

What We Like

• Advanced search box.

• Over a dozen categories.

• Lets you stream before downloading.

• No user account necessary.

What We Don’t Like

• MP3 is the only download option.

What makes Free Music Archive (FMA) different from these other sites is that you can search for instrumental music only and filter your searches by genre and duration.

The charts let you find the best music of all time on the site, and the top music for the week and the month. There are also 16 genres to pick from, like blues, jazz, pop, international, and novelty.

Download Music From FMA

02

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Jamendo Music

What We Like

• Lots of ways to browse for downloads.

• Lets you stream music, too.

• Includes an online radio function.

• There’s a mobile app.

• Quick account creation.

What We Don’t Like

• MP3 format only; no option for others.

• Downloads aren’t HD quality.

• Requires a user account (it’s free).

All the free music downloads at Jamendo Music are made available through Creative Commons licensing, meaning that the artists themselves have decided they want to give out their music for free for anyone to enjoy.

You can discover new music by viewing the most popular music and the songs that trending. The Latest music filter lets you see recently added songs, and you can search for artists that you know to see if their music is available for download.

Another way to find great music here is by listening to one of the site’s radio channels. When you find a song or artist you like, you can download that single track or the entire album. You can also browse via playlists, like “Cool Instrumentals,” “Chill Zone,” “Fresh & New,” and “Time To Dream.”

If you’d rather stream music instead of download it, Jamendo gives you that option, too. There are also mobile apps available if you don’t want to use your web browser.

Download Music From Jamendo

03

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Internet Archive

What We Like

• Lots of free audio downloads.

• Several sorting and filtering options.

• Most music can be downloaded in several formats.

• Supports previewing.

• You don’t need a user account.

What We Don’t Like

• Has more low quality music than other sites.

• Navigating can be confusing.

• Frequently removes hundreds of listings.

Internet Archive has millions of results for free downloads of music, audio, podcasts, radio programs, and, most notably, their Live Music Archive.

You can sort the free music downloads by most viewed items, title, date published, or creator, as well as filter the results by media type (concerts, audio, etc.), topics & subjects (e.g., rock or funk), language, and more.

There are usually multiple file formats that you can download the music in, like MP3 and OGG. These are listed in the DOWNLOAD OPTIONS area of every download page.

Download Music From Internet Archive

04

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Bandcamp

What We Like

• Lets you download songs and full albums.

• Includes lots of tracks you won’t find on other free music download sites.

• You can choose to pay if you want to.

• No user account is needed.

What We Don’t Like

• Not every song you see is free to download.

• There isn’t a “free only” page.

Bandcamp makes it easy for artists to share their music in a “name your price” type of setting. This means that while you can pay for the music, another option is to put a zero in the payment box and download the song for free.

The Discover page is a great way to find the best-selling music at Bandcamp, plus new arrivals and songs recommended by artists.

Not all songs can be downloaded for free, but for the ones that don’t have a minimum price, just enter 0 in the payment box, and then follow the on-screen prompts to get it downloaded. Most are available in several formats, including MP3, FLAC, AAC, OGG, and WAV.

Sometimes, there also isn’t a minimum price on entire albums.

Download Music From Bandcamp

05

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Last.fm

What We Like

• Every download is available in one click.

• Most songs can be previewed.

• User account not required.

What We Don’t Like

• It’s hard to search for free music only.

• MP3 is the only download option.

• Only a couple hundred to pick from.

• Can’t sort the free list.

Last.fm has several pages of free music downloads that fall into all genres. You can browse these free downloads by category, new releases, coming soon, or by simply looking through the whole list.

Just one selection will download your chosen song.

Besides downloads, you can also stream thousands of songs and get recommendations of bands you’ll love.

Download Music From Last.fm

06

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SoundClick

What We Like

• Lots of genres to pick from.

• Includes lots of music download deals and discounts.

What We Don’t Like

• Not every song is free.

• There isn’t a single page where you can find all the free music; it’s mixed in with music that costs.

• Some songs can only be streamed.

• You need a user account (it’s free).

SoundClick is the ultimate portal into finding free music directly from the artists websites. These artists have decided they’d like to let people download their music for free. This includes signed and unsigned musicians.

Browse through the music charts and genres until you find a free music download you’d like to have, and then either listen to or download that song. You can also create custom radio stations, get to know other listeners on the forums, and read more about your favorite artists.

While you can, of course, download music, some artists make their music available only after you’ve paid for the download, and others allow music streaming only.

Download Music From SoundClick

07

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SoundCloud

What We Like

• Tons of content.

• Includes music downloads from well-known and new, up-and-coming artists.

• Every track can be streamed before downloading.

• Easier to find free downloads vs. some other music download sites.

What We Don’t Like

• Must log in.

• Finding free options can be difficult.

How to Download From SoundCloud

SoundCloud is a website that lets you stream and download free music. The content is sometimes uploaded by professional artists, while others are shared by independent musicians.

Not all music on SoundCloud can be downloaded, and some require you to Like a Facebook page to get the file. However, music that can be downloaded instantly and without an account, either have a Download file button in the More menu or a FREE DOWNLOAD button under the song.

Some ways you might have luck finding free music is to browse through the Creative Commons section or search for music tagged as free, but others might be free, too, that aren’t in these areas.

Download Music From SoundCloud

08

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Amazon

What We Like

• You can sort the list of downloads.

• Provides several ways to filter and refine the results.

• Songs can be previewed.

What We Don’t Like

• The download process can be confusing.

• You have to log in to your Amazon account.

• Not all music on the site is free.

There are thousands and thousands of free music downloads at Amazon.com, making it a favorite to visit when looking for new music to download legally.

You can see the music by choosing a genre or sorting by popularity, release date, length of the song, reviews, or in alphabetical order by title, artist, or album.

You can play the songs before downloading them, but when you’re ready to save the songs to your computer, add the item to your cart. Then, just check out as if you were purchasing something. You’ll be taken to a link to download the free music, and it’ll also be saved in the Digital Orders tab of your order history.

How to Get Free Stuff on Amazon

Download Music From Amazon

09

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BeatStars

What We Like

• All free downloads are listed together.

• Several genres to pick from.

• Find free music by mood.

What We Don’t Like

• Must subscribe to the artist’s page before downloading some songs.

BeatStars has free music downloads, too. Something great about this site’s offerings is that you don’t have to search all over the place to find them; just use the link below to get a list.

You can sort the list to find the newly added songs, and filter by genre and several moods, such as mellow, lazy, inspiring, and silly. Other filters include key, instrument, BPM, duration, and energy level (such as low or very high).

The biggest difference with this site is that for some music, you have to subscribe to the artist’s profile, or follow them on their social media account, before you can get the download link. It takes just a few clicks to do it, and it doesn’t cost anything. Others have you enter your email address to receive the download link.

Download Music From BeatStars

10

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Spinrilla

What We Like

• Stream and download.

• Download in bulk or individually.

• No website ads.

What We Don’t Like

• Some tracks can only be streamed.

Spinrilla has free hip-hop mixtape downloads. You can browse for these music downloads by the mixtape name, single, or chart, such as the most popular mixtapes today, this month, or all time.

The website navigation is clean and easy to understand, and you can get individual songs or whole albums at once. It also lets you see which mixtapes will be released in the future. The Upcoming Mixtapes page shows when each mixtape will be available.

These music downloads are accessible from the website, but you can also listen via the mobile app.

Download Music From Spinrilla

11

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Musopen

What We Like

• Completely free music downloads you can use for anything.

• Includes sheet music downloads.

• Lots of unique ways to find free music.

• Supports previewing the music.

• Includes an online radio option.

What We Don’t Like

• Music downloads require you to log in to a user account.

• Per-day download limits.

• No free HD audio.

• Excessive website ads.

6 Best Free Classical Music Download Sources

Musopen has sheet music and recordings that are completely free, legal, and copyright-free. You can listen online or download the music for whatever purpose. There’s even an online radio you can listen to from a computer or through their mobile app.

There are lots of ways to find free music downloads here: Browse by composer, performer, instrument, form, or time period. Of course, you can also do a manual search to see if they have something specific.

Another way to get music downloads is through the music discovery tool. It lets you filter by a mood like sad or relaxing, as well as by instrument, rating, length, and license type (to find only public domain music, creative commons music, etc.).

You can preview music without logging in, but to actually download anything you find on Musopen, you have to create a user account. A free account gives you access to five music downloads every day and standard, lossy audio quality.

Download Music From Musopen

12

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ReverbNation

What We Like

• Helps you find up-and-coming artists.

• All the music can be streamed.

• Lets you browse for downloads by genre.

What We Don’t Like

• Not every song is free to take.

• You need a user account to download some music.

ReverbNation is a good pick if you’re looking for music downloads from artists you don’t yet know about.

Not every song you see on this website can be downloaded, but it is all streamable through your web browser. Downloadable songs are indicated by a small download button next to the song.

The Discover page is a good start if you’re not sure where to begin looking for new music downloads. To search by genre, use the Charts page.

Download Music From ReverbNation

13

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Audiomack

What We Like

• All songs are streamable.

• Easy to find popular song downloads.

• Many ways to sort, filter, and browse for free music.

• No need to make a user account.

• Mobile apps for streaming music.

What We Don’t Like

• Not every song can be downloaded.

• No way to find just the free music downloads.

You’ll like this site if you like SoundCloud and are interested in finding new music. All the music on this website is 100 percent legal and free to stream, and depending on the artist, you’ll find music downloads, too.

The website is very easy to use. You can search for songs, albums, and artists or browse the Trending or Top Songs sections. There’s also a Recently Added page to find all the newest music at Audiomack.

Some of the music genres on this website include reggae, pop, R&B, hip-hop, instrumental, and afrobeats.

You can download music at Audiomack without needing a user account. Most if not all of the songs are in the MP3 format.

If you prefer to stream music from your phone or tablet, Audiomack works that way, too, via the Android app and the app for iOS devices.

Download Music From Audiomack