Where to download free music
For the scofflaws among us, there are endless places to illegally download whatever music you’re looking for. But for those looking to expand their collections and musical horizons in more law-abiding ways, there are also lots of legit places to find music from new artists, from live concerts, and much more that won’t cost you a dime. And that also won’t get you sued by the RIAA in the process.
Online music stores
Apple and Amazon will gladly sell you any of its millions of songs or albums at the click of a button. But they also serve up a number of freebies as well. iTunes, for example, offers a free single of the week, featured prominently on the both the main and music sections of the iTunes Store. Apple has a page on the iTunes Store with all free iTunes content at any given moment, including music. And if you install the free Starbucks iOS app, you can download a free Pick of the Week (which of late hasn’t exactly been weekly) directly from your mobile device (a different tune than you might get from visiting a Starbucks store). I’ve gotten tracks from Eric Clapton, Bruno Mars, Rod Stewart, and Norah Jones from it. And then of course there’s the huge trove of music podcasts that provide daily or weekly downloads. (Note that all of the above options require a free iTunes Store account.)
Free on iTunes.
Amazon MP3 actually has quite a bit of free content for the taking. There are pages for free songs, free albums (mostly samplers from indie labels), and music from ‘rising stars’. As you might expect, much of it is stuff you’ve never heard of, but you’ll find tracks from the likes of Blondie, She & Him, and The National, as well as classical tracks and kids’ music.
Free on Google Play.
Google Play offers a free music page—currently with 15 tracks from Busta Rhymes, Dave Matthews Band, The Rolling Stones, and a few other bands. The site also has a monthly Antenna sampler of music from up-and-comers, with 12 tracks for July, for example.
To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
http://www.macworld.com/article/2045255/where-to-download-free-music.html#tk.rss_all
