How to Download Music for Free

Zarqoo Zaimoo asked:


days if you want to get a copy of the latest hit song, you don’t go to a record bar, you go online and download it from music download sites. Downloading music has become so popular that online music sites which sell digital singles and albums are starting to eclipse their brick-and-mortar counterparts. Revenues from the sale of digital music reached almost $2 billion at the end of 2007 and are estimated to hit $5.3 billion by 2012; by comparison, sales from CD stores are seen to fall to $4.9 billion in 2012 from $8.6 billion in 2007.

Another sign of how music downloads are beginning to overshadow CDs is the fact that music industry publications such as Billboard now compile charts of top music downloads besides those of top selling CDs and most played songs. In fact, many songs have become popular even without substantial radio airplay due to downloading. The recording industry also now certifies singles as gold or platinum based on download sales.

Thus, legal and illegal music download sites have mushroomed on the Internet. You can download virtually any kind of music you want for free on peer-to-peer sites or for around $0.99 a song from online stores. And contrary to dire predictions that downloading would kill the music industry, downloading has actually fueled music sales as it allows listeners to discover new artists and decide which albums are worth buying on CD.

So if you want to join the fun but don’t have a big budget for music purchases, there are many sites that will allow you to download free music legally. Here are a few tips on how to find them.

First, you can try the official site of your favorite artist. If you’ve heard a song you like on the radio or your friend is raving about a certain band, you can log on to their site and see if they offer singles for downloading for free or for a small fee. The artists might also have a MySpace page and you can look for downloads there as well.

Second, digital stores sometimes offer free samples in order to promote new artists or the service itself. For example, one popular digital music retailer offers a single of the week for free download.

Third, you can look for mp3 blogs, where music fans post their favorite music for others to download or listen to. To make your search easier you can use an mp3 blog aggregator, which scans mp3 blogs and create a searchable database.

Fourth, you can use search engines such as Google and Yahoo to find free mp3 directories that have music available for download.

Fifth, you can sign up for a free trial at a digital music site. The free trial will allow you to download as much as you want during the trial period. Of course, you will have to sign up and give your credit card number but you can cancel at any time.

Thus, there is no reason you have to spend a fortune to build a music library; you can do it for free if you know how to find the right music download sites.