10 best sites to download music for free 

sites to download music for free
The astrologer Max Heindel famously said, "Music is the soul of language". Here are some of the best sites download music for free. Source: Tobias Schwarz/AFP

Nothing beats finding the right music or playlist that can help you “get in the zone”, whether for studying or working. While Spotify and Youtube are great options for crafting your study music playlist, there are also free alternatives to consider. Whether you are a music enthusiast or a casual listener looking to save some money in sourcing quality music, here are some of the best sites to download music for free.

sites to download music for free

Music is a popular medium for students to boost their concentration while studying — even the younger learners are catching up to the trend. Check out these sites to download music for free. Source: Ethan Miller/Getty Images North America/Getty Images/AFP

The best sites to download music for free

Bandcamp

Its website houses releases available for free or the option to “pay what you want”. Listeners can stream these songs before they download them, and they can download songs in different formats, ranging from the traditional MP3 file to premium-quality file types such as WAV and AIFF.

We recommend using tags like “free download” or “creative commons” on the search bar to filter through an array of free options on the site.  

Free Music Archieve

As the name suggests, Free Music Archive is a popular option to discover many genres of music that are free to enjoy or download for students to craft their playlist. The platform’s interface is also easy to use, making it convenient for students to browse through the choices on the platform. 

The Internet Archieve

Internet Archive is a non-profit library that houses millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more. While you can download books for free on this website. Their “Live Music Archive” is an excellent hub to source high-quality audio files ranging from blues to rock.

Jamendo Music

Jamendo Music is a free streaming and download service where you can source independent music by 40,000 artists from over 150 countries worldwide. The website’s audio catalogue is strictly curated to attract a worldwide community of independent music. 

All you need is to create an account on Jamendo Music to download music from the site for your personal use. You can also explore music using tags and playlists, check out genre-based radio stations, and listen to featured albums and mixes.

Beatstars

Beatstars is a popular platform for artists around the globe to purchase and sell beats. In fact, Lil Nas X brought the beat to his popular single, “Old Town Road”, for 30 US dollars, reported the Rolling Stone.

While browsing through the beats and tracks on the platform, you can filter your search for free options on the site. 

sites to download music for free

The YouTube Audio Library was launched in 2013 to help content creators find music for their videos. Source: Lionel Bonaventure/AFP

YouTube Audio Library

To gain access to the Youtube Audio Library, you must create a Youtube channel that grants you access to the Youtube Creator Studio.

This audio library is home to royalty-free audios where you can filter based on the track title, genre, mood, duration, or the artist’s name.

NoiseTrade

Next on our list of sites to download music for free is NoiseTrade. It is a subset of the Paste Magazine website.

Here, you don’t get to download individual tracks — you enter your email address to access all the tracks in the collection from a particular artist within a single zip file, making this an unusual free music download site on our list. 

SoundCloud

If you are a music enthusiast, you will have come across this music streaming and sharing platform.

Did you know that some artists make their tracks available to download free on SoundCloud? Usually, you will see the phrase “Free Download” if a track is downloadable on the platform. 

Reverb Nation

Launched in 2006, Reverb Nation is a platform for budding artists to launch their careers. It is also a place for music fans to discover and connect with new artists worldwide. They also have free learning resources to help artists in their creative pursuits. 

When browsing music on the site, click the “Free MP3s Required” check on the left panel to view tracks that artists have designated as free to download. The music file will be downloaded in a traditional MPS format. 

SoundClick

SoundClick is another pathway to the world of free music on the web. While hip-hop and instrumentals are the most popular genre on the site, their library is varied and diverse to accommodate various music preferences such as electronic, rock, acoustic and pop.

To check if the track can be downloaded for free, you can look for a download icon on the right side of the track. If there is no price listed, you can download said track by creating a SoundClick account.