free music archives
Advanced search box.
More than ten categories.
Lets you stream before downloading.
Over 100,000 tracks.
MP3 is the only download option.
Free user account required.
Free Music Archive (FMA) stands out because you can search only instrumental music and filter the search by duration and specific license.
These charts let you find the best music ever made on the site, as well as the top music of the week and month. There are also 16 genres to choose from, such as blues, jazz, pop, international, experimental and novelty.
What's unique about FMA is that when you run a search, you can filter by usage to find only public domain music, tracks that allow commercial use, and songs that can be used in remixes or videos. I also like Artist Shuffle because it allows me to find random music that I might never stumble upon otherwise.
02/15garmento music
There are many ways to browse downloads.
Streaming support.
Includes online broadcast functionality.
There is a mobile app.
Quick account creation.
MP3 format only; others have no choice.
The downloaded content is not in HD quality.
Requires a user account (free).
All free music downloads on Jamendo Music are provided under a Creative Commons license, which means the artists themselves decide to make their music freely available for anyone to enjoy.
You can discover new music by checking out the most popular music and popular songs. I prefer using the "Latest" sorting option because I can see what's new since I last visited the site. You can also search for artists you know to see if they have any music downloads.
Another way to find good music here is to listen to the site's radio stations. When you find a song or artist you like, you can download the single or the entire album. Playlists include Cool Instrumentals, Time to Dream and Fresh & New.
If you'd rather stream your music than download it, Jamendo gives you that option as well. There are also mobile apps.
03/15Pixar
Instant downloads without an account.
There are also free sound effects.
Everything is instrumental.
Although Pixabay is primarily known for its free public domain images, it also has a large collection of tens of thousands of free songs to download. I like downloading music here because I can stream everything first and there are multiple ways to filter the music.
There are some useful categories such as Beat, Relaxation, and Energy. Additionally, you can search by keyword or browse these song downloads by simply sorting the entire list. This lets you see which songs are trending, which songs were recently added, and which tracks are marked as Editors' Picks.
Finally, there are genre, mood, action, duration and theme filters. Using these, I have no doubt you'll find the exact track you want for your podcast, music video, movie, or any other project.
sound click
There are many types to choose from.
There is a price filter to view only free downloads.
Includes music download offers and discounts.
Not every song is free.
Some songs are only available for streaming.
You must be logged in.
SoundClick is the ultimate portal for finding free music directly from artist websites. These creators decided to let people download their music for free. This includes both signed and unsigned musicians.
Browse music charts and genres until you find the free music download you want, then listen to the song online or download it. You can also create custom radio stations, get to know other listeners on the forum, and learn more about your favorite artists.
Sure, you can download music, but some artists only have their music available if you pay to download it, while others only allow the music to be streamed.
Compared to other music download sites, I don't like that this site has a mix of all free and paid songs. However, once you're in the song list, the price filter allows you to see only free content. This is very helpful.
05 out of 15band camp
Lets you download the full album.
Contains many tracks you won't find on other free sites.
You can choose to pay if you wish.
No user account is required.
Not every song you see is free to download.
Bandcamp makes it easy for artists to share their music in a "name your price" type of environment. This means that while you can pay to purchase music, the alternative is to enter zero in the payment box and download the song for free.
The Discover page is a great way to find Bandcamp's best-selling music, new releases, and artist recommendations. Most are available in a variety of formats, including MP3, FLAC, AAC, OGG and WAV.
Sometimes there's also no minimum price for the entire album, meaning you can actually get the entire album for free! It's a neat way to share music, and I'm glad I can use it without requiring a user account.
Finding just free songs can be a challenge, but the Name Your Price page linked below is a great place to start.
06/15YouTube Studio
Official listing from YouTube.
New products are released twice a month.
Many songs do not require attribution.
Useful search and filtering options.
YouTube account required.
YouTube Studio provides royalty-free production music and sound effects for use in the videos you upload to YouTube. The best part? They are copyright safe! In fact, YouTube has compiled this list, so don't worry about legality.
There are over 500 songs available for download. You can filter the list to see only tracks that don't require attribution, and you can define duration, mood, and genre to find the perfect piece for your project.
Internet Archive
Lots of free audio downloads.
Multiple sorting and filtering options.
Most music can be downloaded in a variety of formats.
Support preview.
You don't need a user account.
Has more low quality music than other sites.
Navigation can be confusing.
Hundreds of listings are deleted regularly.
One of my favorite places to find obscure music is the Internet Archive. It stands out because it has millions of results for free downloads of music, audio, podcasts, radio shows and most notably their live music archives.
There are many ways to browse these downloads. You can sort by number of views, title, release date, or creator, and you can filter results by media type (concert, audio, etc.), subject and theme (e.g. rock or funk), language, and more.
One thing I don't like about downloading music from the Internet Archive is the act of looking for something. There are many, many folders to browse through, and the organization doesn't seem as meaningful as similar sites.
You can usually download music in a variety of file formats, such as MP3 and OGG.
08/15Ben Sand
Great for YouTube videos.
Free songs are clearly marked.
Download in seconds without logging in.
All free music requires attribution.
Small collection.
If you want free music for YouTube or other projects, Bensound is a good choice.
What I like is that no user account is required and all music can be downloaded in just a few clicks. And you don't have to worry about copyright claims because you're given clear instructions on how to provide attribution. There are also paid plans if you don’t want to deal with attribution.
The tracks can be sorted by genre, mood, theme, instrumentation, energy level and duration. Unlike similar sites, it has a "Free Music Only" toggle that guarantees you'll only see free options.
09/15Last FM
One click download.
Most songs can be previewed.
No user account is required.
It's hard to just search for free music.
MP3 is the only download option.
There are only a few hundred to choose from.
The free list cannot be sorted or filtered.
Last.fm has several pages of free music downloads covering all genres. Just filter the list to find what you want to save offline.
There isn't much to this site, but my favorite feature is the ability to download MP3s with just one click. There is no user account. No pop-ups. It's quick and easy.
In addition to downloading, you can also stream songs and get recommendations from your favorite bands.
What I don't like about this site is that there aren't any free songs that can be filtered or sorted, so you can't actually see recently added tracks or browse by genres like pop or rap.
10 out of 15sound cloud
Lots of content.
Includes music downloads from established and emerging artists.
Each track can be streamed before downloading.
Required to log in.
Not all songs are available for download.
SoundCloud has been a favorite for a long time. It supports streaming and downloading free music. Content is sometimes uploaded by professional artists, while other content is shared by independent musicians. This is one of my favorite sites for finding new music.
Not all the music here is available for download, and some require you to "like" the Facebook page to get the files. However, tracks that can be downloaded immediately without an account will have a dedicated download button in their menu or underneath the song.
Some of the ways I've had good luck finding free music are by browsing the Creative Commons section or searching for music marked as free. Although, I also found other free music downloads here, these areas are not included.
11 out of 15rhythm star
All free downloads are listed together.
Various types are available.
Find free music by mood.
Some downloads require your email address.
One of the great things about BeatStar's products is that you don't have to search high and low to find free stuff; just use the link below to get a list of all the free beats.
You can sort the list to find newly added songs, and filter by genre and several moods, such as mellow, languid, inspiring, and silly. Other filters include pitch, instrument, BPM, duration and energy level (e.g. 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 accounts before you can get a download link. I think this makes perfect sense since it's still free and can be done with just a few clicks. Others require you to provide your email to receive a download link.
12 out of 15audio mic
All songs are available for streaming.
Easily find popular songs to download.
Multiple ways to sort, filter and browse free music.
No need to create a user account.
Mobile application for streaming music.
Not every song is available for download.
Can't find free music downloads.
If you like SoundCloud and are interested in finding new music, you'll love this site. All music is 100% legal and free to stream, and depending on the artist, you'll also find music to download.
The website is simple to use. You can search for songs, albums, and artists, or browse the Hot Songs or Hot Songs sections. There's also a "Recently Added" page to find all the latest music on Audiomack.
Some of the music genres on the site include African music, Caribbean music, gospel music, pop music, hip-hop/rap, and instrumental music. I usually stick to the mood categories, which allow me to find music that's perfect for a party or a workout; others are labeled sad, chill, inspired, and feel-good.
I love being able to download music without a user account, but there isn't an easy way to find free downloads. Most, if not all, songs are in MP3 format.
If you prefer streaming music from your phone or tablet, Audiomack also makes this possible via apps for Android and iOS.
13 out of 15Mushopong
Totally free music downloads that you can use for any purpose.
Includes sheet music download.
There are many unique ways to find free music.
Support previewing music.
Includes online broadcast option.
Music downloads require you to log into your user account.
Daily download limit.
There is no free HD audio.
The website has too many ads.
Musopen is one of my go-to sites for classical music because its sheet music and recordings are completely free, legal, and copyright-free. You can listen to or download music online for any purpose. There's even an online broadcast that you can listen to from your computer or through their mobile app.
There are many ways to find free music downloads here: browse by composer, performer, instrument, form or time period. Of course, you can also search manually to see if there is anything specific.
Another way to get music downloads is through discovery tools. It lets you filter by mood like sad or relaxed , as well as instrument, rating, length, and license type (finding 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. I also don't like that the free account only offers five downloads per day, and that they are of standard lossy audio quality.
14 out of 15Amazon
You can sort the download list.
Provides multiple ways to filter and refine results.
Songs can be previewed.
The download process can be confusing.
You must be logged in to your Amazon account.
Not all music on the site is free.
Display completely unrelated sponsored ads in the same listing.
Amazon.com has thousands of free music downloads, making it a favorite place to visit when looking for new music to download legally.
I love discovering music through the various sorting options like title, artist, time, and release date. What I don't like, however, are the ads for all the non-music products listed alongside these downloads.
You can play the songs before downloading them, but when you're ready to save the songs to your computer, add the items to your cart. Then, check it out just like you would if you were buying something. You will be taken to a link to download the free music, and it will also be saved in the Digital Orders tab of your order history.
I wish it was easier to complete these downloads, but this is Amazon after all, so it makes sense that you "check out" like you would a physical product.
15 out of 15Reverb Nation
Helping you find up-and-coming artists.
All music can be streamed.
Allows you to browse downloads by type.
Not every song is free.
You need a user account to download some music.
If you're looking for music downloads from artists you don't know yet, ReverbNation is a great choice. If you're not sure where to start, the Discover page is a good place to start.
Not every song you see on this site is available for download, but it can be streamed through your web browser. Downloadable songs are brought up via the small download button next to the song.
