Free music downloads on the Web really do exist; as long as you’re willing to listen to music other than what’s on the radio and top 40 (for the most part). Here are a few places you can find free music downloads:
- del.icio.us system:filetype:mp3: I came across this nifty little trick a while back; you can find all the mp3 files tagged at del.icio.us this way.
- Indy.tv – Custom Radio: “Indy makes it easy for you to find great new independent music. Just download Indy and double-click: as it plays songs, you rate what you hear. Indy quickly learns what you like and gets really smart about sending you more music you’ll like.”
- Pandora: I was in on the beta testing of Pandora and I LOVED it. You can create as many specialized radio stations as you want on Pandora, and it will evolve to your specified changes.
- Internet Archive: Audio Archive: an absolutely mammoth collection of all styles of music.
- NPR in Concert: Full concerts by various top artists, they’ve got James Brown and Sinead O’Connor on there right now.
- Earplug: “Earplug is a twice-monthly email magazine dedicated to electronic music in all its incarnations. Every issue features a hand-picked selection of music news, cultural spotlights, tip sheets, CD reviews, and original features, as well as previews and reviews of important festivals and live events across the globe.”
- Amazon Free Music Downloads: All sorts of eclectic music on here, not only from independents but mainstream artists as well.
- Soundclick: One of my most favorite sites to find some good tunes; each artist has their own page within the Soundclick network.
- GarageBand: Again, another great place to find emerging artists, and each artist has their own web page, forums, etc.
- JazzPromo.com: hundreds of unique independent jazz CD’s here. The free stuff is all here.
- Mutopia: “All music in the Mutopia Project is free to download, print out, perform and distribute. There are now 579 pieces of music available!”
- AMClassical: free classical music mp3 downloads; a wide variety of styles available.