Top 15 Sites for Free Music Downloads – Legal & Safe Options

Findingwebsites to stream free music is a breeze. The tricky part is figuring out which ones let you_download_ music legally without breaking any rules.

I’ve tested numerous sites for song downloads and narrowed it down to the top 15. Downloading MP3s is allowed from these sources either because the songs are in the public domain or because the artists have granted permission for their music to be shared.

There are plenty of hidden gems waiting to be found. Enjoy the music!

You can alsostream free radio stations that play all types of music.

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Free Music Archive

What We Like

• Advanced search box.
• Over a dozen categories.
• Lets you stream before downloading.
• Over 100,000 tracks.

What We Don’t Like

• MP3 is the only download option.
• Free user account required.

Free Music Archive (FMA) stands out from the crowd because you can search for instrumental music only and filter searches by duration and specific licenses.

The charts let you find the best music of all time on the site, and the top music for the week and the month. There are also 16 genres to pick from, like blues, jazz, pop, international, experimental, and novelty.

Something unique about FMA is that when you run a search, you can filter by usage to find only public domain music, tracks permitted for commercial use, and songs you can use in a remix or video. I also like ‘artist shuffle’ because it lets me find random music I otherwise might never have stumbled on.

Download Music From FMA

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Pixabay

What We Like

• Instant downloads without an account.
• Also has free sound effects.

What We Don’t Like

• Everything is instrumental.

Although known mainly for its freepublic domain images , Pixabay also has a massive collection of tens of thousands of free song downloads. I like to download music here because I can stream everything first and there are several ways to filter the music.

There are useful categories like beats, relaxing, and energetic. Additionally, you can search by keyword or look through these song downloads by simply sorting the whole list. This lets you see which songs are trending, which were recently added, and which tracks are marked as Editor’s Choice.

Finally, there’s a genre, mood, movement, duration, and theme filter. Use these, and I have no doubt you’ll find the exact track you’re after for your podcast, music video, film, or any other project.

Download Music From Pixabay

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Jamendo Music

What We Like

• Lots of ways to browse for downloads.
• Streaming support.
• Includes an online radio function.
• There’s a mobile app.
• Quick account creation.

What We Don’t Like

• MP3 format only; no option for others.
• Downloads aren’t HD quality.
• Requires a user account (it’s free).

All the free music downloads at Jamendo Music are made available through Creative Commons licensing, meaning the artists themselves have decided they want to give out their music for free for anyone to enjoy.

You can discover new music by viewing the most popular music and trending songs. The ‘latest’ sort option is what I prefer to use because I can see what’s new since the last time I visited the site. You can also search for artists you know to see if they have any music downloads here.

Another way to find great music here is by listening to one of the site’s radio stations. When you find a song or artist you like, you can download that single track or the entire album. Playlists include Cool Instrumentals, Time to Dream, and Fresh & New.

If you’d rather stream music instead of download it, Jamendo gives you that option, too. There are also mobile apps.

Download Music From Jamendo

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SoundClick

What We Like

• Lots of genres to pick from.
• Has a price filter to see only the free downloads.
• Includes music download deals and discounts.

What We Don’t Like

• Not every song is free.
• Some songs can only be streamed.
• You have to log in.

SoundClick is the ultimate portal for finding free music directly from the artists’ websites. These creators have decided to let people download their music for free. This includes signed and unsigned musicians.

Browse through the music charts and genres until you find a free music download you’d like to have, and then either listen online or download that song. You can also create custom radio stations, get to know other listeners on the forums, and read more about your favorite artists.

While you can, of course, download music, some artists make their music available only after you’ve paid for the download, and others allow music streaming only.

Compared to these other music download sites, I don’t like that this one mixes all the free and paid songs. However, once you’re on a list of songs, a price filter lets you see only the free stuff. It’s super helpful.

Download Music From SoundClick

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Bandcamp

What We Like

• Lets you download full albums.
• Includes lots of tracks you won’t find on other free sites.
• You can choose to pay if you want to.
• No user account is needed.

What We Don’t Like

• 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 setting. This means that while you can pay for the music, another option is to put a zero in the payment box and download the song for free.

The Discover page is a great way to find the best-selling music at Bandcamp, plus new arrivals and songs recommended by artists. Most are available in several formats, including MP3, FLAC, AAC, OGG, and WAV.

Sometimes, there also isn’t a minimum price on entire albums, meaning you can actually grab an entire album at no cost! This is a neat way to share music, and I was happy to be able to use it without needing a user account.

Finding just the free songs can be a challenge, but the Name Your Price page, linked below, is a good place to start.

Download Music From Bandcamp

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YouTube Studio

What We Like

• Official list from YouTube.
• New releases twice a month.
• Many songs require no attribution.
• Helpful search and filtering options.

What We Don’t Like

• Requires a YouTube account.

How to Legally Use Copyrighted Music in YouTube Videos

YouTube Studio has royalty-free production music and sound effects that are meant to be used in videos you upload to YouTube. The best part? They’re copyright-safe! In fact, YouTube has compiled this list, so there’s no worry about legality.

There are over 1,000 MP3 downloads available. You can filter the list to see only the tracks that don’t need attribution, plus define the duration, mood, and genre to find the perfect piece for your project.

Download Music From YouTube Studio

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Bensound

What We Like

• Great for YouTube videos.
• Free songs are clearly marked.
• Download in seconds without logging in.

What We Don’t Like

• All free music requires attribution.
• Small collection.

Bensound is an awesome choice if you want free music for YouTube or other projects.

I like that all the music can be downloaded in just a couple of clicks without a user account. 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 attributions.

These tracks can be sorted by genre, mood, theme, instrument, energy level, and duration. And unlike similar sites, there’s aFree Music Only toggle that guarantees you’ll see only the free options.

Download Music From Bensound

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Internet Archive

What We Like

• Lots of free audio downloads.
• Several sorting and filtering options.
• Most music can be downloaded in several formats.
• Supports previewing.
• You don’t need a user account.

What We Don’t Like

• Has more low quality music than other sites.
• Navigating can be confusing.
• Frequently removes hundreds of listings.

One of my favorite places to find obscure music is Internet Archive. It stands out because it has_millions_ of results for free downloads of music, audio, podcasts, radio programs, and, most notably, their Live Music Archive.

There are tons of ways to browse these downloads. You can sort by view count, title, date published, or creator, as well as filter the results by media type (concerts, audio, etc.), topics & subjects (e.g., rock or funk), language, and more.

One thing I don’t like about downloading music from Internet Archive is just the act of_finding_ something. There are lots and lots of folders to browse through, and organization just doesn’t seem to make as much sense as similar sites.

You can usually download the music in multiple file formats, like MP3 and OGG.

Download Music From Internet Archive

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Last.fm

Click here

What We Like

• One-click downloads.
• Most songs can be previewed.
• User account not required.

What We Don’t Like

• Hard to search for free music only.
• MP3 is the only download option.
• Only a couple hundred to pick from.
• Can’t sort or filter the free list.

Last.fm has several pages of free music downloads that fall into all genres. Just sift through the list to find something to save offline.

There isn’t much to this website, but my favorite feature has to be the ability to download MP3s with just one click. No user account. No pop-ups. It’s quick and easy.

Besides downloads, you can also_stream_ songs and get recommendations of bands you’ll love.

Something I don’t like about this website is that none of the free songs can be filtered or sorted, so you can’t actually see which tracks were recently added or browse by genres like pop or rap.

Download Music From Last.fm

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SoundCloud

What We Like

• Tons of content.
• Includes music downloads from well-known and new, up-and-coming artists.
• Every track can be streamed before downloading.

What We Don’t Like

• Must log in.
• Not all songs can be downloaded.

How to Download From SoundCloud

SoundCloud has been a long-time favorite. It supports streaming and downloading free music. The content is sometimes uploaded by professional artists, while others are shared by independent musicians. It’s one of my favorite websites for finding new music.

Not all the music here can be downloaded, and some require you to ‘Like’ a Facebook page to get the file. However, tracks that can be downloaded instantly and without an account, either have a dedicated download button in its menu or under the song.

Some ways I’ve had luck finding free music is tobrowse through the Creative Commons section or search for music tagged as free. Although, I’ve found other free music downloads here, too, that weren’t in these areas.

Download Music From SoundCloud

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BeatStars

What We Like

• All free downloads are listed together.
• Several genres to pick from.
• Find free music by mood.

What We Don’t Like

• Some downloads require your email address.

Something great about BeatStar’s offerings is that you don’t have to search all over the place to find the free stuff; just use the link below to get a list of all the free beats.

You can sort the list to find the newly added songs, and filter by genre and several moods, such as mellow, lazy, inspiring, and silly. Other filters include key, instrument, BPM, duration, and energy level (such as 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 account before you can get the download link. I think this is totally reasonable because it’s still free, and it only takes a few clicks to do it. Others have you provide your email to receive the download link.

Download Music From BeatStars

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Audiomack

What We Like

• All songs are streamable.
• Easy to find popular song downloads.
• Many ways to sort, filter, and browse for free music.
• No need to make a user account.
• Mobile apps for streaming music.

What We Don’t Like

• Not every song can be downloaded.
• No way to find_just_ the free music downloads.

You’ll like this site if you like SoundCloud and are interested in finding new music. All the music is 100 percent legal and free to stream, and depending on the artist, you’ll find music downloads, too.

The website is simple to use. You can search for songs, albums, and artists or browse the Trending or Top Songs sections. There’s also a Recently Added page to find all the newest music at Audiomack.

Some of the music genres on this website include afrosounds, Caribbean, gospel, pop, hip-hop/rap, and instrumental. I usually stick to the mood categories which let me find music good for parties or working out; others are marked as sad, chill, inspiration, and feel good.

I like that I can download the music without a user account, but there isn’t an easy way to find just the free downloads. Most if not all the songs are in the MP3 format.

If you prefer to stream music from your phone or tablet, Audiomack works that way, too, via the app for Android and iOS.

Download Music From Audiomack

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Musopen

What We Like

• Completely free music downloads you can use for anything.
• Includes sheet music downloads.
• Lots of unique ways to find free music.
• Supports previewing the music.
• Includes an online radio option.

What We Don’t Like

• Music downloads require you to log in to a user account.
• Per-day download limits.
• No free HD audio.
• Excessive website ads.

Musopen is one of my go-tosites for classical music because it has sheet music and recordings that are completely free, legal, and copyright-free. You can listen online or download the music for whatever purpose. There’s even an online radio you can listen to from a computer or through their mobile app.

There are lots of ways to find free music downloads here: Browse by composer, performer, instrument, form, or period. Of course, you can also do a manual search to see if they have something specific.

Another way to get music downloads is through the discovery tool. It lets you filter by a mood like_sad_ or_relaxing_ , as well as by instrument, rating, length, and license type (to find 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 a free account provides access to only five downloads every day, and they’re standard, lossy audio quality.

Download Music From Musopen

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Amazon

What We Like

• You can sort the list of downloads.
• Provides several ways to filter and refine the results.
• Songs can be previewed.

What We Don’t Like

• The download process can be confusing.
• You have to log in to your Amazon account.
• Not all music on the site is free.
• Shows completely unrelated sponsored ads in the same list.

There are thousands of free music downloads at Amazon.com, making it a favorite to visit when looking for new music to download legally.

I like that the music is discoverable through various sorting options, like title, artist, time, and release date. However, something I don’t like is all the ads for non-music products that are 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 item to your cart. Then, just check out as if you were purchasing something. You’ll be taken to a link to download the free music, and it’ll also be saved in the Digital Orders tab of your order history.

I wish it were easier to complete these downloads, but this is Amazon after all, so it makes sense that you “check out” like you do when buying physical products.

How to Find Free Music Downloads in the Amazon Music Store

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ReverbNation

What We Like

• Helps you find up-and-coming artists.
• All the music can be streamed.
• Lets you browse for downloads by genre.

What We Don’t Like

• Not every song is free to take.
• You need a user account to download some music.

ReverbNation is a good pick if you’re looking for music downloads from artists you don’t yet know about.The Discover page is a good start if you’re not sure where to begin.

Not every song you see on this website can be downloaded, but it is all streamable through your web browser. Downloadable songs are called out by a small download button next to the song.

Download Music From ReverbNation

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