Music to My Ears: Free Downloads

Everything costs an arm and a leg anymore. Even music. With the typical download cost per song cashing in at around a dollar, the cost of building up your musical library can become astronomical. Thankfully, it doesn't have to be. Join us for a post on where you can get your favorite tunes on the cheap...or even free!

The Library

It's not just for books anymore. You read that right. Now, while I'm not sure every library system across the country is involved in this, I do know our local branch particpates in something called Freegal. This nifty program allows every person with a library card to download three free songs per week. They go right into our computer's media program, then right onto our MP3 players. Free. The only downside is their collection of songs to choose from, though extensive and added to all the time, doesn't have every artist on the planet.

iTunes

Yes, while most songs on this industry giant have a price tag associated with them, iTunes often offers up several freebie downloads just about weekly in several different listening genres. Once, I was able to download quite a few songs from one artist in the spotlight for free. In addition, iTunes also rotates songs for cheaper (think sixty-nine cents) than the usual $1.29.

My New Best Friend

The way I've been listening to my tunes for free lately is through my new best friend, Spotify. Spotify has just about the largest library of music available for listening that I've seen (but that might not be saying a whole lot). Here's how it works: you head to spotify.com, download the free version of spotify and start listening. Yes, it requires a download to your computer, but it is safe. After you've joined the Spotify family, you can then listen to music through your computer (and other smart devices). Make playlists, utilize the program's apps, share music with your social media friends: this site has it all. The free version does have a few brief commercials every once in a while (you can upgrade to Spotify premium for a few bucks a month and lose the ads). I find, though, these commercials are no where near as frequent or as long as those found on regular radio. Plus, you can also tap into radio channels based upon artists or songs you like.

Warning

While I've been using Spotify for over a year now with no ill effects on my computer, there are some sites out there that will let you download free music. Such sharing sites (Limewire comes to mind) are very handy and often have just the songs you're looking for, but many times they are not safe with all manner of nasty viruses lurking between the notes just waiting for you to invite them into your playlist. Proceed with the utmost care and caution – or else your excursion into free music might cost you a huge computer repair bill.

Finding music for free or very little cost is pretty easy these days. What about you, MomVesting readers? Where do you get your tunes?

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