10 Ways to Get Free Music Online

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I love music. I love getting things for free. Every Tuesday, free music gets added to my collection via various sources. I would like to share those various ways I get this free music.

1. iTunes offers several free selections every week. If you have iTunes, just browse to the home page of the store, scroll to the bottom and you'll see the free section. They also offer free music videos and free TV shows. There is also a page on Facebook, called "Free on iTunes" which offers free samplers from time to time. Here's the link to the app on Facebook.


2. Noisetrade is a service started by Derek Webb (formerly of Caedmon's Call) fame some years back to help independent artists get their music out. It works on the principle that you pay what you want to pay. In other words, you don't have to pay anything. I have gotten lots of great music this way. A lot of it tends toward the singer-songwriter genre. Webb and his wife, Sandra McCracken have released several of their albums on there. Other artists use it to release samplers or older albums. You can also pay with a tweet or a post on Facebook letting others know about the music. There are both Christian and non-Christian artists on this site, but most of it is good. I have discovered quite a few new favorites this way. Look up Blake Aaron Guthrie's "Love in Different Lights." It's awesome.


3. Come&Live! is another independent music site which also offers a model similar to Noisetrade's, except it is strictly Christian. They offer a bit of a heavier music selection, such as hard rock, punk, and grunge. However, you never have to pay for the albums either. There is some really good stuff here too. Ascend the Hill's "Hymns" and The Ember Days' albums are really good and really solid with their lyrics.


4. New Release Tuesday offers a selection of up to 3 or 4 songs a week on their site. You have to be a member, and it offers solely Christian music, but some of the music is still pretty good and current.


5. Hear It First is another Christian site you have to sign up for. They offer at least one, sometimes two free songs a week through their mailing list.


6. iTickets is a Christian event site similar to Ticketmaster. However, they offer anywhere from 1 to 3 free songs a week. You have to be a member, but there is some good stuff there.


7. FreeCCM is a site started by INO Records and Mercy Me. They offer a free song a week as well, and a few other sampler downloads. They also offer some devotionals and a blog.


8. CCM Magazine also offers a free song a week via their weekly newsletter. Sometimes it duplicates the other newsletters and sometimes it doesn't. You can check their website weekly or sign up for their newsletter


9. Gospel Music Channel (GMC) also offers a free music download a week. Sign up for their newsletter to be notified or just check their website.


10. Last.FM has a recommended music based on your listening preferences which you can subscribe to as a podcast. It's pretty much hit or miss. Some strange stuff has been recommended for me.

Bonus non-music freebie: Christianaudio.com offers a free audiobook download once a month. Some past freebies have included Jon Acuff's "Stuff Christian Like" and John Piper's "Desiring God".

I may have missed a few. If you know of any, please let me and others know in the comments.