Music has always been an integral part of the human experience. For millennia, people have used song and sound to express themselves, tell stories, and entertain. In the modern era, recorded music has allowed people all over the world to enjoy their favorite songs and discover new artists with just the click of a button.
Apple’s iTunes store and their associated products have long been dominant players in the digital music space. The launch of the iTunes Music Store in 2003 allowed Apple to become the primary vendor selling downloadable music online. iTunes boasts a catalog of over 75 million songs, allowing customers unparalleled choice when it comes to downloading music.
However, most of the music available on iTunes costs money to purchase and download. This can make acquiring new music prohibitively expensive, especially for customers looking to build a large digital music library. Thankfully, there are a few different ways you can download totally free music using Apple’s software and services.
Use Apple Music
The easiest way to download free music with an Apple device or software is to use their Apple Music streaming service. Apple Music has over 100 million songs in its catalog that users can listen to for free, with certain limitations.
Non-paying Apple Music users cannot immediately download or save music to their devices. However, there is a workaround that will allow you to record and store tracks from the Apple Music catalog at no cost. All you need to do is:
- Open the Music app on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or PC.
- Search for the song, album, or playlist you want to record.
- Play the content you want to record.
- Open the Voice Memos app on iOS or QuickTime Player on Mac.
- Select “New Audio Recording.”
- Place the microphone near your device’s speakers.
- Start recording the audio playing from Apple Music.
- Stop the recording when finished.
- The file will now be saved to your device for free.
The main downside to this method is that the audio quality will be lower than a direct digital download. However, it will allow you to quickly acquire almost any music from the Apple Music catalog without spending any money.
Use the iTunes Preview Trick
Before the launch of Apple Music, most iTunes music could be previewed for free but not fully downloaded. Amazingly, there is a simple trick that will allow you to record these 30-second song previews end-to-end, producing a full version of the track.
To do this:
- Open iTunes on your computer.
- Search for the song you want to download.
- Locate the 30-second preview and play it.
- Open QuickTime and start a new audio recording, just like before.
- Record the full 30-second preview.
- Restart the preview and record the next 30 seconds.
- Repeat this process until you have recorded the full song.
- Trim the audio files together into one long track.
This method can be extremely tedious for longer songs but allows you to slowly assemble free full versions of any iTunes track. It may not match the quality of a direct download, but you can’t beat the price!
Use an Apple Music Trial
Apple Music offers new users a free 3-month trial period. During this time, you have full access to Apple’s catalog of over 75 million tracks for streaming and downloading.
This presents a great opportunity to download a lot of free music in a short time. Here’s how to maximize your free downloads during an Apple Music trial:
- Sign up for a 3-month free Apple Music trial.
- Search for albums and playlists you want to download.
- Tap the + icon next to tracks to download them to your device.
- Open Settings and toggle on “Automatic Downloads” to save every song you play.
- Create your own playlists of songs to batch download.
- Cancel your subscription before the 3 months are up to avoid charges.
In just three months, you could potentially download hundreds of tracks to keep at no cost. Just remember to cancel your subscription within the trial period to avoid being charged monthly fees.
Use a File Conversion Tool
Certain software tools will allow you to convert tracks from streaming sites like Apple Music and Spotify into downloadable files. These conversion tools record audio as it plays, convert it to a standard format like MP3, and save it to your computer.
Some popular audio recording and conversion tools include:
- AudFree Apple Music Converter – Records and converts Apple Music tracks to MP3.
- Sidify Apple Music Converter – Removes DRM protection and converts Apple Music to MP3/AAC.
- TuneFab Apple Music Converter – Converts Apple Music songs to common formats while preserving metadata.
- NoteBurner Apple Music Converter – Converts Apple Music DRM-free MP3, FLAC, AAC files.
- Ondesoft iTunes Converter – Converts Apple Music and iTunes media to unprotected audio files.
The main drawback to most conversion tools is that they are usually not free. Paid versions with full functionality generally cost $15-40 USD. However, free trials are available, allowing short-term access to converting features.
Rip Music from YouTube Videos
A huge amount of music is available for free on YouTube as official uploads, fan videos, covers, remixes, and more. Luckily, it’s easy to record audio from YouTube videos and convert it into a digital music file.
You have a couple different options for ripping audio from YouTube:
- Web-Based Converters – Sites like YTMP3.cc, YouTube-MP3.org, and FLVTO allow pasting a YouTube link to download just the audio portion as an MP3 file.
- Desktop Software – Programs like 4K YouTube to MP3, YTD Video Downloader, DVDVideoSofts’ Free YouTube to MP3 Converter, or Onlinevideoconverter.com’s YouTube Converter can all download YouTube audio.
- Browser Extensions – Add-ons like Nhac4.net YouTube to MP3 and MediaHuman YouTube to MP3 Converter will integrate into your browser to download YouTube audio.
The easiest option is to use an online conversion site. However, desktop and browser-based solutions will usually provide higher quality results and faster speeds.
Use a Streaming Music Recorder
Streaming music recorders capture audio as it plays from sources like Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, internet radio stations, and more. They work by tapping into your device’s sound output and converting it into a digital file format.
Popular streaming audio recorders include:
- Apowersoft Streaming Audio Recorder – Records music streams from any app or web site.
- ACE Stream Music Recorder – Records audio streams from a variety of sources and converts to MP3.
- uberStreamer – Records any site audio and saves as MP3 files.
- StreamWriter – Easy streaming audio capture and conversion tool for Mac and Windows.
- Total Recorder – Multi-purpose audio recording and capture tool.
These tools provide an easy way to capture songs from internet radio, Apple Music radio stations, Spotify playlists, and other streaming sources. Just start playing the content, open your streaming recorder, and save the tracks you want to keep.
Use a Download Manager Browser Extension
Download manager browser extensions like EagleGet allow you to easily find and download files from around the web. While meant for downloading traditional files like documents, programs, videos, and images, download managers can also be used to capture music audio files.
Here’s how it works:
- Install the download manager extension in your browser.
- Go to a site hosting the music file you want to download.
- Initiate playback of the audio track.
- The extension will capture the URL of the file as it streams.
- Go to your extension’s interface and snag the music file URL.
- Paste the URL into the download manager interface to save the file.
This method won’t work on sites that heavily obfuscate streaming file paths. But it can allow grabbing unprotected music files from a range of hosting sites.
Search Free Music Sites
There are tons of websites that legally offer free music downloads. These sites are usually supported by advertising or work with independent artists who approve free distribution of their music. Here are some top sites for finding legit free MP3 downloads:
- Free Music Archive – Over 100,000 tracks approved for free sharing by artists and labels.
- NoiseTrade – Independent artists provide their music for free in exchange for email addresses.
- DatPiff – User-uploaded mixtapes and singles across various genres.
- Jamendo Music – Licensing site with a huge catalog of free independent music.
- SoundClick – Artists distribute their music for free downloads to gain exposure.
Exploring these sites can yield tons of great, free music. Just be aware that the selection is dominated by up-and-coming independent artists, not major commercial acts.
Use Legal Torrent Sites
Torrent sites have developed a bad reputation for piracy. However, there are a few legal torrent repositories offering free music approved for sharing by artists. These sites include:
- BitSoup – Music section features albums legally approved for free distribution.
- Freesound – Collaborative database of audio samples and sound effects.
- Legaltorrents – Music suitable for free downloading and sharing.
- Opsound – Independent artists approving download of their music.
- Torrents.fm – Extensive catalog of music available via legal torrents.
As with other free music sites, the selection will be dominated by independent and lesser-known artists. But major acts do sometimes share albums for brief promotions.
Use a Free Music Archive
Many websites serve as centralized free music archives. These sites gather tracks from a variety of legal public domain sources, label promotions, independent artist uploads, and creative commons sources.
Some key free archive sites include:
- Free Music Archive – Massive catalog of music available for legal downloads.
- Internet Archive – Over 6 million free audio files available for download.
- Opsound – Music for free download directly from independent artists.
- Traxsource – House music archive with lots of free promotional downloads.
- ccMixter – Creative commons music and samples for mixing and remixing.
Digging through archives like the Free Music Archive and ccMixter can yield amazing finds. You can discover great music while supporting independent artists.
Follow Free Music Blogs
Music blogs often host or link to free music offered by rising artists. By following music blogs focused on emerging acts and specific genres, you can find tons of legal, free downloads.
Some music blogs offering frequent free, legal mp3s:
- That Music Mag – Shares emerging rock, indie, electronic.
- Das Musik Blog – Focuses on unsigned synthpop, electronic, industrial artists.
- Fresh New Tracks – Daily EDM blog sharing free downloads.
- Music Is Art – Discover new indie, rock, pop tracks.
- The Burning Ear – Shares emerging dance, electronic music.
Music blogs like these do the work of finding great under-the-radar artists providing free downloads. Subscribing, reading regularly, and digging through blog archives can yield amazing obscure finds.
Follow Musicians on Social Media
Directly following your favorite artists on social media can alert you to free music offerings. Musicians will often provide free song downloads to their biggest fans and followers on social platforms.
Ways musicians share free music:
- Posting download links on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.
- Sharing tracks via Dropbox, Google Drive, Mega, etc.
- Offering free streaming previews on SoundCloud.
- Releasing exclusives on YouTube.
- Hosting free compilation mixtapes on DatPiff.
By interacting with artists directly on social platforms, you can gain access to downloads they won’t make publicly available elsewhere.
Check Bandcamp
Though not strictly a free music platform, Bandcamp does allow artists to share free music alongside their regular catalog. Oftentimes you can score free EPs, singles, bonus tracks, and mixtapes that aren’t available anywhere else.
Ways to find free music on Bandcamp:
- Follow labels – Many regularly share free compilations and artist promotions.
- Check “Free” tag – Lets you browse just free music uploads.
- Watch for giveaways – Artists will often make music free for limited periods.
- Read descriptions – Some free content only mentioned in track or album details.
Bandcamp is unique in allowing artists to directly control how they share music. This leads to lots of great free content for fans.
Conclusion
While Apple’s iTunes and Apple Music don’t officially offer free music, there are still lots of ways to download great tracks at no cost using Apple software and services. You can use Apple Music trials, preview recording tricks, YouTube rips, and other workarounds to score free tunes. Or turn to legal free music blogs, archives, social media, and independent artist platforms.
The key is to search smart, use specialized tools, and take advantage of limited-time downloads and promotions. With the right approach, you can build an amazing Apple-sourced music library without ever paying a cent. Just be careful to use only legal methods, and show support to artists offering free music by buying merchandise, concert tickets, and more.