Free Streaming Music Album and Song Sites
Last Updated: August 25, 2009
Good:
- Amazon.com: Special MP3 Deals -
Amazon has a list of special MP3 download deals including a list of free MP3 downloads
at the bottom of the page. You can preview the handful of songs they offer and then
choose to download the free songs you wish. Every once in a while, I've found a gem
in the bunch. The iTunes store has a similar free section.
[Update January 12, 2009] I bumped this one up from "Fair" to "Good" because I've been getting good stuff from their site,
including a couple of freebies by a group called Track A Tiger. I liked their album enough based on the freebies that
I ended up buying it. A great link is the
complete list of free mp3 songs rather than the
daily free mp3 song.
- Last.fm -
Once you download their player, you
can play full albums or songs and even create your own playlist. The playlist feature
doesn't work well, however, as it is always in shuffle mode so you can't add albums to it and
listen to them in the order that the songs should be. The shuffle mode also tended to
skip entire parts of my playlist and play the same parts much more frequently. If you
choose just to listen to an entire album, the downfall is that you have to hit the play
button in order to start each new song.
- MSN
Listening Booth -
They seem to have a frequent rotation of music, but their scrollable interface is the
worst of the bunch. You might find singles here in lieu of albums.
- RCRD
LBL -
[Added June 24, 2010] If your favorite band has ever released anything for free, this site will have it. They also have a newsletter and a blog
that you can subscribe to. You won't find full albums here, but it's a nice way to trawl for decent indie singles.
- Spinner -
This AOL-based site offers up current CDs for a week or two at a time.
This site and the MSN site often have the same selection of new albums although lately this site has had quite
a few more.
[Update January 12, 2009] I found out that they have an MP3 of the Day site
similar to what Amazon has and so far I've been pleasantly surprised with their free offerings. I find a keeper almost
once a week.
Fair:
- MTV's The Leak -
This one is a bit sparse but they seem to get albums before they hit store shelves.
It's also not kept very current as I often visit and see that there are "no new
leaks available".
Poor:
- Deezer -
This site includes videos and music news and a decent search. It's not a very fast
site, yet the music does stream quickly. I've seen them advertise current albums
and then when I went to play them, the albums were not available. One cool option in
their music section is that you can switch between the top 10 songs from the U.S.,
U.K., France, and Germany and have quick access to fresh music. I am going to play
around with this one more and see if they're worthy of a higher rating.
- IHeartMusic -
Full albums and singles can be streamed here, and they sometimes have videos as well.
I took notice of them because Coldplay's Viva La Vida album was
featured here.
[Update July 23, 2009] I've noticed that they quickly and freely stream a "top 20" list of songs that is comparable to current
music charts. I like this because I often see the music charts or read about popular songs but the crappy radio stations in
Milwaukee aren't very consistent in their formats. This site's "top 20" list lets me pick and choose to hear a variety of
the current top songs.
- MP3.com -
This one seems to have the biggest selection of the bunch. They have a huge alphabetized
list and we're not just talking indie stuff here but some well-known artists as well.
If they just had a way of searching rather than clicking through pages of albums,
it would be killer. However, after observing them for several months, they don't add new
stuff too frequently so I've rated them as "Poor".
If you know of any other sites like this that legally stream free music, PLEASE
let us know!
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