Free Music: How to Find it and Download it, Part 2

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Welcome back. If you’re looking for even more ways to find free music downloads on the web, then keep reading.

If you missed Part 1, we covered: Direct downloading, Google / MSN search strings, Peer to Peer (P2P) downloading, downloading from Newsgroups, and downloading from IRC. Feel free to hop over there and check it out.

In Part 2 of Free Music: How to Find it and Download it, we’ll cover: Ripping directly from Media Players, free downloads from Independent and Major record labels, free Public Domain works, and Converting your music into a usable format.

Everybody put their thinking caps on.

#6 Rip from Media Players (record the radio)

Method 1 – Stand alone Stream Ripping

1. Download, run, & setup Ripcast, Streamripper, Screamer Radio, or Cast-Ripper.
2. Goto you favorite audio streaming/internet radio site like Live 365, Shoutcast, Deezer, di.fm, Icecast, Sideload, ,and Epitonic.
3. Mp3s of everything you listen to will be created in the directory you set during installation.

Method 2 – Winamp plugins

1. Download, run, & setup Winamp.
2. Download, run, & setup Ripcast or Streamripper (here’s a tutorial).
3. Goto you favorite audio streaming/internet radio site like Live365, Shoutcast, di.fm, Icecast, and Epitonic.
4. Mp3s of everything you listen to in Winamp will created in the directory you set during installation.

Method 3 – Pandora Radio / the last.fm

1.Goto Pandora Radio and/or last.fm & setup an account(s).
2.. Download, setup, and run, Firefox, the latest version of Java, and Pandora’s Jar.
(here’s the official guide to Pandora’s Jar)
3. Extract Pandora’s Jar to c:\pandora.
4. Goto c:\pandora and run Pandora.bat.
5. Use Pandora as you normally would & mp3s will be created in c:\pandora\mp3.

Method 4 – Direct recording

1. Download, run, & setup MuvAudio2 or Audacity.
(here’s the long way from Tech-recipes.com using Windows Sound Recorder if you’re bored and got some free time on your hands)
2. Goto you favorite audio streaming/internet radio site like Live365,Shoutcast, blogmusik, di.fm, Icecast, Webjay, Sideload, Epitonic, Pandora, and last.fm.
3. Hit record on your program of choice & hit play on the streaming file.
4. Hit stop when you’re finished & save the file in your medium of choice.

#7 Go Independent

There are a ton of great bands putting out the kind of music you love. Yeah, you gotta wade through a lot of crap to find the good stuff, but it’s always satisfying to find some jewel in the rough.

1. Goto Magnatune, Dmusic, Jamendo, GarageBand, MP34U, betterPropaganda, Altsounds, Artistopia, Unsigned Band Web,WM Recording, Comfort Stand, Hazard Records, Zymogen, Quiet Lounge, Thinner,Out of Obscure, Camomille Music, Webbed Hand Records, Nishi, Soundclick, Bebo, Redfizz, NetLabels, CCHits, AudioStreet, FreeAlbumsGalore, Stage.FM, SectionZ Electronic Music Community, Sutemos, Alpinechic, Ubuweb, Kill Rock Stars, Fat Possum Records, Matador Records, Alternative Tentacles, Go-Kart Records, Saddle Creek Records, Jade Tree, Labrador, Barsuk Records, The Elephant 6 Recording Company, Epitaph Records, Kufala Radio, Moon Ska, Loca Records, and Blue Note.
2. Search
3. Download & enjoy.
4. Don’t forget about #6 above.

Majors acting Indy

1. Checkout these artists – 808 State, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Butthole Surfers, Cocteau Twins, Laura Cantrell, Harvey Danger, Roger McGuinn, Neutral Milk Hotel, Sonic Youth, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, Richard Thompson, and John Vanderslice.
2. Download & enjoy.
3. Don’t forget about #6 above.

#8 Public Domain or Plain ol’ Free

1. For classical music, goto Classic Cat, Wikipedia – Public Domain, MusikEthos, and On Classical.
2. For kids’ music, goto Free Kids Music.

3. Also, checkout Fingertips, NPR All Songs Considered archives, Internet Archive, Public Domain 4U, Oddio Overplay, and Dovesong Foundation.

#9 Sorta Free (from the majors)

Several major players offer free downloads. Of course they are trying to tempt you to join a subscription service or buy some songs , but you’re smarter than that. Read the details at each site very carefully.

1. eMusic, YourMusic.com, Rhapsody, AOL, Yahoo Music, MTV, Ruckus, MP3.com, Napster, ArtistDirect, PureVolume, and Download.com Music
2. Goto Amazon, (download Firefox, Greasemonkey, & the greasemonkey script – Amazon Music Helper.)
3. Don’t forget about #6 above.

Coming soon…SpiralFrog (looks pretty promising).

#10 Free Your Music

Yeah, not really that exciting, but you paid for it. So, let’s put it to good use.

1. Download, run, and setup Tunebite or MusicStacker.
2. Convert your music to something useable.
3. Burn a disc, transfer them to another device, go nuts, and enjoy.

All right guys/gals, that’s all we know about. So if we missed anything, miscategorized, or if we’ve got some stupid links; please enlighten us.
Peace in the Middle East…seriously. I’m running out of gas money, fff