Music Sites for Downloads

Best Music Sites for Downloads

Before you set out on your journey to download everything from emo music to Hindi songs, it may be best to understand what you're getting into. Our music file guide will help you better understand the difference between MP3 and WMA, for example, ensuring that the format you select is compatible with your computer and your portable music player. After all, not all file types will work the iPod or PSP.

Can't Beat the Price of Free

Just because it's free doesn't mean that it's not legal. There are a number of websites on the Internet that not only offer free online music, but they even offer free music from today's hottest stars! You're not restricted to independent labels who are desperately looking for attention! Here are a few Internet destinations to get you started.

• Download.com: Billed as being safe, trusted, and spyware-free, Download.com is a website where you can download many different things, including trial software and -- in line with the interests of this article -- free music. You can sort through their library based on genre, region, editor's picks, audience picks, and new releases. Feel free to check out the daily playlists for more options as well.

• Jamendo.com: If you're looking for something a little less mainstream and little less known, Jamendo has an assortment of free legal music downloads from new and unsigned artists. The offerings span a variety of genres, so there's something here for everyone. The user review section will help you decide which tune is for you.

• ArtistLabel.com: Further to the underground trend, ArtistLabel is a website with multiple charts that help users find new and popular music for their streaming enjoyment. There are charts for everything from daily hits to all-time blockbusters.

Pay for Legal Music Downloads

If you're willing to pony up a few bucks, a whole world of music becomes available to you. Some of these charge on a per-track basis, while others are subscription-based, offering you an unlimited number of music downloads for a flat monthly fee. Whichever option you choose, you can rest assured that these files should be free of viruses and other nasty things that could harm your computer. Go ahead, find new music to download for a small fee.

• Earthlink: Part of the larger Earthlink entertainment area, the Earthlink music channel has millions of music tracks available for download, including many lists of popular content.

• MP3.com: Well, that makes sense. It's right there in the name of the website. When it first launched, MP3.com catered to more underground music (downloaded for free), but has since expanded into a Pay For Play service where artists get a revenue cut based on how much traffic they bring.

• Real Rhapsody: Based on the popular RealPlayer platform, this music download service is membership-based, charging $12.99 per month for Rhapsody Unlimited and $14.99 for Rhapsody To Go.

• Yahoo Music: Also subscription-based, Yahoo Music was designed to compete directly against online P2P sharing networks, offering legal downloads to music junkies. Cheaper than Real Rhapsody, Yahoo Music charges $70 annually or $9 monthly.

• Amazon: Yes, the same online store where you can buy books and video games online, you can use to buy an assortment of music too and I'm not just talking about CDs. In fact, they have a section that offers free music downloads!