Almost every day I work the reference desk one of my patrons approaches me and asks me to help him or her download free music from the web. Often the request comes in a whisper–the patron leans in, eyes twinkling with mischief, perhaps thinking there will be something untoward in the process of acquiring free songs. While a lot of folks know you can find “free” music online at certain notorious and best unmentioned spots, some might need reminding that the CLP system subscribes to Freegal. It’s part of our eCLP package of amazing digital resources any patron can access free with a library card.
With Freegal you get five free songs (MP3s) per week, refreshing each Monday. So every Monday, you can grab five more songs to keep forever. That’s right, they’re yours to keep. Freegal’s selection rarely disappoints me. Every genre gets love. Literally millions of songs fill its many categories. Love Adele? All of the Songs from her latest album 25 are on there. Big 1990s R&B fan? Freegal’s got PM Dawn and A Tribe Called Quest. How about reggae? Maxi Priest can fill the bill. In some cases, if Freegal doesn’t offer songs from a favorite performer or band, they’ll have a collection of tribute albums with popular songs reinterpreted by other artists. Led Zeppelin is a good example of this.
Freegal also features streaming music, and offers a free app that will allow you to bring the service to your mobile device.
While Freegal does not have agreements with every artist or label, it has a lot. Once you dive in, you’ll be building a digital music collection that’s hundreds of hours in length, and as varied as your tastes allow. You get all that content free of charge and totally free of guilt. Freegal is aptly named indeed.
–Scott
Eleventh Stack 