Over the years, tons of authorized websites and apps have offered legitimate and free music to make sure you’re never out of new songs.
Where to Find Free iPhone and iTunes Music
The music sites and apps listed below aren’t the only places to get free MP3s, but these sites have so much free music that you’ll never be able to listen to everything each has to offer.
Free Music Apps
Free music apps are the easiest way to get free music on your iPhone because these apps involve streaming. There are lots of great apps that deliver free music to your iPhone, some with massive libraries and others with a handful of curated picks each day.
SoundCloud
While SoundCloud has become a go-to destination for major acts selling new albums, it started as a place for free indie music and still has a lot of that to offer. It’s also a great option if you’re a musician, matching a simple place to distribute your music to a big audience.
Free Music Archive
Free Music Archive is a huge collection of free music for iPhone is offered by WFMU, one of the premier free-form radio stations in the U.S. All the music is contributed by WFMU or other curators invited to the project, and has been cleared for use by the musicians. Even better, some of the music is licensed to allow you to use it for other projects.
Last.fm
The free music at Last.fm is primarily aimed at learning what kind of music you like and helping you find more of it. If you prefer to check out the free stuff without recommendations, Last.fm will oblige with several dozen free downloads.
Jamendo
If you love to discover the next cool independent artist, Jamendo will be your next favorite website. This collection of nearly half a million songs contains exclusively indie artists looking to connect to fans for free.
Live Music Archive
While it has a similar name, the Live Music Archive isn’t related to the Free Music Archive. It’s not the place to go for the latest indie gems or smash hits. Instead, it’s a treasure trove for fans of live concert recordings. Even better, it’s one part of the larger Archive.org collection of audio, including podcasts, old radio shows, and more.
Apple Music
The Apple Music service is built into the Music app that comes pre-installed on every iPhone. It’s not always free—eventually, you have to subscribe—but the initial free trial lets you stream an unlimited number of songs and download songs for offline listening. However, if you don’t subscribe, you’ll lose the downloads.
DatPiff
Hip hop fans know the importance of a good mixtape, and DatPiff is the source for tons of free mixtapes from big-name rappers and the hottest up-and-comers. You can stream virtually everything on the site, but only some mixtapes are free.
YouTube Music
Google’s alternative to Apple Music offers a month of free streaming from the YouTube Music catalog before you have to start paying. Like Apple Music, if you forget to cancel (or want to stay subscribed), you’re charged a monthly fee.
Musopen
Lovers of classical music will enjoy Musopen. This site is dedicated to classical music. It provides a large library of free recordings of works from hundreds of composers and performers, and it also offers sheet music downloads for those looking to learn how to play.
NoiseTrade
Designed to help indie and up-and-coming bands and musicians find new fans, NoiseTrade offers thousands of free EPs. Making things even cooler, many of these EPs have exclusive songs you won’t find anywhere else. The site also offers free e-book downloads if you want something to read while you rock.
ReverbNation
In addition to its suite of promotional and career tools to help new artists become big names, ReverbNation offers some downloads and a tremendous amount of free streaming music through its app. You’ll find virtually any genre of music here.
Other Free Music Sources
There are dozens—maybe hundreds or even thousands—of places to stream free music online. Some are legal, but many offer the music without compensating the musicians. If you want to use those sites and services, there’s nothing we can do to stop you. However, we highly recommend visiting legal free music download websites to find free music for your iPhone and iTunes library.
