Free (Legal) Music on the Web

There is such a massive variety of free, legal music available on the internet, that I thought I might create a list here for those of you not in the know. Typically, there are two types of downloads available, 1) tracks from albums, or 2) live recorded shows. I will provide links and details about both types listed here. There is a third type of resource referred to as the "Flash jukebox". This is usually a Flash based web page that lists all the tracks from a particular album. You can listen to the album in its entirety. The only problem is that you usually have to manually select the song you want played. In other words, you can't let it play the whole album on its own. When one song ends, you have to click "Next" or click on another song name to get it going again. I've left out most sites that rely heavily on RealMedia just because I'm not a big fan of the RealPlayer and you can't play RealMedia files on any other media player. Also, feel free to comment about other resources/artists I'm sure that I've missed. Hopefully, there's enough variety here for everyone. So, here they are (in no particular order)...enjoy!

NOTE: I've put a link to the artist's website, plus an additional link to the location of the media, if there is one and if possible. Otherwise an explanation is given.

NOTE: For those unfamiliar with online media, when you get a link to a .M3U file, that just means it's a streaming version of an MP3. If Windows Media Player is your default player, just choose 'File' -> 'Save As...' and it will ask you where you want to save the MP3 file. For iTunes users it's a little more complicated. iTunes will ask you if you want to save the file or open it from its current location. If you choose to save, you're only saving the .M3U file. If you choose to open, you're opening the MP3, but not saving it to your hard drive. You know what, if any of the three people that read this blog can't figure it out, you know how to reach me.

DISCLAIMER: I make no guarantees as to the following:
1) the quality or availability of the media files mentioned; or
2) my ability to read your mind as to what you consider good music - the point here is to provide free, legal music resources - if you don't like the artists I've posted, just check the websites of your favorite artists


Artist websites:

Kings of Convenience - Flash Jukebox

Turin Brakes - Flash Jukebox

David Wilcox - Flash Jukebox & 1 MP3
(click on "listen" in the top menu to access the Flash Jukebox)

Stephen Fearing - MP3s
(there are more downloads from Stephen Fearing at Live Tour Artists below)

Kelly Joe Phelps - M3Us
(click on any album besides the newest one then click on the word "PLAY" next to the track listings)

David Hopkins - MP3s
(the "listen" links will take you to CDBaby.com for samples - the "mp3" links are the ones you want)

Mindy Smith - M3Us

Vienna Teng - MP3s
(the files you download here are ZIP files, again contact me if you three need help with this)

Willy Porter - MP3s
(this is Flash website, so a direct link to the media is not possible - from the main page, click "the music" on the menu and you'll see a listing of MP3s)

Glen Phillips - MP3s

They Might Be Giants - MP3s
(another Flash site, so a direct link to the media is not possible - from the first page, click "Enter", then at the bottom right click "Free MP3s, Huzzah!" - they'll ask you for your e-mail address and will mail you a link to free MP3s)

Rob Seals - M3Us
(all of the M3U files from the Wishlisting album are full songs - the only other full song is from the Revolution of One album called "Count the Ways")

Phil Roy - MP3s

David Wilcox - MP3
(from the same link, click "listen" from the top menu and a Flash jukebox will come up with the ability to listen to two of his albums in their entirety)

Dave Potts - MP3s
(at the bottom of the page there are links to the full versions of two previously unreleased tracks - the rest of the links on the page are just samples)

Brooks Williams - MP3s


Non-artist websites:
(the next 7 listings will take some leg work to get to the good stuff that lies therein)

Download.com
(good place to start: David Hopkins)

MySpace.com - Flash Jukeboxes
(good place to start: Dave Barnes)

Epitonic
(good place to start: Boxharp)

Live Tour Artists
(good place to start: Stephen Fearing)

Archive.org - Live Audio (varying media types)
(good place to start: Glen Phillips)

WRLT Lightning 100 - Nashville Sunday Nights Live MP3s
(good place to start: Turin Brakes)

Grassroots Music - MP3s
(good place to start: Carolyn Arends)

iTunes - Every Tuesday/Wednesday a free download


Fan websites:

Dave Barnes - Live MP3s
(four live shows in their entirety - this is the only site where I haven't checked the quality of the files - in other words, these MP3s may be from a guy sitting in the audience holding a tape recorder - check 'em out, let me know)

Kings Of Convenience - Live MP3s
(seven live shows in their entirety, 5 tracks from previous band "Skog", plus 4 rare MP3s)

Unfortunate Piñata Fillings

By Maureen Traverse
(courtesy of McSweeney's)

- Whiskers
- 9-volt batteries
- Armed Greeks
- The unabridged OED
- Bus schedules
- Throwing stars
- Newports (menthol)
- Refrigerator magnets in the shapes of states
- Styrofoam peanuts
- Tear gas
- Flightless birds
- Torpor

Things I've Learned the Hard Way in the Last Few Days

1) Home A/C units are very expensive;
2) No matter how tempting, NEVER yell at your in-laws;
3) No matter how justified you were in yelling at said in-laws, always be ready to apologize and ask forgiveness;
4) Liability on a vehicle is no good when the person you hit leaves the scene of the accident;
5) Only having one vehicle in a family of three is not as bad as it seems;
6) ALWAYS talk to someone more experienced than you before using Compound-W;
7) The card game "Fluxx" is fun, but pricey;

*** This is Not an Advertisement ***

What do potato chips, chocolate-chip cookies and a Christian band have in common?

I become more and more aware everyday how much spiritual warfare goes on in this world. Not too long ago I had no clear definition or understanding of what the words "spiritual warfare" really meant. For anyone whose only exposure to spiritual warfare is This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti (or something similar), when the words "spiritual warfare" are spoken, your mind may imagine warrior-angels doing battle with demons in some unseen dimension, the results of which somehow affect the everyday lives of believers and non-believers alike. For anyone else, what is it that you imagine?

I was in Walgreen's waiting for a prescription to be filled and I'm looking for a snack. I go to the "snack-isle" and begin perusing the potato chip section. I was just about to grab a bag of Ruffle's or Lay's when something caught my eye: Uncle Ray's Potato Chips. Well, I'm all for supporting the little guy, so I grab a bag. I glance on the back of the bag and notice the words "James: 4:4-15, Whereas ye know..." in bold font, and I think, "Wow, that's cool. Uncle Ray's doing his part to be a witness for Christ, in what some may consider a boring, dead-end job." So, I continue down the isle and see a big bag of chocolate-chip cookies, but it's not the cookies that caught my attention...it was the brand name: Sinful Sensations.

(Okay, the four of you that actually read this blog on a regular basis, just stick with me, I am going somewhere not-cheesy with this.)

The Sinful Sensation cookies stare down at me from the top shelf and I think, "What is this world coming to, when you have to advertise to people using the word 'sin' and it is actually meant to tempt?" That thought comes and goes just as Uncle Ray did, not fifteen seconds earlier.

So, now I've paid for my prescription, potato chips and a bottle of Ocean Spray and I'm leaving the Walgreen's parking lot listening to a very cool Switchfoot song (which ones aren't cool?). The song proclaims, "We were meant to live for so much more / have we lost ourselves?" At this point, I'm half-way through Uncle Ray's potato chips. I grab the bag, turn it over and read what James 4:14-15 says (NASB - not that I have any issue with Unky Ray using the KJV, the NASB is just more readable):

[14]Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.

[15]Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.

Now, is there spiritual warfare going on here? Probably. Are there angels and demons carrying out some battle, invisible to my human eyes? Maybe. Are there things in this world that are constantly trying to pull my eyes off of God and His truth? Absolutely. Do those things include a bag of Sinful Sensations chocolate-chip cookies? Probably not.

My point is, if we are to really understand spiritual warfare, we need to understand that it is, in part, a battle for our minds. I won't find a demon around every corner in my house, but are there rooms that need "cleaning out"? If I look for demons behind every bush, will I miss the "sinful sensations" that appear right in front of my eyes?

Just food for thought.