How do you get free music on your Android?

Mobile devices like smartphones and tablets have become the primary way people listen to music on-the-go. With large storage capacities and music apps and services, Android devices make it easy to access tons of music anywhere. However, not everyone wants to pay monthly fees for premium music services or pay per song/album for downloads. That’s why many Android users look for ways to get free music.

There are actually quite a few legal methods to get free music downloads for Android devices without having to pirate songs or steal. This guide will provide an overview of the best ways to get free music legally, including free streaming services, public domain music, Creative Commons music, free radio apps, ripping CDs you own, and more.

Use Free Streaming Services

Many free music streaming apps allow you to listen to tons of songs and playlists without paying. Some popular free options for Android include:

• Spotify – Spotify has an extensive music catalog and playlists. The free tier plays songs on shuffle mode and includes ads. You can’t download music for offline playback.¹
• Pandora – Pandora is great for music discovery. You can create personalized radio stations based on artists or songs you like. The free version has ads and limits skips.
• Amazon Music – Amazon Music’s free tier has a limited catalog, but lets you play any song on demand. You’ll hear ads.
• SoundCloud – SoundCloud has a huge collection of music and podcasts uploaded by creators. The free version shows display ads.

While free music apps don’t offer full access to every song or let you save offline, they provide an easy free way to stream tons of music on your Android.

Use YouTube

YouTube is one of the best places to find free music to download. While YouTube is primarily a video platform, you can use online converters to extract the audio from YouTube videos and save them as MP3 files.

Here are some ways to download free music from YouTube:

• Search for the song or album you want on YouTube. You’ll often find full albums and playlists uploaded by users.
• Copy the video URL from your browser bar.
• Go to a YouTube to MP3 converter site like YTMP3 or ToMP3.cc. Paste the URL into the site.
• The site will extract the audio and allow you to download the song as an MP3 file. Some sites may also allow you to select MP3 quality.
• Save the MP3 files to your computer or Android device. You can now add them to your music library.

Using online converters is one of the easiest ways to download free music from YouTube. Just make sure to only use this for legally uploaded songs and properly cite any music you extract this way.

Use SoundCloud

SoundCloud is an online music sharing platform where artists can upload their original tracks and make them available for free listening and downloading. Many unsigned and independent artists distribute their music through SoundCloud, allowing you to find free music to download.

To download music from SoundCloud for free:

1. Go to SoundCloud.com and find a track you want to download. Make sure the track is actually downloadable and not locked for paid subscribers.
2. Copy the SoundCloud track URL or open it directly in your browser.
3. Go to a SoundCloud downloader site like SoundCloud Downloader, Soundcloud Downloader, or SoundCloud to MP3.
4. Paste the SoundCloud track URL and click “Download”.
5. The track will download as an MP3 file that you can save and listen to anytime.

Using a SoundCloud downloader tool is the easiest way to save tracks off the platform. This method lets you quickly convert SoundCloud streams to downloadable MP3 files you can store locally. Focus on tracks from rising artists and independents to find free music to grow your collection.

Check Public Domain Sites

One great way to get free music is to find and download classic songs where the copyright has expired. There are many websites dedicated to public domain music that offer downloads of these works for free.

For example, MusOpen has an extensive catalog of classical music recordings available to download without copyright restrictions. You can find symphonies, concertos, operas, and more by famous composers like Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach ready to add to your device.

Free Music Archive is another good source for public domain music spanning many genres and time periods. They offer curated selections of vintage blues, jazz, country songs, and early rock n’ roll that have entered the public domain over the years and can be downloaded in MP3 format.

The benefit of public domain music sites like these is you can get high-quality recordings of classic songs without having to worry about licensing issues or data usage from streaming. Just a couple downloads and you’ll have hours of free music ready to enjoy offline whenever you want.

Use Creative Commons Music

Creative Commons (CC) is a non-profit organization that enables sharing of creativity and knowledge through free legal tools. CC provides licenses that creators can use to allow others to share, use and build upon their creative work – with conditions such as attribution. Millions of creators and companies publish under Creative Commons licenses.

There are many websites that offer Creative Commons licensed music to download and use freely:

• Legal Music For Videos – Offers a searchable database of CC music.
• Legal Music for Remixing and Sampling – Provides CC music for remixing and sampling.
• Free Music Archive – Curates CC licensed music from various artists.

With Creative Commons licensing, you can find free music to use in your own projects legally. Just make sure to provide attribution as required.

 

Rip Music from CDs

One way to legally obtain free music is by ripping audio CDs that you already own. This allows you to transfer the music from the CD to your Android device. According to the Audio Home Recording Act of 1992, it’s legal to make copies of CDs you own for personal, non-commercial use.

To rip a CD to your Android phone:

• Insert the audio CD into your computer’s disc drive.
• Open your computer’s CD ripping software, such as Windows Media Player or iTunes on Windows/Mac or fre:ac on Linux (Source).
• Select the tracks you want to rip and click the Rip button.
• The ripped tracks will be saved as MP3, FLAC, or other audio files on your computer.
• Connect your Android phone to your computer via USB and transfer the ripped tracks to your phone’s storage.
• You can now listen to the CD tracks directly on your Android device anytime without the disc.

Ripping your own CDs is a convenient way to get free music on your Android phone legally.

Load Music Files

One of the easiest ways to add music to your Android device for free is to load existing music files that you already own. You can transfer music files that you have on your computer to your Android via USB cable, cloud storage, or wirelessly over WiFi.

To transfer music via USB cable, first connect your Android device to your computer using a USB cable. Then on your computer, locate the music files you want to transfer and copy them. Next, browse to your Android device’s storage in your computer’s file explorer and paste the music files into the music folder. Many Android devices use the folder Music or Music/Media for music storage.

You can also upload your music files to cloud storage like Google Drive or Dropbox and then access them on your Android device by installing the cloud service’s app. Download the files to your Android device for easy access anytime.

For wireless transfer, use an app like AirDroid to quickly upload music files from your computer to your Android device over WiFi. Make sure both devices are on the same WiFi network, then use AirDroid’s file manager to locate your music files and upload them.

By loading existing music files to your Android this way, you can easily add your own music collection without having to repurchase songs or albums. It also allows you to consolidate your music in one place for playback on your mobile device.

Radio Apps

Radio apps are another great way to access free music and audio content without paying on Android. There are many apps that allow you to stream radio stations from around the world. Simple Radio is one of the top options, with over 100,000 radio stations available. It offers both FM and AM stations covering many genres. The app is free with no ads.

Other popular radio apps like TuneIn and My Radio also provide access to radio stations worldwide without any costs. These let you browse by location and genre to find the type of music you want. The apps often include both traditional broadcast radio and internet radio streams. While there may be some audio ads, you can access hours of music at no charge. Radio apps give you diverse musical options without needing a streaming music subscription.

Conclusion

There are many ways to get free music for your Android device without having to pay. The most popular options are using free streaming services like Spotify, YouTube, and SoundCloud which allow you to listen to tons of songs, playlists, albums, and more without spending any money. You can also find public domain music and Creative Commons-licensed songs that you can freely download and own forever.

Other options include ripping music from your existing CD collection, transferring existing MP3 files to your phone using a USB cable or cloud storage, and using radio apps to discover new free music. Just be sure not to engage in any illegal downloading or file-sharing when acquiring free music.

With all of these options, you should have no problem building a free music library for your Android. Take some time to explore the various apps and sites, create playlists and favorites lists, and find your new favorite songs and artists – all without spending a dime.