In this era, it’s harder and harder to buy and download music. New audio CDs have disappeared from most stores and many websites have stopped selling MP3 albums. The music industry hopes you’ll stream your music, as that is now where they make their millions. But some of the older generations still see merit in actually downloading and acquiring music.
There are legitimate reasons for this. With streaming, you don’t possess or control anything, and music availability can change overnight. Also, musicians and artists make very little money on the various streaming platforms. Fans who care about their favorite artists’ livelihood want them to make a living wage. And how are you going to listen to some tunes if you find yourself without internet (gasp!)?
I’ll admit to being a Gen Xer. I’ve moved from cassette tapes to CDs to Napster/Limewire to online purchases of music, over the decades. I’ve tried streaming services, and can see why they work well for many. But they’re just not a fit for my tastes. Here are some resources and tactics I use to acquire and possess MP3 music:
Websites That Still Sell Music
Apple is still in the business of selling music. You may use the iTunes Music Store to buy and download MP3s on computers and mobile devices.
Amazon Music has a very large offering for you to shop and buy from. You’ll just have to (repeatedly!) dodge their streaming offers as you go.
Bandcamp is one of my favorites, as I get the impression that they pay their artists a better percentage. And occasionally, Bandcamp declares a certain day of sales that pass more revenue on to their creators! The only limitation with Bandcamp is that you may not find all of the big artists you want on their platform. Smaller, indie and European artists tend to appear here.
Qobuz also appears to sell MP3s for download, and I’ve been reading a lot of good about them. But I haven’t yet patronized them, so this is not (yet) a full endorsement…
PS: feel free to buy used CDs of music from eBay or similar marketplaces. And keep in mind that many thrift stores and yard sales contain caches of music discs. Those CDs can always be ripped to your computer as MP3 files!
Free Methods to Acquire Music
I apologize for this disclaimer, but please remember that I’m running a wholesome business here, and the world runs better when we all respect one another: Please do not steal music. Please do not break the law. Please pay for the music you enjoy, whenever possible.
OK, glad to have that over and done with. Here are the ways that I get free music, when buying it isn’t possible:
Public libraries often allow you to check out audio CDs. If you bring home a music CD from your library, you may use your computer’s CD drive to rip the music to your hard drive as MP3 files.
The Internet Archive has an audio section that is easily searchable and allows for free downloads.
There are a variety of websites that offer downloads of music that has entered the public domain, such as:
I know there are plenty of other websites out there to help with this endeavor. If you’ve had good results with a resource not listed here, drop a comment or email me about it. I’ll check it out and may add it for others to enjoy, thanks!