Get Free Music on an iPhone

While you can't find free music on iTunes any more, you can still get free music from a variety of other sources. There are a multitude of free streaming services that allow you to listen to music on the go without paying for anything. You can also convert YouTube videos into audio files, or download music files from other places online.

Steps

Downloading Music from YouTube

  1. Find the song you want to download on YouTube on your computer. It's not possible to easily download YouTube videos on your iPhone, but you can use your computer to download music from YouTube with just a few clicks.
    • You can turn any YouTube video into an audio file file which can be played on your iPhone, including music videos, songs, remixes and more.
  2. Copy the address for the video you want to turn into an audio file. Make sure to copy the entire address for the video from your browser's address bar.
  3. Open a YouTube downloader site. These sites take YouTube videos and convert them into video files and MP3s that you can play on your computer and iPhone. Popular sites include:
    • keepvid.com
    • savido.net
    • clipconverter.cc
    • savetube.com
  4. Paste the YouTube video URL into the field on the downloader site. Paste the address into the text field in the video downloader site. This is usually right in the center of the page.
  5. Click the "Download" button after pasting the link. Make sure you click the real Download button, as many of these sites include deceptive ads that look like Download buttons.
  6. Select and download any of the audio-only links. You'll find several links, including video and audio-only. You'll typically find MP3, M4A, and AAC links. All three of these formats are supported by iTunes, so you can choose any of them. Use this link to download the audio file to your computer.
    • Make sure to name the file something recognizable so that you know what song it is. The default filename will usually not be very clear.
  7. Open iTunes once you've downloaded all of your songs. Once you have a bunch of songs downloaded that you want to send to your iPhone, open up iTunes so that you can add them to your library and then sync them.
  8. Add the downloaded songs to your iTunes library. Click the "Music" button and then drag and drop the audio files into the iTunes window. This will add the files to your iTunes library.
  9. Sync the music files to your iPhone. Once the music files have been added to your iTunes library, you can sync them with your iPhone using either a USB cable or a Wi-Fi connection:
    • USB - Connect your iPhone to your computer using the USB cable. You should see it appear at the top of the iTunes window. Select all of the files you just added in iTunes, and then start dragging them. Your iPhone will appear in a sidebar on the left side of the window. Drop them on the iPhone to begin syncing the new music files to your iPhone.
    • Wi-Fi - Ensure Wi-Fi syncing is enabled by connecting your iPhone via USb and checking "Sync with this iPhone over Wi-Fi" in the Summary screen. You can then disconnect your iPhone and sync wirelessly with Wi-Fi. You'll need to be connected to the same wireless network as the computer, but you don't need the USB. Drag and drop the music files onto your iPhone in iTunes and they will be copied.
    • Apple Music - If you're an Apple Music subscriber, you can add the music files to your iCloud Music Library. Make sure you're signed into the iTunes program with your Apple ID, and that "iCloud Music Library" is enabled in the Preferences menu. iTunes will upload your local library to your iCloud Music Library, which will be accessible on all of your connected devices, including your iPhone.

Streaming Free Music

  1. Download a music streaming app from the App Store. There are a variety of streaming apps that will allow you to listen to free music, usually with a few ads in between every few songs. A few of the most popular apps include the following, all of which support free music streaming:
    • Pandora
    • Spotify
    • Google Play Music
    • Slacker Radio
  2. Connect to a wireless network (optional). Music streaming uses up a lot of data, so you'll likely want to connect to a wireless network if possible, especially if you're going to be listening for a while.
  3. Launch the app after downloading and installing it. You'll likely be greeted with a welcome screen when launching it for the first time.
  4. Create an account. Most streaming apps will require you to create a free account in order to stream. You may be able to use your Facebook account for some apps, like Spotify. If you're using Google Play Music, you can use the Google account that you're already using for other Google apps on your iPhone.
  5. Find a station to listen to. The interface for each streaming app is different, but generally you'll pick a station that you want to listen to and the app will begin streaming music. There are usually different stations for different genres and moods.
    • You may be able to search for specific artists to start stations with similar music.

Downloading Music from SoundCloud

  1. Open Chrome, Firefox, or Safari on your computer. To download SoundCloud songs, you'll need to use one of these browsers on your computer. Once you download the songs you want, you can sync them to your iPhone using iTunes.
  2. Open the SoundCloud page for the song you want to download. Use Chrome, Firefox, or Safari to open the page for the song you want to download. Make sure you open the page for the individual song, not an artist's page.
    • If the free Download button is available, use it instead. This helps support the artist, and will give you a higher-quality file.
  3. Press .F12 to open the developer tools. This will open a sidebar with a variety of different developer tools.
    • If you're on a Mac, press ⌘ Cmd+⌥ Opt+I.
  4. Click the "Network" tab in the developer tools. This will open the network timeline in the sidebar.
  5. Refresh the page and play the song. You'll see that the Network tab resets, and various bars start appearing in the Timeline column.
    • The song needs to be playing in order to find it.
  6. Sort the Network tab by "Size." Sort the column so that the largest items appear at the top of the list.
  7. Find the song file. It will usually appear at the top of the list, since it is almost always the largest file on the page. The file will not have a recognizable name, but it will say "audio/mpeg" or "mpeg" in the "Type" column.
  8. Right-click the song file and select "Open in a new tab." This will open the MP3 file in a new tab in your browser. You won't see anything but the playback controls.
  9. Save the file. Once the MP3 file has been opened in a new tab, you can save it to your computer. Make sure to give the file a recognizable name, since the filename will likely be a jumble of characters. The process is slightly different depending on your browser:
    • Chrome - Click the Chrome Menu button (☰) and select "Save page as".
    • Firefox - Click the Firefox Menu button (☰) and select "Save Page".
    • Safari - Click the "Safari" menu and select "Save page as".
  10. Add the MP3 files to your iTunes library. After you've downloaded the files, you can add it to your iTunes library so that you can easily transfer it to your iPhone. Open iTunes and click the Music button, then drag the MP3 files into the iTunes window. This will add them to your iTunes music library.
  11. Sync the music files to your iPhone. Once the files are in your library, you can quickly add them to your iPhone by dragging them and then releasing them on your iPhone that appears in the left frame. If you have Wi-Fi syncing enabled for your iPhone, you'll just need to be connected to the same wireless network as your computer.
    • You can enable wireless syncing by connecting your iPhone via USb and then checking the "Sync with this iPhone over Wi-Fi" box in the Summary screen in iTunes. You'll be able to sync your music and other media as long as you're on the same network as your computer.

Using Freegal

  1. Visit the Freegal website on your computer. Freegal is a site that uses your library membership to access free, legal music. You'll need a participating library membership.[1]
    • You'll need to download the music on your computer and then use iTunes to transfer the files. You're limited to three downloads per week, but there is no limit to the number of plays or how long you keep the files.
    • You can use the Freegal app to stream music, which may also count towards your downloads.
  2. Click the Login link. This will open the library look-up page.
  3. Find your library. Use the search fields to find your library. Your library must be a participating member in order for your to access the music files.
  4. Enter your library card information. Enter the number from your library card. You may also need to enter a special PIN from your library, depending on their system.
  5. Find the music you want to download. You can use the search field or browse through the top charts. You can find music from many top artists.
  6. Download music. You are allowed three downloads per week. Find and download the tracks you want to add to your iPhone for the week.
    • Your download count resets every Monday at 12:01 AM Central Time.
  7. Add the downloaded music to your iTunes music library. Drag and drop the MP3 files into the iTunes window to add them to your iTunes music library.
  8. Connect your iPhone and sync the music. Start dragging the newly-added files in iTunes and you'll see your iPhone appear in the left frame. Drop the files onto your iPhone in this frame to sync them to your iPhone.

Using Amazon

  1. Visit the Amazon Digital Music site on your computer. Visit Amazon.com and navigate to the Digital Music section. You can find this in the "Departments" menu.[2]
  2. Click the "More Deals" link in the "Digital Music Deals" section. You'll find this on the left side of the Digital Music home page.
  3. Click "Free" in the "Songs by Price" or "Albums by Price" section. This will display all of the free music available by song or by album.
  4. Find the music you want to download. You can use the categories on the left side of the screen to narrow the results and find music you want to listen to.
  5. Click the "Free" button next to a song you want to download. You'll be able to add the music to your cart. You'll need to "Purchase" the music in order to download it, even though it doesn't cost anything.
  6. Download your music. After purchasing your music, click the "Download purchases" button to download the MP3 files to your computer. You'll be prompted to download the Amazon music manager program, but you can choose to just download the file instead.
  7. Add the downloaded files to your iTunes library. Click and drag the music files into the iTunes window. This will add them to your iTunes music library.
  8. Connect your iPhone and sync the files. Use your USB cable to attach your iPhone to your computer. Start dragging the newly-added files in iTunes and you'll see your iPhone appear in a frame on the left side of the window. Drop the files onto the iPhone to begin syncing them.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. Jump up ↑ http://sthelens.freegalmusic.com/questions
  2. Jump up ↑ http://www.cnet.com/news/no-more-free-singles-from-apple-five-free-music-alternatives/
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