A Short Guide To Free Music Online

When it comes to music, to me it doesn’t get any finer than the likes of the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Stevie Ray Vaughn, or Simon and Garfunkel.

Music dramatically influences our daily lives, from how fast our workday goes to how sad or happy we’re feeling in a given moment. All of us have a different relationship to music, but that’s what makes it so personal. After all, what we choose to listen to says a whole lot about who are are.

As wonderful as music is, it can, however, be an expensive passion.  So, I decided to write a short guide to free online music so we can all have a happier day.

Stealing Music Is Bad

Now, I should take a minute to explain what this post is not.

This post is not a “how to” guide on getting free downloadable music online. Musicians put a lot of time, money, and effort into making music for us to enjoy. I believe they should be paid for their efforts just like we pay for everything else.

What is this post about? It’s a listing of sites that allow you to listen to free, legal streaming music, like a radio. But, much more customizable than your local FM station.

1. Pandora.com

By far my favorite site for music is Pandora.com.

Pandora is a result of the Music Genome Project. The Music Genome Project is an incredible analysis of music which has been taking place over the past 8 years.  Every song in the Genome database has been analyzed using 400 different musical characteristics. And, Pandora uses this information to give you only music you love.

How does it work? Well, with Pandora you start by picking an artist you really like. For an example, let’s choose the Beatles.

By picking the Beatles, you’re essentially creating a “station” for yourself. This station will only play music by the Beatles, and other artists that Pandora feels are similar to the Beatles.

What makes Pandora so cool is that you can “like” or “dislike” every song that Pandora plays for you. With each rating your station gets even more customized. And when you “dislike” a song, Pandora immediately chooses another for you to listen to.

A Beatles station is going to play songs like Cat Stevens, Simon and Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, the Turtles, Jethro Tull, etc. You might also get some Grand Funk Railroad in there, or some Stones.

The point here is that you’re telling Pandora what you want to hear. So every time you “dislike” a song, that’s the last time you hear it on that station. And the stuff you like? Pandora gives you more of the same.

And of course, the site saves all your information in your account.

It’s very, very cool. My workday would be a silent, sad thing without Pandora.

Pandora lets you listen to 40 hours per month completely for free. If you go over you can pay 99 cents to listen unlimited for the rest of the month. Or you can become a member for $36 per year. Membership gives you unlimited listening, a higher quality sound, and no ads, amongst other things.

2. TheRadio.com

If you run out of time at Pandora (like I did this month), then you can head over to TheRadio.com.

TheRadio is similar to Pandora in the sense that you can choose a specific artist to listen to, and hear other similar artists on the same station. And, you can “like” and “dislike” songs.

I haven’t spent much time on TheRadio. I really only discovered it a few days ago when a good friend recommended it. So far, I still like Pandora better. Why? Because they do a much better job recommending similar songs to listen to.

Here’s an example. As I write this, I have TheRadio on. I just picked a station featuring the Sundays. They’re a mellow girl group that was big in the ’90′s.

The song that came on next was The O’Kaysion’s, “Girl Watcher”, from their ’60′s Summer Beach Hits Album.

That song sounds nothing like the Sundays. Different genres, different styles, and completely different eras.

So with TheRadio, you’re never sure what you’re going to get. This can be good, or not so good.

3. Grooveshark

Your third option is to head over to Grooveshark.

Grooveshark is another site I’ve only recently discovered. It’s a bit different than Pandora and TheRadio in the sense that you type in an artist or group you want to listen to, and then you get a list of pretty much of every song they ever wrote.

You can start listening immediately, just going down the list. Or you can sort the songs by album, and listen to them that way. And if you take the time to create an account, you can “heart” songs and artists, and start creating a master list of your favorite tunes.

Grooveshark is cool because you can also listen to other people’s playlists, which is actually a pretty neat, voyeuristic way to discover new music and new mixes. And, it lets you search by artist.

So if you typed in “JJ Cale”, you’d be able to browse other people’s mixes that have JJ Cale on them. And, some of the mixes other people have put together are really great. They’ve taken all the work out of the process, so if you find one you like you can just listen to their entire mix.

Yep, it’s cool. And it’s completely free.

Last Word…

I think most of us could use more music in our lives. I think most people listen to music in their car, but forget about listening to it at home. But it’s at home, I think, where it can do the most good.

I have music playing all day when I’m at home, working. But, I also have it playing when I’m cooking dinner, cleaning the house, or just relaxing in the living room at night.

Utilizing streaming online stations is not only a great way to rediscover your old favorites, but they’re always great ways to discover new artists. And the best part? They’re completely free.

Do you have an online music site you love? Let me know! I’d love to find more options to check out and share with readers.