Music That is FREE and LEGAL? Yes, Please!

November 26, 2012

That is exactly what you get through one of our newest databases, Freegal!

I love most any kind of music and on any given day, whether I am in a good mood, a contemplative mood, or a blue mood, I find a refuge in music. I'm sure you all have a few specific songs that you return to over and over again; I know I do. I have upbeat songs that I love to listen to while cleaning house or doing chores, I have calm songs that I listen to when I am feeling stressed or just in need of a break, and I have encouraging songs that are great for those days when I just need a little pick-me-up. Music is truly food for the soul and it's wonderful that it comes in so many different flavors; there is something out there to please everyone!

The downfall of a love of music can be the sheer cost of supporting the habit. A CD can cost nearly $20 or more (especially if you're a soundtrack lover), and songs on iTunes can run as expensive as $1.30 each. The Library has CDs available for checkout, but you eventually have to return those. That's where Freegal comes in. Freegal offers thousands of songs for downloading from popular artists that you love. Whether your taste is classical, screamo rock, or country, there is something for you! My personal favorites include soundtracks, Mumford & Sons, and All Sons & Daughters. Freegal also has popular artists such as the Glee Cast, One Direction, Jason Aldean, and Ke$ha.

As a librarian, I was curious to see just how much money I could save by using this database. If you download 3 songs every week (which is the weekly maximum) for a whole year, you would be saving up to $150! That's kind of amazing, especially for those of us who must pay for gas and food before indulging our inner music beast.

A few things you'll want to note when using Freegal are:

• There is a maximum of 3 song downloads per week.
• The week starts on Sunday at 11 p.m. Central Time.
• The songs you download are yours to keep, there is no return/due date (How cool is that?).
• The songs can be used with both MP3 devices and iPods.
• The Freegal app is available in the Google Play and iTunes Stores.

So to my fellow music lovers, I strongly encourage you to hop on over to Freegal and see what kind of music you can find to suit your fancy. Happy listening!

Ruby S.
Red Bridge Branch