There are a couple easy ways to get free music off the Internet. The first (and most legal) method is to get free music downloads directly from the artist. Many upstart bands and independent musicians use social networking sites like MySpace to market themselves, providing samples of their work online free of charge. Simply visit their site and stream free songs while you consider buying their album.

Another way to find free music is through streaming radio. While it is often illegal to provide free songs from copyrighted artists, licensing laws allow for music to be “broadcast” over the Internet in a somewhat random fashion. While services like Pandora allow you to tailor what you hear, the way in which the free music is delivered to you exempts it from any copyright infringement.

The last way and perhaps most controversial method for finding free songs on the Internet is file sharing. File sharing allows users to exchange music downloads, usually in the form of a free mp3 file, amongst themselves via a P2P network. This exchange of free music is almost completely user-driven and is thus unregulated, as it would be impossible to monitor the activity between the millions of users online. Because of this, it is possible for illegal music to be traded. To prevent this, many agents are spot checking activity for illicit file sharing, so be advised when attempting to find free music this way.

When it comes to finding free music downloads, the Internet is your oyster! Explore with gusto, but exercise caution when file sharing. Don't let your free mp3 files come at the expense of someone else. Support your favorite musicians by downloading free songs responsibly.