Ever since the end of the last decade, there has been a fascination with the ways in which you can download and acquire music for free online. Hundreds of different software programs were developed that allowed users to login and download music for free from their peers and from third party websites.  But there was one small problem with many of these new software programs. They were not entirely legal.

Fast forward almost a decade and the digital music options on the Internet have grown substantially. Where once music could only be downloaded from a few select places, you can now find music via services like iTunes in massive quantities – hundreds of millions of songs from every genre imaginable all available at any given time for $0.99 each. But, it’s not free and if there’s anything that users want more than availability, it’s affordability.

However, there are solutions out there to help users find music for free in dozens of online locations, cutting out the need for huge budgets to buy new tracks and albums from favorite artists or to sift through the millions of new tracks released every year by existing artists.

One of the best places to start when you’re looking for free music on the Internet is with streaming services. There are hundreds of them online and they all provide valuable ways for users to listen to new tracks from favorite artists, new artists who they’ve heard about but not listened to, or just plain random new music. There are online radio stations in the thousands, streaming feeds from actual radio stations and now there are build your own radio stations where you choose the artists you want to listen to and the site will create a feed of those tracks.

Additionally, you can find free music on video sites where music videos are created and posted in the thousands. You will also find that many artists post at least a limited number of free tracks on their websites to either listen to or even download for free. These tracks can also be found on social network profiles like MySpace or in samplings on any downloading service.

For those looking to find new music, hit up websites that allow artists to post their music for free. Many times, new bands will provide their music to their potential fans free of charge to build a fanbase and create word of mouth for their tracks. You can find many new bands this way and some of today’s biggest acts like Fallout Boy and Gym Class Heroes both did this to get started.

Regardless of your genre tastes or the resources you have at your disposal, music is more readily available online than it has ever been and if you know where to look, finding free music downloads online has never been easier. Search musician websites, online radio stations, video hubs, or music depositories and sharing sites and you’ll find millions of free tracks to listen to, download, and enjoy from your favorite music genres.