Free Classical Music on the Internet

24 September 2007
Where should you look if you want to find free classical music on the Internet? Classical Music UK finds out...

An updated version of this article is available by clicking here. This is an archived version.

free classical internet music Nearly every type of Classical Music can be found on the internet, but at online shops like iTunes it's mostly not free. Seek out cost-free recordings to save money!

The amount of information about classical music on the internet increases every day, and so does the amount of classical music available to watch and listen to.

Many people search for free classical music recordings on the internet, either in MP3 format, or as 'streaming' audio or video.

'Streaming' classical music is free audio or video that you can watch online whilst using the internet, but which can't be downloaded to your computer or digital music player (such as an iPod). Musicians often stream music on their websites for free if they want you to hear their music, but don't want you to download it without paying for it.

Free Streaming Music

The first port of call for you when you're looking for free classical music on the internet, should be the websites of the classical music artists themselves. There, you can usually see clips of 'official' tracks. But what if you want to hear the whole of a performance?

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The most comprehensive free resource of classical music on the internet is probably the thousands of videos that have been uploaded to YouTube and other video networks such as Google Video. Here, you can choose from enormous numbers of tracks.

Free Downloadable Classical Music

What if you want to download free Classical Music MP3s to your computer music player? Well, free downloadable recordings are hard to find (unless you download them illegally - not recommended!). But there are some dedicated websites, such as Classic Cat (http://www.classiccat.net/) that specialize in directing you to places where you can download free classical music on the internet.

However, Classical Music UK recommends that if you're really after lots and lots of classical music, cheap is better than free! A subscription to a website like Naxos Music Library costs less than $20 per year, and allows you to listen to unlimited amounts of music from their catalogue.

Similarly, there are increasing numbers of music subscription services, that allow you to listen to unlimited amounts of music for a set fee per month. These services, such as Napster and Rhapsody, can be great value, as you always know that you are getting top quality downloads (free download can sometimes be dodgy, particularly if they come from a disreputable source!). They're usually very good value too - you can access almost any piece of music!


Napster and Rhapsody are both examples of music websites that allow you download or stream unlimited music for a small regular subscription

Don't forget you can also stream free excerpts of classical music at almost any online music download store.

Top Free Classical Music Websites

We've picked a selection of the best locations on the internet where you can find free classical music:

http://www.classiccat.net/ (the best site for free Classical Music on the Internet)

http://www.classicalarchives.com/ (only 5 free tracks a day unless you pay)

http://www.mfiles.co.uk/mp3-files.htm (these are mostly very boring computer simulated MP3 performances!)