Free Music Archive
Free Music Archive is a web-based library of audio and video that visitors can listen to, download, or stream for free.
What Free Music Archive is
Free Music Archive is a web-based library of audio and video that visitors can listen to, download, or stream for free. Its catalogue includes original music from independent artists, much of it offered under Creative Commons licenses. Search filters cover license, commercial use, remix or video use, genre, and duration. Registered members can comment on and rate songs and albums, then create playlists. Artists can publish original songs on artist pages and may let visitors support them directly.
The Free plan is free and covers listening, downloading, and streaming; reuse depends on the license attached to each work. Song and album pages show their licenses, and users are responsible for following those terms. Free Music Archive does not own the original works and cannot grant rights beyond what the artist or rights holder allows. The service runs on the web. Its API is shut down, and it prohibits unapproved scraping and hotlinking.
Good
- Free listening, downloading, and streaming
- Filters include license and commercial use
- Members can rate, comment, and make playlists
- Artists can publish songs on artist pages
Watch out
- Reuse rights vary by work
- API is shut down
- Unapproved scraping and hotlinking are prohibited
Who it suits
It suits listeners seeking free music, as well as people looking for tracks for media projects such as videos, podcasts, films, games, apps, or commercials. Anyone reusing a work needs to follow the license shown on its page.
Verdict
Free Music Archive offers free access to a broad music and media library, with filters and member playlists for finding and organizing tracks. Its usefulness for a project depends on the license for each work, which users must follow.
Plans and prices
From Free Music Archive's own pricing page, checked 8 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Listen to, download, and stream free audio and video; reuse depends on each work’s license · Free |
The facts
Each one read from Free Music Archive's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- API status
- FMA says it shut down its API because of the server load and prohibits unapproved scraping and hotlinking.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Artist pages
- Artists can publish original songs on artist pages and may enable ways for visitors to support them directly.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Audience
- FMA describes visitors using its catalogue for personal listening and for media projects such as videos, podcasts, films, games, apps, and commercials, subject to track licenses.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Commercial licensing
- FMA says it does not own the original works and cannot grant permissions beyond the terms chosen by the artist or rights holder.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Licensing limits
- Each song or album page indicates its license, and users are responsible for following that license when downloading or using the work.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Member features
- Registered members can post comments, rate songs and albums, and create playlists.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Music library
- FMA is an online library of audio and video that the public can listen to, download, or stream for free.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Open licensed music
- FMA offers access to original music by independent artists, much of it under Creative Commons licenses.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Privacy
- The privacy policy says FMA records visit data such as IP address, browser type, pages and media accessed, and visit date and time.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Search and filters
- The search page offers filters for license, commercial use, remix or video use, genre, and duration.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Support
- FMA directs users to its FAQs and contact page and lists separate general, member, and technical contact emails.checked 8 Oct 2026
The company
- Founded
- 2009checked 28 Sep 2026
- Headquarters
- Amsterdam, Netherlandschecked 28 Sep 2026
Money
- Free plan
- Yeschecked 20 Sep 2026
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