Having a killer music library is one of the main things that sets apart a great DJ. But building up this library can be a long and expensive process. Once beginner DJs realise they can’t really DJ with Spotify, they’ll generally look for sites to download music to start creating their own collection. 

But when you’re first learning to DJ and still experimenting, you don’t want to necessarily be spending money on every track you spin. That’s why people look for sites with free music downloads. The issue is that these vary significantly in quality, legitimacy and legality, which is why we’ve put together our selection of the best sites to legally download DJ music. 

Why you shouldn’t pirate music

Especially when you’re first starting out, it can be incredibly tempting to just start downloading a load of pirated tracks or ripping them straight off YouTube. 

Of course, morally and legally, piracy is a big no-no. Artists put a lot of time and effort into making music and deserve to be fairly compensated for that work.

The other issue is that having unlimited access to ‘free’ tracks isn’t actually as great as it sounds. You’ll quickly build a library of hundreds of tunes, without having any real understanding of them. You’re better off with a smaller number of tracks that you know inside out.

And when it comes time to actually play these tracks out live you’ll hear another problem with pirated tracks. They sound a lot worse. Especially if you’re ripping off YouTube, the quality is much lower, they’re heavily compressed, and the volume can be all over the place. This may sound ok when you’re listening on headphones at home, but when you go to play them on big club speakers, you’ll be in for a shock. (I can speak from experience on this one). 

Where to download music for free legally

Soundcloud free downloads

Soundcloud is a great place to discover new music, especially from up-and-coming exciting artists. But it’s not just original tracks on there either. Soundcloud is absolutely jam-packed with bootlegs, remixes and edits – exactly the sort of stuff us DJs love. The best part? There are loads of tracks you can download for free.

Just type in ‘free download’ into the search bar, along with whatever genre you’re after and you’ll be met with countless results. There’ll usually be a link in the track’s description where you can download the file.

Another tip is to use the social features on SoundCloud. If you’re loving some tracks by an artist, especially if they’re small, it might sometimes be worth DMing them to see if they’ll send it over in return for you playing it out or sending something else over. 

Bandcamp free downloads

Bandcamp is one of the best sites to download music for free as artists sell directly to their fans and will often release tracks for free or ‘pay what you want’. Of course, it’s always better to support the artists you’re getting music from, but the ‘pay what you want’ option generally includes paying nothing.

Like on SoundCloud, you’ve just got to add the tag for ‘pay what you want’, along with whatever genre you’re after. You can then search through a wide selection of interesting underground tunes.

Our free music pack

If you need a complete selection of tunes across a range of genres, all ready to download for free, we’ve got you covered. 

Our exclusive free music pack gives you a complete collection of tracks, so you’ve got everything you need to start DJing – all for free. 

Download your copy here.  

Jamendo

Jamendo is a newer site which offers music exclusively from independent artists. That means you won’t find any of the big, famous tracks on here, but you might come across a couple of hidden gems. 

The music on Jamendo is organised into ‘communities’ so head over to the explore section and find the community you’re after. So if you want some electronic tracks, check out the #electronic section and explore some new artists.

ReverbNation

ReverbNation is a music site that puts a real emphasis on putting DIY artists first. Its curated collections make it easy to discover new tracks in whatever genre you’re looking for.

Not all the tracks on here are available for download, so you’ll have to search through a bit to find tracks for your collection. It’s far from the buzzing music hub that it used to be but there are still some great tunes to be found here, especially if you’re ready to do a little virtual crate digging. 

SoundClick

SoundClick is another music-sharing site that’s been around since the internet’s early days, and while it may not be as relevant as it once was, there’s still a thriving community of artists uploading their tunes. 

You can filter down what you’re looking for by different subgenres and then select to just see the ones that are free to download. There’s even a fairly unique tool that lets you narrow your search down by things like energy level and ‘danceability’ to help you find exactly what you’re after.

Free downloads from YouTube

First off, don’t get this confused with ripping MP3s off YouTube. As we’ve already said, not only is that stealing, but you’ll end up with low-quality tracks that really don’t translate to club speakers.

But YouTube can sometimes be a good place to find links to free downloads. There’s a wide selection of royalty-free music, across a wide range of genres and styles. You won’t find tunes from anyone you’re likely to have heard of, and royalty-free music might not be what you’re keen to play out in a club. But if you’re just after a few tracks to practice your DJing skills, this will be perfect.

Hypeddit

Hypeddit is a place for producers and DJs to promote themselves and their music. On there, artists will upload their music and you can download it in return for that all-important social engagement. This generally means giving them your email address and in return you’ll get their track. That sounds like a pretty fair deal to us. 

On Hypeddit, you’ll just find a selection of tracks that are on SoundCloud anyway but you might find the curation and selections easier to navigate than the sometimes confusing array of tunes on SoundCloud. As it’s a selection of SoundCloud links, you can expect plenty of edits, remixes and bootlegs as well as a fair amount of originals.   

Once you’ve got a great library of tunes, you need to learn what to do with it. Our complete DJ course will take you through everything you need to know to go from complete beginner to gigging pro. Check it out in with the link below: