Legal Ways to Download Music for Offline Listening

Downloading music for offline listening is a solved problem in 2026 — every major streaming service supports offline mode, multiple stores still sell DRM-free purchases, and several archives offer free legal downloads. This guide covers every legal path, the practical trade-offs, and the audio quality you can expect from each.

Streaming Service Offline Downloads

The dominant model. Pay a subscription, mark tracks for offline, the app downloads encrypted files that play within the app while your subscription is active. You do not own the files — cancel the subscription and the offline content stops playing.

Apple Music ($10.99/mo individual, $16.99 family)

• Offline downloads through Apple Music app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Android, Windows
• Audio quality: AAC 256 kbps, ALAC up to 24-bit / 48 kHz Lossless, ALAC up to 24-bit / 192 kHz Hi-Res Lossless
• DRM: FairPlay, files unplayable outside Apple Music
• Storage: configurable; whole library can sync if disk space allows

Spotify Premium ($11.99/mo individual, $16.99 family)

• Offline mode in Spotify app, all platforms
• Audio quality: Ogg Vorbis up to 320 kbps. No lossless tier in 2026 despite 2021 announcement.
• DRM: Spotify's proprietary protection
• Limit: 10,000 tracks per device, 5 devices per account

YouTube Music Premium ($13.99/mo individual, $22.99 family)

• Offline downloads in the YouTube Music app, requires Premium
• Audio quality: AAC up to 256 kbps
• Includes audio-only mode for music videos
• DRM: Google Widevine

Tidal HiFi ($10.99) and HiFi Plus ($21.99)

• Offline mode on all Tidal apps
• Audio quality: HiFi tier delivers FLAC 16-bit / 44.1 kHz; HiFi Plus delivers FLAC 24-bit up to 192 kHz Hi-Res
• DRM: Tidal proprietary
• Stronger lossless catalog than other services

Deezer Premium ($11.99/mo)

• Offline mode on all platforms
• Audio quality: MP3 320 kbps standard, FLAC 16-bit/44.1 kHz on HiFi tier
• DRM: Deezer proprietary

Amazon Music Unlimited ($10.99/mo, $9.99 for Prime members)

• Offline mode in Amazon Music app
• Audio quality: AAC up to 256 kbps standard, ALAC / FLAC up to 24-bit / 192 kHz on Unlimited tier
• DRM: Amazon proprietary

Purchase Platforms (DRM-Free, You Own the File)

Bandcamp

• Direct artist sales, typically $7-15 per album
• Audio quality: choice of FLAC, ALAC, AAC 320 kbps, MP3 320 kbps, MP3 V0 — all available for any purchase
• DRM-free. Files are yours forever. Re-download from your collection page anytime.
• Most artist-friendly platform: 80-85% of revenue goes to the creator
• Best source for indie / alternative / electronic music

7digital (where available)

• Per-track and album sales
• Audio quality: MP3 320 kbps, FLAC 16-bit on most catalog
• DRM-free
• Catalog focused on rock, pop, jazz

Beatport

• Electronic / dance music focus
• Audio quality: WAV, AIFF, MP3, FLAC up to 24-bit
• DRM-free
• DJ-oriented metadata (BPM, key)

Apple iTunes Store (legacy)

• Apple has discontinued new iTunes purchases on some regions but existing purchases remain re-downloadable
• Audio quality: AAC 256 kbps DRM-free since 2009

Qobuz

• High-resolution focus
• Audio quality: MP3 320 kbps, FLAC 16-bit / 44.1 kHz, FLAC 24-bit up to 192 kHz Hi-Res
• DRM-free
• Streaming subscription also available

Boomkat, Rough Trade, Norman Records

• Independent record store online sales
• Catalog focused on alternative / experimental / underground

Creative Commons and Free Legal Sources

Creative Commons licensed music is free to download, and depending on the specific license, free to use in your own projects (with attribution).

Free Music Archive (FMA)

• Curated CC-licensed music
• Genres: every genre, focus on indie / experimental / instrumental
• Licenses: CC0, CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-SA — check per track
• Format: MP3 typically

Jamendo

• Independent artist platform with free + commercial licensing tiers
• Format: MP3 320 kbps, some FLAC
• Free for personal listening; commercial use requires Pro subscription

ccMixter

• Remix and sampling platform
• Mostly CC BY-NC and CC BY licenses
• Strong for finding stems and acapellas to remix legally

Internet Archive Audio

• Public domain recordings, live concert archive (Etree), spoken word, radio shows
• Format: original uploader's choice — often FLAC, MP3, OGG, WAV
• Includes the famous Grateful Dead concert archive (band-permitted bootlegs)

YouTube Audio Library

• Royalty-free music for content creators
• All tracks licensed for use in YouTube videos
• Format: MP3 download

Public Domain Music

Music that has fallen out of copyright. In the United States, the public domain includes:

• All sound recordings published before 1923 (most pre-1923 recordings)
• Many recordings from 1923-1972 depending on registration and renewal status
• Compositions where the composer has been dead for 70+ years (in EU, US standard varies)

Sources:

• Library of Congress National Jukebox — pre-1925 78 RPM recordings, free MP3 / FLAC download
• IMSLP / Petrucci Music Library — public domain classical sheet music with linked recordings
• MusOpen — classical recordings released into the public domain
• LibriVox — public domain audiobooks read by volunteers

Library Cards: Hoopla, Freegal, Naxos

Many public libraries provide free music streaming and downloads as a benefit of a library card.

Hoopla

• Streams via library partnership; some albums available for offline download in the Hoopla app
• Catalog includes Hoopla-licensed music alongside e-books and movies
• Quality: 256 kbps AAC

Freegal

• 5-7 free MP3 downloads per week from a Sony Music catalog
• Owned MP3 files (DRM-free) you keep
• Available through ~3,000 US public libraries

Naxos Music Library

• Classical-focused streaming via library access
• Streaming only, no downloads
• Includes Naxos's full classical catalog

Comparison Summary

| Source | Cost | DRM | Quality | Best For | |--------|------|-----|---------|----------| | Apple Music | $10.99/mo | Yes | AAC 256 / ALAC up to 24/192 | Apple ecosystem users | | Spotify Premium | $11.99/mo | Yes | OGG Vorbis 320 kbps | Discovery and playlists | | Tidal HiFi | $10.99/mo | Yes | FLAC 16/44.1 / Hi-Res 24/192 | Lossless streaming | | Bandcamp | $7-15/album | No | FLAC, ALAC, AAC, MP3 | Indie / supporting artists | | 7digital / Qobuz | per-purchase | No | MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res | Owned digital library | | Free Music Archive | Free | No | MP3 | CC content, content creators | | Internet Archive | Free | No | Various | Public domain, live recordings | | Hoopla / Freegal | Free with library card | Mixed | AAC 256 / MP3 | Library users |

Practical Recommendations

For most listeners: streaming service for daily use + Bandcamp for albums you want to own. The streaming service handles discovery and casual listening; Bandcamp purchases give you DRM-free files for albums that matter to you. Once you own the file, anything goes — load it on a DAP, burn a CD, or make a ringtone from a favorite track without DRM blocking the export.

For audiophiles: Tidal HiFi or Qobuz subscription for streaming + Bandcamp / Qobuz purchases for owned hi-res library + Plex Media Server or Plexamp to organize the library.

For content creators: Free Music Archive, ccMixter, YouTube Audio Library for usable royalty-free music in your videos. See Creative Commons music for content creators.

For people moving away from yt-dlp: see is yt-dlp legal for the legal context, and how to convert YouTube to MP3 legally for the licensed YouTube paths.