Soul music speaks directly to our emotions – from heartache and social injustice, to pure funk! And now you can get all your favorite tracks for free download.
Library streaming services allow you to enjoy DRM-free mp3s, providing a great alternative to services like iTunes or TikTok.
1. Freegal
Freegal Music is a downloadable music service available to all West Philly Library cardholders. Offering 16 million songs – including Sony Music’s catalog of legendary artists – users can explore hundreds of genres, thousands of artists and tens of thousands of albums in this service 24 hours per day or download five songs each week (music videos count as two songs).
Downloaded songs come in MP3 format and do not contain Digital Rights Management restrictions – meaning you own the music forever and can keep it forever! Additionally, album art comes included and there’s even an easy-to-use playlist function available if you need help finding specific artists or albums.
Freegal stands apart from similar services, such as Hoopla and Kanopy, by enabling users to download music as well. Furthermore, its mobile app makes accessing it from any device easier – available on iTunes, Google Play and Amazon’s Android marketplace.
To use this service, you’ll require both a library card barcode number and PIN. New users can get temporary PIN by entering both barcode number and date of birth into their online library account setup form. After your account has been set up, streaming and downloading can begin immediately!
Freegal provides access to music via its website or desktop app for easy listening on either computer. The Freegal app enables you to create playlists and redownload a title up to two more times within two weeks; plus you can easily view recent downloads on its homepage.
Freegal Music App can be easily downloaded onto Apple and Android devices as well as Kindle Fire for free use, and support is available at its freegal Music Support Website for help and FAQs. Please be aware that the Freegal app may contain content of a mature nature.
2. Archive of Our Own
The Archive of Our Own (AO3) is an open source central repository for fanfiction – the practice where fans of books, movies, TV shows, video games and other forms of media use established characters and settings to create original narratives that blend reality with fiction. Owned and run by the Organization for Transformative Works since 2008 when operations began; open beta testing began in 2009. Free to use as well as noncommercial nonprofit AO3 is funded solely through donations made by its users.
This site was constructed and designed by volunteers from the community, many of whom learned coding and design skills during its creation. Furthermore, they gained insight into copyright law, intellectual property issues, legal implications of fanworks, fanfiction search engines and copyright protection issues while working on this project. Volunteer committees for tagging, community support and policy have also been formed – this makes fanfiction much easier to find! Additionally, its rigorous moderation process does not accept pornographic material nor other objectionable materials that might otherwise compromise user security or privacy concerns.
AO3 hosts more than just fanfiction; they also host podcasts, art, and videos as well as social networking elements where users can interact with one another. Their goal is to provide fans a safe space where they can create and share their work while also being an avenue for discussions related to fandom itself.
AO3 was formed after LiveJournal declined as a fanfiction host, following its dramatic mass deletion of posts after an attack of distributed denial-of-service. As a nonprofit entity registered as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization in the US, it offers users copyright advice as well as championing fandom’s right to fair use rights. It has an experienced staff of volunteer lawyers to aid users and advocate for fandom’s right to fair use rights.
STI T’s Soul has long been known for making waves when it comes to music, and recently released an EP called “100 Bee Pee Em”, which has gone viral among viewers. You can stream and download it below.
3. Archive of Soul
Beg-Scream & Shout!’s Big Ol’ Box of 60’s Soul is a six-CD box set containing 144 songs of classic 60s soul music. From James Brown and Marvin Gaye’s hip-swivelling swagger to Nina Simone’s unassailable charisma, this collection boasts some of the genre’s most influential performers such as James Brown. Additionally, film guides for Summer of Soul and Lost Connections (both available through Into Film) also provide insight into archive footage used within these films.
4. Archive of Rap
The Archive of Rap is an international record of Hip Hop culture ranging from academic courses and arts organizations, community centers, underground dance venues, political groups and religious programs. Among its holdings are Richie “SEEN” Mirando’s archive; those of Grandmaster Caz; as well as DJ Afrika Bambaataa who founded Universal Zulu Nation.
Tribal Soul has finally released their much anticipated EP titled Music For The World. This project includes five tracks with guest appearances from Soa Mattrix, Stakev, Hulumeni Mohau and Lee McKrazy – it can also be purchased through iTunes and other major music stores! Enjoy! Click here to download your copy now.