Freegal Music

Freegal Music subscription ending

From Tuesday 9 April 2024, our subscription to Freegal Music will end.

We understand that this could be disappointing for some customers. Because of this, it has been a difficult decision for us.

We want to give you time to transfer your music downloads to a new location.

Below you will find instructions on how to save your downloads and where to find other free streaming services.

How to transfer your downloads

You must transfer your music by Monday 8 April 2024.

Music downloaded using a personal computer

Music downloaded using the Freegal Music website will already be in a file on your computer.

Music downloaded using the Freegal Music app

Users are usually recommended to re-download song tracks using the website on a computer before the download window of 2 weeks expires.

You can find instructions for how to transfer music from Android and iOS devices FAQs section of the Freegal website. Because of Apple restrictions, you will not be able to transfer your song tracks directly to a computer from an iOS device.

Other free streaming services

There are other free streaming services you can use. They will often have advertisements though and some restrictions will apply.

Spotify

With Spotify you can enjoy:

  • a large selection of music and podcasts
  • listening for free with advertisements using the app
  • weekly personalised mixes and playlists based on the artists you follow and the tracks you listen to

Spotify has the following limitations:

  • listen on shuffle only
  • skipping tracks limited to 6 times an hour
  • you must be online to use

Sign up for a Spotify account.

YouTube Music

With YouTube you can enjoy:

  • a large selection of music
  • watching music videos
  • listening for free with advertisements using the app
  • unlimited skipping of tracks

YouTube Music has the following limitations:

  • app must be open to listen to music - using your device for anything else will interrupt the service

Sign up for a YouTube Music account.

Deezer

With Deezer you can enjoy:

  • a large selection of music and podcasts
  • listening for free with advertisements using the app
  • discovering new music based on your 'likes'
  • unlimited skipping when listening from a computer or laptop

Deezer has the following limitations:

  • limited skipping of tracks on some playlists when using the app

Sign up for a Deezer account.

SoundCloud

With SoundCloud you can enjoy:

  • a large selection of music and podcasts
  • listening for free online using the app or website
  • unlimited skipping
  • discovering unsigned artists

SoundCloud has the following limitations:

  • some major label music is not available for free

Sign up for a SoundCloud account.

Amazon Music

With Amazon Music you can enjoy:

  • a large selection of music and podcasts
  • listening for free with advertisements
  • discovering new music based on your 'likes'
  • can be access using the website or app

Amazon Music has the following limitations:

  • listen on shuffle only

Sign up for an Amazon Music account.

BBC Sounds

With BBC Sounds you can enjoy:

  • free access to BBC radio programmes, music mixes and podcasts
  • no advertising
  • linking with your iPlayer account to get personalised recommendations based on what you listen to
  • listening from the website or app
  • downloading music to listen offline if using the app

BBC Sounds has the following limitations:

  • lacks on-demand music options
  • only podcasts can be downloaded to listen to offline if using the website

Sign up for a BBC Sounds account.

About Freegal Music

The information below will no longer apply after Tuesday 9 April 2024.

Download and stream music for free using the Freegal Music app or website.

There are over 15 million songs from thousands of artists and albums, including Sony Music’s catalogue of legendary artists.

You can:

  • download 3 music tracks each week - these are MP3 digital rights management free so the track is yours to keep for as long as you want
  • stream music for up to 3 hours a day - a great way to discover new music without the need to download
  • download music videos in MP4 format – each video counts as 2 of your 3 weekly downloads

How to get Freegal Music

You can download the:

Or visit the Freegal Music website on a computer.

Sign in

Enter Bracknell or United Kingdom in the search box to find your library, then enter your library card number and PIN.

For e+ cards beginning 633, omit 633 and type the rest of the digits.

Tips

You can:

  • choose songs from existing playlists, browse the lists of top downloads or most popular songs, artists or genres
  • use the search box
  • listen to the sample of a song by selecting the arrow in the middle of the album image to decide if you want to download a song to your music library
  • go to My Music to find all your downloaded songs - create your own playlists to organise your downloaded songs and access your favourite songs

User guide

To download a song or video select the 3 dots next to the song and then “Download”. 

When you select the “Download now” button, this counts towards your weekly allotment – even if you decide to cancel it. To avoid this, use the 30 second song clips to decide if you want to download.

You can add songs and videos to your wishlist – this is helpful if you’ve reached your weekly download allowance.

Downloading to a computer

To download a song or video to a computer:

  • select the “Download Now” button next to the song
  • select “Save” and choose where you want to save the song

If you are not presented with a prompt, try right clicking the link and choosing the option to save the link.

If a song does not open directly into Windows Media Player on your PC:

  • open Windows Media Player
  • select File - Import File
  • select the songs you want to add
  • select OK

The songs will now appear in your Windows Media Player library.

Downloading to a smartphone or tablet

You cannot export downloaded titles directly to iTunes or any other software from the Freegal app.

If you want to have a copy in your iTunes as well as your Freegal Music app, you can download a song again from the Freegal Music website on a computer within 2 weeks of your original download.

You can access recent downloads on the navigation bar of the homepage.

You may need to logout of the Freegal Music app to do this. To log out, go to settings, and then select “Log out”.

How to transfer a track from computer to mobile

To transfer a song or video from a computer to your mobile device:

  • plug your device into your computer using the USB cable
  • on an apple mobile device open iTunes on your computer and import the file
  • on an android mobile device drag and drop the file from your computer to your mobile device

Help

You can find answers to questions on the Freegal Music website.

To contact support using the app, tap on the 3 dots in the top right corner and then select “Freegal Music Support”.

Appropriate content

Please be aware that some of the titles may contain content of a more adult nature.

As with all library usage we recommend parents and carers give their child support in choosing appropriate items to match their needs.

Contact information

Bracknell Forest Libraries

Make an enquiry