Websites to Download Creative Commons Music For Free

If you’ve wondered where many of those YouTube videos get their background music from, you’ve come to the right place. Music with Creative Commons licenses are music compositions written, produced and shared by people who do not charge anything when you use their music for your own use, commercially or non-commercially.

Basically, they make the music and keep ownership and copyright of it and you get the permission to use it for your videos, film or small multimedia productions, as long as you credit the creator properly.

There are many sites out there that house music with Creative Commons licenses, sites where you can download music for free (and legally). These sites make it very easy for you to use, all you have to do is pick an audio clip you like and save it as an MP3, and there you have it, your free music download.

Jamendo

Jamendo has more than 350,000 audio files on their database, which includes music in a few different languages and from different countries. Its advanced search will help you narrow down what you’re looking for on their large database.

There is also a ‘Radio’ option where you can listen to music like on a radio channel based on genre. By registering and logging in, you can save personal favourites to your account.

Freesound

Freesound is a collaborative database for Creative Commons Licensed sounds. This database here is filled with sound effect such as ambient noises, synthesized sounds and sounds produced by musical instruments.

Browse, download and share sounds on Freesound; you can also upload your own audio clips to their database after registering for an account on the website.

ccMixter

Music on this site can be downloaded and shared with anyone, anywhere, anytime. Clips here focus on instrumental samples that are mainly used for remixes on DJ music. There is a wide variety of samples to choose from, which can be sorted by tags that describe the audio clips.

Kompoz

Kompoz is an online community that prides in collaboration between artists from all over the world. Artists post their clips on the website where anyone can download it and use it for their own productions. They can also add their own instruments or creative mix to the original clip and upload it on the website again.

As more people collaborate on the original clip and the clips after that, it will eventually become a creative collaboration of multiple musicians.

SoundCloud

SoundCloud is a very popular website where famous artists share their new tracks to the world. There is a section under Creative Commons license where you can download other people’s tracks. You can stream the available clips and it takes just a simple click to get the MP3 file without any registration.

Note that some tracks however require you to ‘Like’ their Facebook page before you can download their clips.

BeatPick

On BeatPick, you have a music player kind of interface where you can listen to any song on a list. To download any song from the website, you’ll have to register for an acoount. Most of the clips are instrumental, with very little vocal input.

The clips also come with descriptions of what it sounds like, which can be useful to match to whatever the theme your clip is.

Restorm

This is a website mostly used by indie artists who want a platform to sell their music to the public and have their works licensed under their name. You too can do the same, or download some of their free selection of music just by creating an account.

The full songs available on the website can be streamed to help you decide if you want to download it. Some of the artists also have songs in their native language not just English.

Musopen

Musopen is a website where you can find free music from individual instruments in an orchestra: violins, cellos, violas, etc as well as a combination of instruments. It caters to the genre of quieter music like classical music or jazz.. Best of all, you can also download sheet music.

You can also browse music by sorting it by composer, instrument and even the period of time the music clip resembles.

Vimeo

You might recognize Vimeo as a place only for videos, but it also offers free music which you can use as long as you give credit to the original artist. After clicking download, your download will start and a pop-up window will appear with the details of the clip’s title, artist and website.

For example, when using a music for a YouTube video, you would use those details and place it at the credits of your video or video description.

ArtistServer

ArtistServer has over 11,000 MP3 downloads by more than 10,000 artists and you can be one of those artists too when you sign up with them. They have clips of many genres for you to choose from which you can download for free.

It is also possible to preview the entire clip before making your selection and downloading it.

Audiofarm

Audiofarm has a wide selection of genres to choose from, uploaded by ordinary people who want to share their music. You can easily download any song you like by clicking the download link – no registration needed.

The full song can even be played while browsing for one that fits your needs. By registering, you can upload music for other people to download.

iBeat

If you’re a DJ or anyone else looking for some free beats and loops, iBeat has a wide database of clips which are free under Creative Commons licensing. The beats available come in a variety of genres such as rock beats, hip hop beats and even acoustic or electronic beats. No registration required.

CCTrax

CCTrax is a directory of free music. It has a database of Creative Commons license music for music lovers. Plenty of awesome sound track albums are available for free download here, like Alexander Saykov, Baumfreun, Stiver and more.

JewelBeat

On JewelBeat, you search through free background music and sound effects with keywords. These free background music clips can be used for whatever video production you are making. The audio clips here are mostly instrumental and consist of short loops. Besides the free selection, there is also a $0.99 selection that you can choose from.

Audionautix

Clips found on Audionautix are released under Creative Commons license 3.0 – you can use the audio clips available even for commercial purposes so long as you credit the Audionautix website. Clips are named to what the artist feels it should resemble; you can preview the clip by clicking it and if you like it, right click the clip and select ‘save target/link as’ to save it to your desktop.

FMA

FMA stands for Free Music Archive which has a wide selectionof high-quality, legal audio downloads. It works like a music station where you browse for clips and if you like the clip, you can add it to your music player. You also can opt to download the full clip. You can use the music player and download the clips without registering for an account.

Purple Planet

Purple planet is the creation of two people, Chris Martyn and Geoff Harvey, who let you use their music for free. You can use any of their audio clips on online videos so long as you link to their website at the description of the video. Their style of music falls under effects that accompany a horror, dramatic or mysterious scene.

Incompetech

Incompetech hosts a wide variety of royalty free music. You can browse their selection by genre or feel. "Feel" would include things like: Action, Relaxed, Intense or Humorous; you can select a combination of ‘Feels’ and it will check its database for selection matches. Clips can be played on the website and instantly downloaded as well.

Bump Foot

Bump Foot originates from Japan and focuses mostly on techno, trance beats and electronic dance music. You can download the files and use it for your own non-commercial work as long as you give attribution to them or the featured artist.

There is no way to stream music as there are only download links avalable on the site. You don’t need to register for an account to start downloading.

More

1. CASH Music – CASH Music is a non-profit organization that hosts digital tools for musicians and labels to share their music. The digital tool allows for uploads and downloads of songs and sharing is made easy.
2. Josh Woodward – This work of a single person, this site features more than 180 songs that are free for download, sharing and use. Do give this generous man attribution if you use his clips in your productions.
3. PacDV – This is a small database of free audio clips organised by mood or emotion such as: Warm, Loving, Serious or Lonely.
4. SampleSwap – SampleSwap is also a forum for other musicians. When a clip is uploaded, the floor is upon for discussion about the clip, as well as a free download.
5. DanoSongs – This is also a one-man wonder site. You get to use his wide variety of self-made clips, arranged by genre such as soundtrack, pop/rock band and even techno/electric.
6. Public Domain 4U – This website has a wide selection of genres of free music you can download. The genre leads to another website which houses the album and description of the album. You can download your tracks there without registration.
7. Orphan Songs – This website is created by Carl-Otto Johansson who is a musician who writes and records his own music. He uploads his two albums and a few tracks licensed under Creative Commons for public use.
8. Sonnyboo – To use songs from this website, you have to credit the owner and writer of the songs, Peter John Ross. The song selection he has ranges from Jazz to

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Best Website Designs for Inspiration

Looking for best website designs to create your next awesome website? We have tried to compile best designed websites that may inspire your design.

It is always delightful to come across work in the digital scene, especially when much of the said work can be brilliant as setting the tone for our own work within this field. So what kinds of trends are being followed nowadays? That’s a tough question to nail down but it is far more important to ask just what is being done by the successful developers and designers out there and what can you do to grab your share in the market.

You also find our pick of best responsive design websites. 

Web design matters more than ever for companies wanting to get their product or idea out into the crazy world of the internet. A website is one of the most powerful marketing tools available today for businesses. It doesn’t matter the size of your company because your site can rank higher on Google regardless of its size. 

A website is a good way to give your business some credibility and to reach new potential customers at a lower cost. Before you make your own, it’s good to measure the quality of a site by some current industry standards. 

A good website should have: 

• Simple elements
• Quality typography
• Engaging color scheme
• Branding for your company
• Easy navigation
• Social media
• Apps for phones or other devices

Gugurel’s Profile Website

Gugurel’s work is one of mystic fascination, if one would pardon the use of that terminology in this context. As his page says, the work is creative and focuses on delivering quality user experience. The idea is fresh, there is literally nothing visible on the page save for few buttons so almost intuitively the user has less complications to deal with and has more time to navigate around the page. The technique? Gugurel has simply tapped into the human psychic and figured out that the visitors will spend longer on the page if they have to work less to navigate. That’s a lesson for all of in the design profession.

Grand Hotel Dicomo

You can see perfectly what the entire business and service is about, everything that they are offering is done brilliantly on the website. The central part is more display oriented rather than having text whereas the menu is simplistic but complete in all of the services and information about the business. Again from the outlook of design, this is one subtly done for business, it is definitely very alluring to the eye and yet fulfills all the business objectives wonderfully. Another tip for all you budding artists out there.

450 GSM

This one is a joy to behold for all the minimalism lovers out there. We all know how the minimalist design has picked up pace as a trend in the modern business construct but it is another story altogether to see a business execute it well and with a flourish. Observe the elements of the website, there aren’t many and yet the entire site carries a very clean look which instantly adds to the appeal of the site. Look at the business in question, the offer is of print and ones who want printing done want the output to be presentable. See the link? The website translates the purpose and the feature of the business.

Pervolo

This is content centered design done with excellence. Notably many sites that attempt this concept end up adding too many panels, too many menu elements and too much of side text. Notice the grey area beneath the page, that tells you of how optimized the size is and yet everything you need to know to get a flavor about what pervolo is. The one thing which gives the site edge is the mood it sets with its background. Again design, wise this is use of psychology in play to get the visitor to be attracted to the site.

Alectia

This is a mixture of flat design and minimalism done correctly. It’s a big enterprise adopting this design and it speaks quite a lot to be able to opt for this kind of a concept for your website. Partially this is because of the skill of the designer, notice how the core services are highlighted as bigger panels. Again from corporate purpose that is how the site needs to be exhibited. That it looks as professional and coherent with the business as possible.

Kreativa Studio

Even with the limited size of the picture you can easily understand what the entire site is about and you attribute creativity to this site. So when the user comes on to the site his first impression will probably be “wow, there’s a lot of choice here”. The trick is this diversity of options does not make him confused and instead excites him about discovering the website further. 

Velvet Hammer

This is one site you all have to visit to get a true feel of. This is creativity done correctly and done in a very refined manner. It’s only fitting that a site of this caliber should belong to a music niche supporting independent artists. The truly mesmerizing element about the site is the scrolling animation which gives a very fluid impression to the website, almost as if you’re flicking the pages of a magazine, only simpler and more alluring. Top marks for originality on this one.

Seim MC

Here is good reason as to why simplistic expression in design is so much in trend nowadays. Look at the page above for example, the appeal and mood is good but the page is exceedingly neat and yet still displays its features. This is a clever mix of content centrism and minimalism and this is especially achievable in certain conversion methods of creating websites such as PSD to HTML. 

The company is a strategy consultant for businesses so it obviously needs to display its content amply, but their approach to fulfilling that is superb. So in retrospect they are catering to each business need and are actually helping them scroll through their services in a more efficient manner.

Thru You Too

This is a concept in website making which is seldom executed successfully as a commercial front. This one is successful because of the minimalist approach it takes in each transition. So the elements of art and the animation are all standard but very natural in the manner they flow form one video to another in the playback. 

So all in all the result comes out as an experience for the user as he scrolls through the website. This is promotional effort and it does pretty well in terms of putting itself out there.

Creative Live

Creative Live offers a catalog of hundreds of creative, online classes. Some are free and some are available for purchase at a reasonable price. Their site is inviting and easy to navigate through classes. I especially enjoy their typography which is readable and catches the eye.

Instructables

This site is good for the whole family! They have categories such as recipes, DIY projects, outdoor, design, and more with instructions that are easy to read and follow and you’re also available to download instructions into PDF form if you go pro. It’s a very simple site that is still presented efficiently.

Keep

Here’s a fashion and beauty site that is comparable to Pinterest. The pages are clean and neat. You’re able to hover the photo of the item you’re viewing and ‘like, keep, or buy,’ which makes it especially catered to online shoppers. Online shoppers want a site that provides a safe and quick transaction; this is the type of sight they looks for.

Elite Daily

If you want to read up on events in the news or something out of the ordinary, Elite Daily will surely have it. Their articles are witty and blunt. There are minimal ads, the typography is appealing, and you’ll always be surprised by what they come up with. 

Their social media is on point with thousands of shares daily on Facebook.

Elle Decor

Not only a beautiful magazine, but Elle Decor has a beautiful website as well. Elle Decor’s website invites you in with class and style. The digital landscape is evolving and changing and Elle Decor is ahead of the game.

Whole Foods Market

Believe Whole Foods just redesigned their website and it looks awesome! It used to be hard to navigate but now it has specific pages for specific questions. It’s also colorful with bright/neutral colors and has an earthy feel to it, which never hurts!

Lush

This is one of my favorite sites, not only for the products they sell but for the way it’s designed. On that note, watch this awesome video from Lush Digital that shows how web design can and should make a massive statement. 

Their new website design (powered by Drupal) increased website visits every month by 71% because of the progressive displays, interactivity and the look and feel of the site.

Vimeo

Unless you haven’t used a computer in the last five years, you’ve most likely heard of this one. Vimeo is a video sharing platform that was created in 2004 by a group of filmmakers. There are now over 14 million members and some say they prefer Vimeo instead of YouTube. The videos are works of art and people are able to express themselves. They offer a cleaner aesthetic compared to other sharing platforms and there are no ads!

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Lists to Keep If I Want to Be Successful

The human mind is truly incredible, and we should all strive towards creating a tenacious memory we can rely on. Many lucrative professions or hobbies require such a trait—actors, musicians, artists and entertainers in general do countless drills, just so the required information can be embedded in the memory with certainty. Clearly numerous doors that lead to a successful future are unlocked if one has a great memory. Although beneficial, it is not an essential ingredient within the success formula—what you lack in memory can always be compensated with diligence.

Keeping track of crucial elements in your life through list-making is still an unrivaled tactic for counterbalancing feeble recollection. By utilizing constant reminders, we can have significantly greater organization, we won’t be under the impression we have forgotten something, and we will have a clear insight into which task has a stamp of immediacy attached to it. Here are ten suggested lists that warrant implementation, in order to track achievements and nurture ambition.

1. List of Goals

“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”
—Zig Ziglar

Goals and ambition is what drives us and motivates us, but we need to ask ourselves what is it that we want in order to feel truly accomplished. Your list of goals should consists of all the items that you deem are necessary to truly respect yourself. It can be financial stability, a place you can call your own, starting your family, being independent, etc. People have different criteria when it comes to goals, and this list in particular is ever-growing; it changes as you mature, but it always feels great when you cross something out of it. Without such a list, you lose direction of where your life is heading, and we all need some inner guidance to focus on—a good reason to get up in the morning.

2. List of Tasks

“Happiness does not come from doing easy work but from the afterglow of satisfaction that comes after the achievement of a difficult task that demanded our best.”
—Theodore Isaac Rubin

Tasks are actually milestones on the road to goal completion, and these lists have a tendency to become quite copious. New tasks emerge on a daily basis, regardless of whether you are an employee, a student, or a freelancer. Despite the fact that they are arduous, we always have some sense of achievement once the task is complete, or when a certain problem is solved. By avoiding to make such lists and lists of our daily tasks, they’ll simply pile up and eventually become a hindrance.

In the event you have larger tasks that need more than a day, a week or a month before they can be completed, then break those tasks into smaller daily assignments, and put them on the list as well. As long as you monitor larger tasks while completing minor daily milestones, you will have a greater grip on progression and continuous source of motivation. List and sticky notes are actually quite potent tools for increase in productivity, especially while we are working from home.

Lastly, it is worth mentioning that you should also have a list of personal tasks, or tasks you do for the sake of self-fulfillment. These are related to your personal goals, and governing passions—writing a book, painting, crafting etc. These tasks will define you and offer a much greater sense of achievement, so give it your all to create something you can be proud of.

3. List of Contacts

“Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow ripening fruit.”
—Aristotle

It would be delusional to assume you can make it all on your own; however, at the same time, a flawed partnership can result in disastrous outcome as well. It is extremely difficult to find compatible allies and contacts, since friends and family—in other words, people close to you—may not be the best choice for a business partner. If you want to enter into a partnership with someone, make sure the person shares the same vision. Tread lightly and try to ascertain your potential partner’s level of reliability.

Throughout life, we come across skillful, capable and talented people, whose competence might be needed in the future, depending on your line of work of course. Do not be hesitant to offer a helping hand when they are in need, since you can gain a valuable contact. The point being: make a special list of all important contacts, like reliable programmers, handymen, lawyers, etc. Remember not to only reach out when you are in need. You need to maintain a healthy and natural relationship and be there for those people if they require your assistance. Truth be told, it can be arduous to forge strong friendship bonds, but having important acquaintances and becoming an important acquaintance is very much possible.

Without such a list, you are leaving yourself vulnerable to possible future complications; moreover, make sure this list is well-kept since once you lose a contact like this one, it can be somewhat troublesome to recover such data. Just be sure you have recovery data tools at your disposal to mitigate the damage if something were to happen to your phone.

4. List of Expenses

“A wise person should have money in their head, but not in their heart.”
—Jonathan Swift

This may be a quite mundane piece of advice, yet it is very often neglected. As we all know, there are two types of expenses: those that are necessary, (bills, taxes, food) and those expenditures used for indulging some personal cravings. There is a degree of restraint that the majority of us lack in order to approach the matter with a satisfying level of prudence. To say it bluntly, we treat our wants like our needs, and necessities and primary obligations are pushed in the background. Of course, this may sound a bit exaggerated, but the truth is the pressure of a consumer’s culture eventually becomes overwhelming, resulting in a purchase we shouldn’t be able to afford at the time. This kind of behavior can be avoided by utilizing lists, and turning them into an omnipresent reminder of what is truly important.

By making lists of all the monthly expenses we are obligated to pay, we’ll have a clear overview with how much resources are there at our disposal. On the other hand, without this list filled with meticulous calculations, we are prone to believing that we have more freedom to engage in a shopping spree, ultimately causing our bills to pile up; thus, we end up a step closer to a financial suicide. Handling finances properly, or the fact that we prioritize the costs of living, is a responsibility that signifies maturity. Success is commonly measured by the amount of wealth and without adequate spending tactics, you prevent its accumulation.

5. List of Useful Tools

“If you’re the type of person who has to fulfill your dreams, you’ve got to be resourceful to make sure you can do it.”
—Vin Diesel

Today’s society vastly depends on the use of technology—we exchange information, conduct calculations, measure time, etc. This level of reliability also suggests liability. If something were to happen to our cell phone or personal computer, it would be a sizable setback that could harm our capabilities severely. As mentioned, losing contacts can truly be troublesome. It is even worse however, to have your life’s work lost and compromised.

Useful tools are not only limited to recovering damage; they also encompass tools that make your job easier. With efficiency and a greater level of competence, you are a step closer toward success. Using the right apps and tools can make up for our lack of skills in a particular area, or simply help us manage our work in a more timely manner. Keeping a list of useful tools will come in handy whenever you are faced with more common problems, like finding a good restaurant for a business dinner, driving through unfamiliar terrain, task management, learning, and there are even tools capable of helping you recover stolen property.

Even though the list is not as crucial as the ones mentioned so far, it is undeniable that having it can save you a lot of time if the need for it ever arises. The Internet is a vast sea of both useful and useless tools, and by filtering out those that are irrelevant, you won’t have to conduct countless searches when you are in need of adequate tools for problem solving.

6. List of Self Improvements

“The minute that you’re not learning I believe you’re dead.”
—Jack Nicholson

Reasonable to assume this one is unavoidable, and it always deserves to be mentioned. It is safe to assume we are all aware of our shortcomings; if not all of them at least some of them. Think about yourself, make a list of all the things you would like to improve or change, then consider how to implement those changes. Despite the fact that those who are close to you do not pressure you into changing or improving, you should always make constant endeavours to do so, for your own sake.

The list of improvements should consist of physical changes, changes spiritual in nature, abandoning bad habits etc. No one expects you to change entirely in a short time period, but making a decision to change one thing on a yearly basis is a viable resolution, quite easy to execute. The list is there simply to remind you which improvement to prioritize, and build up your confidence after each completion. Refusing to change can either result in lack of confidence and depression, or becoming an overconfident and self-absorbed person that no one will tolerate for long; both of these traits are contradictory to your quest for a successful future.

7. List of Creative Ideas

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
—Waldo Emerson

Throughout history, people who made the most significant impact on the world were those with a revolutionary way of thinking, those who dared to challenge the established order and alter the status quo. For an idea to be classified as creative, it needs to be new, it needs to make sense, and it needs to have some sort of use. For example, creating something to help the disabled communicate online, or simply type—that way, people who have lost their limbs could blog or become creative writers, and show the world a piece of their mind. Thus a keyboard in a form of braces could enable them to type using their tongue; however I am not an engineer, so I do not know whether something like this is possible.

Whenever a new idea comes to your mind write it down, then browse the web to see if you indeed have stumbled upon something ground-breaking. Once your list has grown, then you need to start pondering on the subject to see whether it holds closer scrutiny. Ask for a second opinion and see what you would need to realize your idea. In a majority of cases, this is how successful people are created. Rest assured that it is very possible that people won’t be impressed with your creativity as much as you are, but do not allow yourself to be discouraged—after all, perseverance has a crucial role in a career as well. Monitoring your thoughts incites productive thinking and hones your focus; it keeps our mind occupied. Letting your good ideas slide is only a wasted potential that will put your progress in a halt.

8. List of Future Plans

“The future is uncertain but the end is always near.”
―Jim Morrison

We have all heard statements like “Tomorrow is a mystery,” “Live for today,” and “You can’t affect the future.” Personally, I heavily disagree with such a point of view. Although I do agree that, in particular circumstances, making plans for the future is doing Sisyphus work, not planning it at all seems utterly mortifying. I also believe that everyone makes some sort of plan; the problem is this fear of uncertainty that thwarts our will to act.

To make your resolve more adamant, compile a list of your future plans, see what you need in order to make them come true. This one is very similar to the first list—the one with goals; the difference is, it does not have to involve your personal future. Rather, it is list of upcoming important events, important changes in law, or upcoming trends, useful software, etc. It will keep you well-informed and prepared, since staying updated and relevant are essential virtues for lucrative businessmen.

9. List of Contingency Plans

“You pray for rain, you gotta deal with the mud too. That’s a part of it.”
—Denzel Washington

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, meaning there is nothing you can do without consequences. Every attempt to be more successful usually has a set of barriers attached to it, or risks. Even though risks are inevitable, being prepared for the aftermath is always a good and necessary thing. When you plan your business incentives, or when you plan to invest in something, make sure you compose a thorough pros and cons list, as well as a list of possible negative scenarios. In the event that positive aspects outweigh the negative ones, you can be more encouraged to proceed further.

Make an effort to be constantly prepared for the backlash of major initiatives, and contain the possible damage. The lack of contingency implies recklessness, and it was adamantly made clear how this approach contradicts advancement. Make leaps of faith only when you have no other options to explore.

10. Bucket List

“The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and for deeds left undone.”
—Harriet Beecher Stowe

Finally, learn to live for the sake of experiencing what life has to offer. It is invigorating, to say the least, and it keeps your regrets at minimum. One of the reasons why we want to be successful is to actually fulfil our dreams or complete our bucket list, to look back on our life during old age with a warm smile rather than a frown. Feel free to put even the impossible things on your bucket list, and find the next best thing using your creativity. Whenever you reach a rough patch in your life, take a look at you bucket list and see what is the most plausible thing to do in order to restore your will power and keep going.

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