Your guide to free music, online and on-the-go

Josh Smith
Updated

Recently Zac Bissonette shared the sad news that Ruckus, a provider of "free" music to college students, closed down. While he is turning to YouTube to feed his musical cravings, there are many other options out there to satisfy even the most demanding musical tastes. Thanks to the wonders of technology -- and music licensing -- you can listen to millions of free tracks online and even take several of these free options with you on the go.

All of these streaming music services are free for all to use with minimal advertising. In some cases, you can subscribe for a nominal fee to remove ads and unlock extra features, but the free versions will often scratch your musical itch just right. Either way, it's still cheaper than being on the receiving end of an RIAA lawsuit!

You can use all of the services from your computer and the compatibility chart below to see which ones you can take with you on popular mobile phones.

Service

iPhone

Blackberry

Android G1

Windows
Mobile

Pandora

X



X

Last.fm

X


X

X

Slacker

X

X



Shoutcast

X

X*


X*

Blip.fm

X*




AOL Radio

X



X*

* needs a third party program which may cost money.

Keep reading to find out more about each free music offering.

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