Most people know the Internet Archive as a place to find old websites through the Wayback Machine. Fewer know that it also hosts one of the world's largest collections of freely streamable music — millions of recordings spanning every genre, era, and corner of the globe. Here's a guide to what's there and how to find it.
Jazz — America's Original Art Form
Jazz has one of the deepest archives in the collection. Early recordings from the 1920s and 1930s — the era of Louis Armstrong's Hot Fives and Hot Sevens, Duke Ellington's early orchestra, and the birth of swing — are all in the public domain and freely available.
The archive is also home to a remarkable collection of live concert recordings, particularly from the Grateful Dead and other bands that actively encouraged taping. The jazz section ranges from scratchy 78rpm transfers to high-quality concert recordings from the 1970s and 1980s. Browse free jazz →
Blues — The Root of Everything
Delta blues, Chicago blues, and the transitional recordings that connected them. Many of the earliest blues recordings — made in the 1920s and 1930s by musicians like Bessie Smith and Blind Lemon Jefferson — have entered the public domain and can be streamed freely.
These recordings matter not just as historical artifacts but as genuinely great music. The compression of emotion into three-minute 78rpm sides produced some of the most concentrated art the twentieth century created. Browse free blues →
Classical Music
Every major classical composer died long ago, which means their music is in the public domain everywhere in the world. What varies is the copyright status of specific recordings — performances and recordings can still be under copyright even when the underlying compositions aren't.
The Internet Archive holds a substantial collection of public domain recordings, including many made before 1928 that are now freely available in the US. This includes early 20th-century recordings of works by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and their contemporaries. Browse free classical music →
Folk and Traditional Music
The archive holds an extraordinary collection of field recordings — ethnomusicological work done by researchers who went into the field to capture traditional music before it disappeared. Alan Lomax's recordings for the Library of Congress are among the most famous examples, documenting American folk traditions across the country in the 1930s and 1940s.
Beyond the academic field recordings, the archive also holds a huge collection of traditional and folk music from performers who chose to release their work freely. Browse free folk music →
How to Get the Most Out of It
Sort by download count to find the most popular recordings in any genre — these tend to be the most accessible and well-preserved. Don't overlook the long tail, though. Some of the most interesting recordings in the archive are obscure regional releases that you'd never find anywhere else.
All content is available to stream in your browser or download in various formats. No account, no subscription, no cost.