Free Legal Music Downloads Available Through Whitefish Bay Library

Whitefish Bay residents are now able to download free music legally through a new program offered at Whitefish Bay Library.

Whitefish Bay Public Library has joined Library Ideas, a network of public library websites offering access to over 3 million songs, including Sony Music’s catalog of artists. The Freegal Music Service allows the library to increase the size and diversity of its collection by offering access to over 10,000 music labels from 65 different countries. 

Under the terms of the agreement, registered library card holders who are residents of Whitefish Bay can download three Freegal Music tracks in the MP3 format each week at no direct cost on Whitefish Bay's Freegal page. The library will underwrite the purchase of the music. 

“We think this will be incredibly popular with our patrons and will help the library in marketing all its services to the community. Freegal is compatible with lots of devices and is easy to use,” said Scott Lenski, Community and Adult Services Librarian. 

The Freegal Music Service recently announced the availability of free mobile apps for registered cardholders of subscribing libraries. The Freegal Music apps are available in the Apple App Store and on Google Play. 

“Sony Music has an incredibly expansive and popular catalog and we are really excited to partner with them on this, a very important product for libraries,” said Brian Downing, co-founder of Library Ideas. “A library is a focal point of the community that requires many tools to excite people about library resources. More than anything, that is the reason for the service.”