Toledo Library Launches Free Music Download Service

The time’s they are a changin’.

And the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library hasn’t skipped a beat. From books and magazines to DVDs, CDs and e-books, patrons can borrow all the learning resources and entertainment devices their hearts desire for free (courtesy of the taxpayers’ dollars, of course). Beginning today, the Library offers another way for patrons to take home free music with the launch of a new state-of-the-art service called Freegal.

“Freegal is a way for people to get music for free without any big hassles,” said TLCPL Librarian, Greg Miller. “Previously, the Library offered all DRM-protected material, and access to the music you borrowed would eventually expire. With Freegal, you own the song forever.”

Just like the name implies, the service is free and legal for Library cardholders. Supplied for a cost to libraries across the country by Library Ideas, LLC, Freegal gives users access to a majority of the Sony Entertainment music catalog. According to Miller, the selection still won’t include artists like The Beatles and the Rolling Stones, but patrons will have access to millions of songs, including tracks by independent acts.

“You don’t have to have that guilt about artists not getting their money, if you had any,” Miller said. “Everybody gets a piece of the pie.”

The Freegal process is simple. Patrons may download up to three songs each week from the Library’s website, and can keep track of their downloads in the upper right corner of the site. Every song has a sample clip, so users can listen to the track before they download. Files are all in MP3 format (no DRM), and will play on any MP3 device or player, including iPod and iTunes. Freegal downloads work on both PC and Mac. Find a specific song or artist by searching alphabetically (by first name) or using the advanced search option.

While Miller said one of the only downsides to the service is that patrons are limited to three downloads per week, the limit shouldn’t be that big of a change for people who are used to buying one or two songs at a time off iTunes. The Library expects patrons 25 and under to use Freegal the most, but with the broad selection of musical genres spanning from rap and rock to classical and country, it should offer a little something for every type of music fan.

For more information about Freegal, visit www.toledolibrary.org or call 419-259-5285.

Published: 12/19/2011 8:00 am

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