What Is Free Music, Sounds, Loops Database and Where to Find Them

Posted 3 years ago by Max Komonov

An artist needs supplies for their craft. There is certainly no doubt about that. Whether it’s paint and brushes for a canvas painter, spray paint for a graffiti artist, yarn and thread for a more textile oriented crafter, or even the right kind of stone for a sculptor, there is no denying that the life of an artist is as resource heavy as it is time-consuming.

This, of course, goes for musicians as well. Music is a beautiful art, but just as dependent on outside resources. However, we’re not talking about bows, reeds, seats, or the instruments themselves. The type of music we’re talking about is of a digital nature. The types of resources this article focuses on are free music samples, free sound samples, free loop samples, and royalty-free music samples.

A Different Genre of Music Artist

The type of musical artist we’re going to focus on in this article is someone who specializes in selling sounds, sound loops, and musical samples. While music performance, music education, and music composition have been the main paths that a musician could go down for hundreds of years, with the development of more technological means of creation, a new kind of musician has come to the forefront of the music world.

The rapid growth of these digitally-focused music maestros can be attested to the digital boom that was seen in the late 20th century. With the introduction of synthesizers, the transition from analog to digital means of production, and the blend of computers as a part of musical expression, the music world was forever changed and gave way to modern beat makers and DJs. With this transition, however, where would they be pulling their resources from?

Even though it seems like second nature to the tech-savvy generations of the modern-day, finding the right supplier for something that you can’t touch is harder than one would think. Luckily, with the move to digital also came the growth of digital suppliers. The selection of supplies is as vast as the internet, but that also brings with it how easy it can be to get lost in the digital abyss of internet sound supplies.

A Digital Gold Mine

Relying on free music samples, free sound samples, free loop samples, and royalty-free music samples makes it a hard job to find the right means to run a business as a digital music provider. You might initially think that this is because resources can be as scarce as their physical relatives.

On the contrary, the hard part lies in the vast amount of sources to choose from. First, though, it’s good to make sure we know what we’re looking for in terms of free music samples, free sound samples, free loop samples, and royalty-free music samples—the keyword being free!

Free Music Samples

Before digging into where we should probably start with the what. After all, good artists should always know as much about their materials as possible before they start creating. So let’s start with free music samples. A music sample is a segment, or possibly segments, of a song cut out to stand on its own. This separate section is then usually altered or blended with other elements to turn it into something new, while still leaving the source material recognizable. They are typically used as backtracks for larger works, usually falling in the intro section or as part of the hook. They can sometimes even be used as the main beat for an entire song.

A great example of this is Lupe Fiasco’s The Show Goes On. We know, it’s a little dated at this point, but it’s a great example of sampling that’s used in a pretty obvious way. For the song’s main theme, it relies on the musical work and melody of the original work Float On by Modest Mouse. It’s pretty hard to miss unless you’re completely unaware of the original song. Another more obscure example, however, is Daft Punk’s One More Time.

They actually mix and cut various sections of Eddie Johns’ More Spell On You with a little inversion to create the main theme of the song. These are just a few good examples of how widespread and versatile the practice of music sampling has become.

Free Sound Samples

The next thing we want to cover is a little more ambiguous but offers an even greater amount of variety than music samples can give. Free sound samples are pretty simple to explain, thankfully. It’s all sound effects and generic noises that can be used for just about any situation. From ducks quacking, gunshots, doors opening, and waves crashing, to anything else you can think of.

Now, at first, it’s easy to wonder how this fits into a music setting. After all, this all sounds like stuff that might happen with film work during the editing process. Fun fact, most sound effects are included in films this way. Do with that what you will. So to understand where these sound effects come in, it might be easier to try and put them into a well-known context. The first song that comes to mind for a lot of people might be Paper Planes by M.I.A. You know, that song from Slumdog Millionaire? Anyways, this song’s hook relies heavily on the sounds of gunshots and a register opening. While this might not be inherently musical, they’re definitely used in a musical way, and in a pretty popular song at that!

Free Loop Samples

Next up are loop samples. Loops samples are sections of music whose purpose is to run from beginning to end and back to the beginning seamlessly. Great for beats for a song, background music when you need something to get lost in, practicing musicians working on the fundamentals, or even useful for anyone trying to freestyle over something reliable, the applications are endless. Music loops offer a wide use of purpose and can also include each of the other resources mentioned in this article.

Royalty-Free Music Samples

This next one is a big one, and possibly one of the most important ones. So let’s say, for example, a Twitch streamer is trying to find the right tunes for their stream. They might need something exciting for an action game or something a little calmer for a nice farming simulator.

A common wall that they, or anyone needing music for something on social media, might run into are copyright issues. Artists put a lot of work into their songs, and so they want to ensure their works aren’t being used without proper credit being given. This is why many social media services will have restrictions on the kinds of media that they’ll allow being played on their platforms.

Don’t worry though. This doesn’t mean the end of the road for getting the right vibes. Royalty-free music samples step in when this obstacle presents itself. These are usually segments of music, or entire songs altogether, that are open to free use by the public without any copyright restrictions on them. Keep an eye out for bands that waive these restrictions, too. Trust us. They’re rare, but they’re out there.

A Font of Resources

We’ve more than covered the necessary aspects of the what, so all that’s left is the where, and that brings us to the hard part…and the easy part? It’s a little difficult to convey, but there are a plethora of online resources for free music samples, free sound samples, free loop samples, and royalty-free music samples called databases. These databases are like supermalls of the internet when it comes to finding the perfect set of sounds. They are filled to the brim with tons of audio resources, and many of them are free. These databases are places where artists can upload their own works just as much as they can download the works of others. Be sure to do your research though. With any online download, finding anything advertised as free is commonly a red flag amongst the denizens of the digital world. Many can be legitimate services, seeking to only act as a platform for content creators to spread and share their works and build a community.

Sadly, we live in a world where there is just as much bad on the internet as there is good. There are just as many of these sites that may just be home to viruses and malware and scam galore. It’s important to take a look at prices, customer service models, ease of use, and so on. Typically, if it feels like a legitimate business you would patronize in real life, then there is a good chance you can trust it.

Here at Ecwid, we offer a reliable online free ecommerce shopping cart and free online store, perfect for finding the perfect free music samples, free sound samples, free loop samples, and royalty-free music samples. Be sure to start here before you start your journey into the world of digital music creation and trading.

Do you want to learn more about selling music online?

About The Author

Max has been working in the ecommerce industry for the last six years helping brands to establish and level-up content marketing and SEO. Despite that, he has experience with entrepreneurship. He is a fiction writer in his free time.