By Michelle Waltos

Librarian

Did you know that Northern Onondaga Public Library (NOPL) cardholders are entitled to download five songs every week? On popular music platforms, songs typically cost an average of at least $1 each. That means that you can save more than $260 a year by downloading your weekly allotment from the library through a service called Freegal.

But it can’t be good music, right? Well, that depends. Do you enjoy artists such as Adele, Kenny Chesney, Aerosmith, John Legend, Miles Davis, Train, Bruce Springsteen, Kelly Clarkson, Jason Aldean, Leonard Cohen, Sara Bareilles or Dave Matthews Band?

Freegal boasts a collection of over 10 million songs from thousands of different artists, with music originating from over 100 different countries. It is bound to have some of your favorite musicians.

NOPL cardholders can also take advantage of Freegal’s streaming music option. Add songs to your own playlists or listen to one of Freegal’s lists, which are frequently updated and reflect different genres and interests. For example, you can enjoy lists like “Country Hits,” “One Hit Wonders,” or “Top Jazz Albums” — right now there are even playlists for every NFL team!

You can claim your free MP3 song downloads by visiting nopl.org/freegal to link to the Freegal music platform. You’ll need to enter your library card and PIN before downloading or steaming music. Freegal tracks how many songs have been downloaded using your library card, and it resets every Monday. You can also use your mobile device by downloading the Freegal app from the app store.

If you don’t have a library card or PIN, simply visit your nearest NOPL location in Brewerton, Cicero or North Syracuse. In less than five minutes we’ll get you set up with everything you need to start enjoying Freegal and other money-saving digital services.