100 Best Online Archives for Music Majors

Amber Johnson, from OnlineColleges.net, was kind enough to share this article with us.

Burgeoning
Internet technology has been a bane to music companies. But the wide
range of available audio resources has made studying music easier than
ever. Online music archives host a variety of genres from countries
around the world. Here are the best online archives for music majors
pursuing their passion.

Popular Genres

Popular music shapes culture and often serves as a soundtrack for
current events. Check out these music archives for popular genres such
as rock and rap.

1. Artist Direct: Free downloads and streaming music from the biggest and newest acts.
2. Iceberg: A Canadian service offering international pop groups in a range of genres from R&B to techno.
3. CMT: Focused on country music, this site has video, lyrics and more.
4. Ishkur’s Guide to Electronic Music: With samples, equipment reviews and a library, this archive is great for anyone interested in techno or electronic music.
5. Motor City Music Archives:
   Detroit has a long tradition of great music from gospel to punk rock.
   This archive is dedicated to Motor City music such as Motown and the
   White Stripes.
6. Stoner Rock: Latest news
   and releases from the world of acid rock, this resource includes
   samples from up and coming bands in addition to established groups.
7. Eternity Rock: This music community shares information and archives from varying genres.
8. Gospel Music Archives: Songs, MP3s and sheet music for modern gospel tunes, this archive is sure to save your soul.
9. Free Music Archive: A collection of songs from unsigned, unknown bands this archive is a must for indie fans.
10. digital-music-archives.com: Promoting electronic and electroacoustic music, this archive regularly adds more top quality music every day.
11. Cosmopolis: This music archive caters to fans with different tastes. Get music in nearly any genre from jazz to classical to pop.
12. New Gibraltar: An encyclopedia of progressive rock, this archive provides streaming samples and downloads.
13. Christian Music Archive: A solid site for Christian music fans, this archive is blessed with an easy to use interface.
14. OpenMusicArchive.org: This collaborative project was started to source, digitize and distribute out-of-copyright sound recordings.
15. Hyperreal Music Archive:
    Hosting music representing a range of indie labels across a variety of
    genres, this archive offers amazing resources for musicians interested
    in techno.
16. The Children’s Music Archive:
    Lyrics and sing-a-long suggestions from this site makes it particular
    useful to music majors thinking about a career as an elementary teacher.
17. VGMusic: A kitschy little site specializing entirely in video game theme music this is a must for any geek.
18. The Music Archive: This database provides detailed information on some of the popular acts in history such as Neil Young and Van Morrison.
19. ASMA: A massive archive of sounds from the Atari system of video games, this site grows rapidly and now contains thousands of songs.
20. The Indie Music Archive: An archive for out of publication indie music, many of the bands on this site are Canadian and have broken up.

Classical Music

Studies have shown listening to classical composers such Mozart and
Beethoven can boost brain power. Get smarter by checking out the best
online music articles.

21. Classical Archives:
    One of the largest archives available on the web, this site contains
    hundreds of thousands of classical tracks from thousands of composers
    new and old.
22. Classical Guitar Archives: This database for classical guitar is run by a master musician looking to share his craft with the world.
23. NOM Classical: Music cataloged by specific instrument, this site hosts beautiful and traditional in classical music
24. Bach Chorales: An archive specifically dedicated to the German Composer Johan Sebastian Bach
25. Arman’s Concert Hall: The thousands of piano works available on this site will drastically expand anyone’s classical repertoire.
26. The Sweet Sounds of Classical Music:
    A collection of masterful symphonies from the earliest creations to the
    present day, this archive contains some of the world’s most beautiful
    music.
27. Delcamp.net: A free Internet resource committed to guitarists and classical pieces, this archive has thousands of songs and video clips.
28. Classical MP3s: Free classical MP3s and other music downloads, this site is a lot of fun for classical lovers.
29. MusicWeb International:
    Over 100 of the greatest symphonies ever written performed by some of
    the greatest musicians alive today, this classical database offers
    reviews, audio files and, best of all, completely free.
30. Classical MIDI with Words:
    Classical masterpieces aren’t all instrumentals, some of the best come
    with words. This MIDI archive of classical works with words is
    fantastic reference tool.
31. A-M Classical: News and information relating to the classical community, this database provides quick access to favorites.
32. Classical LP to MP3:
    This unique archive gives classical music lovers access to recordings
    from Dutch radio in the 1950s. These awesome recordings will delight
    any true fan.
33. ELIXIR’S MIDI Page for Classical Guitars:
    A fantastic collection of songs for classical guitar players, this
    archive contains hundreds of tracks and links for aspiring professional
    musicians.
34. eClassical: Crystal clear files are the standard for this classical archive that offers an easy search by composer, title or instrument.
35. Aji’s Classical Music Palace: Get works from great composers, past and present, at this site for classical music aficionados.
36. Tina Billet’s Keyboard Creations:
    These recordings of pieces from master composers were performed by a
    talented amateur musician based in England and placed into a convenient
    archive.
37. Classical MIDI Connection:
    MIDI music ranges from brilliant compositions to annoying beeping. This
    database of songs serves as a fantastic reference guide for an amazing
    number of classical works.
38. Classical Guitar MIDI Archives: This site gives students a wonderful introduction to classical guitar by providing over 2400 songs from 100 composers.
39. Classical Music Archives: A simple, no fuss interface, this site seeks to provide users with an amazing classical experience.

World and Regional Music

Countries, cultures and people are greatly influenced by music. Hear
what the world has to offer with these great music archives featuring
the best world and regional music.

40. The Internet Chinese Music Archive: Featuring music from various periods of Chinese history, this archive includes modern tracks representing a new China.
41. Global Music Archive:
    A fantastic resource provided by Vanderbilt University, this database
    of world music includes traditional and new songs from around the world.
42. CaribPlanet: Checkout the amazingly varied genres produced from the Caribbean with this archive specializing in island music.
43. Canadian Music Archives:
    This resource provided by the Canadian government preserves the musical
    history of the great nation to the north. Search this database of