So, what's it all about?
Freegal is a downloadable music service, like iTunes from your library. All you need is your library card number and PIN. With access to the Sony Music Entertainment catalog, it offers 8 million+ songs, over 200 genres of music, and more than 28,000 record labels, all without having to download special software or have any digital rights management (DRM) issues to deal with. Access to Freegal is limited to residents of Pueblo County.
Why is access to Freegal limited to residents of Pueblo County?
Freegal is a service paid for by the tax dollars contributed by Pueblo County residents. As an Internet-based service, its use is limited to its paying customers.
What's my library card number?
It's the number on the back of your library card.
What's my PIN?
The PIN that is assigned to each patron when a library card is assigned is their birth date. If a patrons birth date is December 9th 1969, then they would enter 12091969 for their PIN.
Where did the name Freegal come from?
It rhymes with legal. It's a word made up by Library Ideas, the company that contracted with Sony to offer this service. It means free and legal music. Library Ideas later discovered that it was in the Urban Dictionary. So, someone else actually made it up.
How much music is on this site?
It changes daily. But it's safe to say that there are thousands of artists, tens of thousands of albums, and over eight million songs. The Freegal site has over 200 genres of music. The content is based upon licenses from 28,000 different labels including the world's largest--Sony Music Entertainment. And new music is added daily.
How many songs can I download?
You may download up to five songs per week, as long as you are a resident of Pueblo County. Sunday at 12:00 a.m. EST (10:00 p.m. MST) your counter will be set back to zero. After that time you can download three more songs over the following week.
Why are there limits on the number of downloads?
The limit is set so that a maximum number of patrons may have equal access to the songs in the Freegal catalog.
How will I know how many downloads I've used?
In the upper right corner is your download allotment, and the ticker helps you track it. For instance if it says 1/5, you have 5 downloads for the week and you have used up 1.
How do I download a song?
When you've selected an artist and song you want from Freegal's menu, click on the "Download Now" link next to your chosen song. At the prompt, select Save and choose where you want to save the song. If you're not presented with a prompt, try right-clicking the link and choosing the option to save the link (i.e. Save Target As, Save Link As, or Download Linked File, etc.). This will let you choose where to save your song.
Note: Anytime you click on the "Download Now" link, even if you decide to cancel it, the download will count towards your weekly allotment.Why does the counter say I've downloaded 5 songs when I'm sure I haven't?
You may have started a download then changed your mind and canceled it. Once you click download it can't be reversed. It will count toward your download limit.
Can I download a whole album?
Songs are available on an individual basis only. You can choose, over time, to download all the songs on an album. However, previewing a song will help you decide if you have favorites and don't want them all.
Can I stream the songs I downloaded?
Freegal provides the option of streaming an entire album or creating your own streaming playlist. To do this find a song or album you wish to stream, you can add the song to a playlist by clicking the option menu and selecting “Add to Playlist”. To add or stream an album, mouse over the cover image and click the Stream Now icon or the + symbol to add it to a playlist.
What are the different ways to search for a song or artist?
The site is set up to browse, or to search. You can use the bar across the top to browse by genre or by our suggestions. You can use the grid at the bottom right to browse by artist in alphabetical order. You can search by artist, by song, by the album or by keyword. Expanded search options are under advanced search.
Having trouble finding your band in the Artist Search box?
Try looking under the letter "T", for instance, for bands that begin with the word "The" in their name. The keyword search can also help you find an artist.
Need help?
Take a look at our
set-up page for help on getting up and going.
