The Barrington Area Library is proud to introduce Freegal, a new service providing free, legal music downloads to Barrington Area Library cardholders.

Patrons with a valid BALibrary card can go to the Freegal Web site and download FIVE free songs each week. Songs are provided from the Sony Music catalog, a huge collection of music spanning many decades and genres and hundreds of thousands of songs. Popular artists like Adele, Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé and Kelly Clarkson are available, along with bands like Foster the People, Train, Mumford & Sons and The Fray. Familiar classics by Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand can be accessed with one click of the mouse and the eclectic listener can browse genres from acapella to zydeco. Classical music is available as well, as are new and classic music videos (music videos use up two credits per week).

Songs are downloaded in the mp3 format, with no DRM (digital rights management), so they can easily be transferred from home computer to mobile devices.

Try Freegal today! Click the Freegal link and type in your full library card number and start listening to great music in minutes. Have questions about Freegal? See the FAQ section on the Freegal Web site or stop in and talk with an Adult Services librarian.

Trouble accessing Freegal?

1) Make sure your Barrington Area Library card is still valid. Not sure? Stop by the Customer Service Desk.

2) Getting an "About Freegal" screen? Try clearing your browser cache, or, if using Internet Explorer, change to Compatibility View.

To change to Compatibility View:

As soon as you enter the Freegal site, click the Compatibility View icon in your toolbar.

It looks like the icon that is circled in red in the image to the left.