This is NOT a thread for copyright infringement! Please do not post links to sites that host copyrighted music which does not have a license that allows you to make a copy without having to pay for it! Music is always better when you can share it with your friends I'm hoping this thread will become a list of sites where you can download music that has a Creative Commons (or similar) license. I'm going to start the thread with.... Jamendo.com I came across Jamendo while using stumbleupon, but i am surprised that i had not heard about it before!
Jamendo is a good one, and now they're actually starting to present the higher-grade music out front, which is nice. You don't have to wade through as much "hobbyist" music that way. Audio - Creative Commons Is another good source of free and independent music.
You can download the music of some up-and-coming bands for free at Last.fm: Weekly Free Downloads – Last.fm
Magnatune: license music and MP3 download is another good source of free music; all of their albums are licensed under the creative commons (non-commercial attribution I believe), so you can use them in non-profit projects. If you want to buy the music, you have multiple format choices with no DRM, and they split the take with the artist 50/50. Great label.