Tis the season to be jolly. Every good Christmas celebration needs music and there is a ton of great Christmas music available for free on the Internet. When I began compiling this post it was to showcase free Christmas music specifically by Catholic musicians, but I kept finding more great Christmas music all over the net. As I was finding more and more sources for ‘free Chrismas music’. I was also struck my the many motivations that artists have for releasing some (or all) of their music for free. For some it is a promotional tool, for others a gift to the world, for others a philosphical and political act. As I list the free music, I will also try to explain what the artist means when they say it is ‘free’.
For my Christmas soundtrack, I often turn to Uwe Herman’s list of 10 + 100 Creative Commons Christmas Songs and Feels like Christmas.
The other day, I was thrilled to discover that True North Records, Borealis Records and Linus Entertainment, have teamed up to offer free music to help promote some legendary Canadian musicians. They offer selected free tracks from artists such as Bruce Cockburn, Ashley McIsaac, Downchild, Colin Linden and Stephen Fearing. I was thrilled to find Bruce Cockburn’s version of Silent Night from his wonderful Christmas album. Their terms for these tracks are: “All the Mp3s on this page contain no DRM and can be dowloaded for free and can be shared via p2p, blogs and social networks and used for any non commercial purpose on a royalty-free basis, including podcasting. Please share with your friends. Add to your ipod, website, blogs, social networks & playlists. Thank you for helping us spread the noise about these artists”. It is incredibly refreshing to see indie record companies who are using the internet and new media to find new promotional and business opportunities for musicians rather than railing against the new technologies.
Now on to the Catholic musicians…
Toronto blogger, musician, software developer and copyfighter Blaise Alleyne has released his arrangements and recordings of public domain Christmas Music back into the public domain under a CC0 dedication, waiving all his copyright claims to both the recordings and arrangements.
I have a couple of Christmas themed songs on my own CD, Sean McGaughey, For the Sake of the Song
I have released them under a
Creative Commons- attribution- no derivatives – non-commercial license.
Karl Kohlhase offers several albums for free download on his website, including the Christmas album, He is Born. Here are Karl’s license restrictions from his website: “You may burn as many copies of the CDs as you like for family and friends. I only ask that you give them away free of charge. Freely you have received, so freely give…”
“He Is Born”
© 2006 Karl Kohlhase
Song Title MP3
He Is Born 4 MB
Song Of Mary 4.4 MB
Lo, How A Rose E’er Blooming 3.9 MB
Another Cold December Night 4.3 MB
Silent Night 6.4 MB
God With Us 4.3 MB
Go Tell It 5 MB
Bob Rice offers a number of free downloads on his website. Bob writes, ” Sometimes a 30 second sample doesn’t cut it. Here’s the full version of some of Bob’s most popular and favorite songs. If you want to save it, right click on the name of the song and choose “Save As”. And if you’d like to buy it, you can get it off iTunes or purchase the CD here.” The closest one to a Christmas song is HERALD OF THE GREAT KING from “Behold the Lamb” (web exclusive)
Popple is pretty cool with people sharing their music with their friends if they have bought the CD. They also have some swell package deals on their website for people wishing to buy Popple CDs for their friends and family. Over the past two years, both Dan and Kyle from Popple have recorded original songs for the Catholic New Media Advent Calendar.
Dan Harms- Can You See Him? (© December 14, 2008, Dan Harms). I Saw Three Ships
Kyle Heimann Add Vents
The following are posted as free downloads by the artists– I’m unsure of the licensing. It would be safe to assume that they are free for personal use and all other rights are reserved.
Praise the Lord From the CD, ‘Bethlehem Morn’ voted one of the Top Ten Christmas Albums in 2008 by Top Catholic Songs . com. You can purchase the album, or download more of Deacon Chuck’s music at SmallTalentMusic.com.
L’Angelus, an amazing Cajun family band from Louisiana is offering a free download of your choice from their Christmas album if you sign up for their mailing list.
If you know of other Catholic musicians offering free downloadable Christmas music, let me know and I will add them to the list.
Last Year on Day 2 of A Catholic New Media Advent Calendar. RAnn from 
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[...] This post was Twitted by Catholic_Hack [...]
Dear Mr Hack,
Just so you know that someone is really “listening”, I watched the Ustream show a few times this morning. I kept going back to about the 20 minute mark, and “listened” a number of times. Then, when I saw it was up here, and that you had 4 hours of work in it, I “listened yet again.(you are to hard on yourself)
Mr Hack, may I call you, Joe? Well, how about Bro?
You see, Bro, my life is really a struggle right now and there are moments when I am feeling lost, confused, afraid…wondering if the last 25 years of my life has been a lie. Doubting my call to live different from the world. To live without the “security” that most Americans live for. To have listened to Fr Al Lauer, founder of Presentation Ministries and author of the One Bread, One Body Devotional, when I started; for the Kingdom Press, a pro-life Printing Company that has printed the Devotional since 1987. To start off not knowing one thing about printing, much less really running a business. Well, if we count the over 10 years as a drug smuggler as “on the job training”, yea, maybe had a little.
I am facing some of the same things again in my life.Moving into areas that I know very little. This time though, I really, REALLY, need that “sign”, that sense of the Lord has it all worked out. At 54 with 3 of my 7 still in school, and unlike when I was being mentored by Fr Al, I am feeling alone, not able to “hear” what the Lord wants me to do, circumstances have kept me paralyzed like never before in my life.
If no one else, gets one thing from this teaching, I have! What it has given me, Joe, is a little more hope. Some light in the Dark Night of the Soul that I have been living in.
Thank you for the hours of work! Thank you for your inspiration! You have a passion, a fire, that I have allowed to become almost extinguished in my life. I need prayer, that I can rekindle that, “fire of my first love”!
Lord, please give me that “sign” that my brother spoke of. A renewed passion to teach and preach to the ends of the earth. And bless Joe and his family with all of their needs! Give Joe that “sign” as well. So that he knows, that he knows, that he knows, what YOU Lord, would have him do at this time in his life!
In Jesus Name, Amen
Bro Jer
.Acts 2:42 my brother!
thanks
Thanks Bro Jer!
I appreciate the feedback! Back in 2004 I attended a Cursillo weekend up in NH and it was a very powerful experience. One of the many things I fondly remember is how the rector, Wayne, encouraged us to pray boldly to God. He said “God has eternity… you do not… give God a time-line and pray boldly!”
This weekend was in October of that year and only a month away from the Presidential election. I was very nervous as I was afraid that John Kerry, who is a pro-abortion Catholic, was going to defeat George Bush who is pro-life. I am unashamedly pro-life and will not consider any other factors until the slaughter of countless millions of Americans is put to an end.
So… coming off this weekend I began to pray boldly to God. I didn’t tell anyone what I was doing however, every day I prayed and asked God to send his Mother to America. I wanted a sign.. to shore up my faith. I believed… but needed my Father in heaven to strengthen me. I gave God a time line… he had till election night to send his Mother to visit America. I prayed this because I wanted a pro-life culture to come to the USA and end the culture of death. Our Lady who gave birth to Life for the world is the remedy to culture gone bad.
Every day I prayed this prayer… boldly to God… giving the time line… asking for the specific sign… no wavering! I am a child of God… He is my Father… I can ask… he can choose to give or not… either way; Praise God!
So, on the night of the election, after days and days of praying this, I watched the TV and saw George Bush sitting in the White house, along with his wife, daughters, and parents, sitting on the couch, with George sitting in the chair, as they watched the results, on TV, come in from the election. Nothing… I never saw Our Lady and didn’t hear anyone else see her either. I was very discouraged by this.
The next day I was at my desk, with Fox News streaming over the internet so I could hear the results, and listening to the recap from the night before. They even played the same video of the President sitting in his chair watching the results come in. Then… I received an email from my wife. She asked me…. “Did you see it”? See what? I asked. “Did you see the image Our Lady in the White House?
What!?! I never told anyone what I had been praying for. Not even my wife! I went back to the video from election night… there She was! Sitting next to President Bush, on the coffee table, an Icon of our Lady. I didn’t notice it before but there she was! I sat in awe of the majesty of God. This was NOT an endorsement of Bush…. this was my Father speaking to his little boy… sending him the desired sign to shore up his faith! I have a picture of the icon from that night and it still amazes me.
Pray boldly! Ask God for a sign… he has one ready for you! I have told this to many people who have then asked and received their sign from God. Let me know when you receive yours!
God Bless You
Joe