How can I download songs from Saavn for free?

ByJael Lawler

Saavn is a popular music streaming service in India that allows users to listen to songs and albums on-demand. It was founded in 2007 and acquired by Reliance in 2018. According to Statista, Saavn had the second largest market share of music apps in India in 2020 with 24%, behind Gaana at 30%.

Many users want to download songs from Saavn to their devices for offline listening. However, downloading copyrighted music without permission is technically illegal in most countries, including India, due to copyright laws. While Saavn does offer some download capabilities for premium subscribers, free users are limited to streaming only.

Why People Want to Download from Saavn

There are several key reasons why people may want to download songs from Saavn rather than just stream them:

Access songs offline. By downloading songs, you can listen to them any time without an internet connection. This makes it easy to enjoy your favorite music on the go, such as while commuting or traveling. Saavn has millions of high-quality songs available for download.

Avoid data charges for streaming. Streaming music can use up a lot of mobile data, leading to extra data fees. Downloading songs over Wi-Fi saves that data usage. This allows people to listen more affordably, especially those with limited data plans.

Create playlists and collections. With a download, you can compile songs into custom playlists and access your music library from multiple devices. Saavn’s streaming-only mode does not enable personalized playlists or downloads. Downloading provides more control over your music.

Risks and Ethical Concerns

There are legal and ethical risks to consider when downloading songs from Saavn or other sources for free. Legally, downloading copyrighted songs without permission is considered copyright infringement. According to Stanford University, “The perspective of the RIAA on this debate is that people downloading their music are stealing unlawfully and should be prosecuted.” (Source)

Ethically, unauthorized downloading denies artists and rights holders their fair compensation. As argued in a paper from Old Dominion University, “Buying music from labels or retailers in our current intellectual property rights regime and copyright-based industry context (1) fails to appropriately support artists, (2) perpetuates an exploitative business model, and (3) upholds an unethical system.” (Source)

While free downloads may seem convenient, it’s important to consider the legal and ethical implications. Supporting artists financially allows them to keep creating music.

Using a Download Manager

One of the most popular ways to download songs from Saavn is by using a download manager browser extension or desktop software like Internet Download Manager (IDM). Download managers allow you to easily download Saavn songs by capturing the audio stream.

To use a browser extension like Video DownloadHelper, first install it in your browser. Then navigate to Saavn.com and play a song. The extension will detect the audio stream and provide a download link. You can specify audio formats and quality. For desktop apps like IDM, you need to configure it to capture audio streams from your browser. Then browsing Saavn will allow you to download songs.

The main pros of using download managers are convenience and speed. The downloads are quick and easy without needing extra steps. You can also download entire playlists or albums. The downside is you have to install extra software and learn how to use it properly.

Online Saavn Downloaders

There are a number of websites that claim to allow users to download songs from Saavn for free. These sites typically work by having users copy and paste a song’s streaming URL or Saavn link into the site. The site then extracts the audio file and allows the user to download it.

However, there are some significant risks involved with using these downloader sites. Saavn’s Terms and Conditions expressly prohibit downloading, copying, or sharing their content without permission. The downloader sites are essentially facilitating unauthorized copying and distribution of Saavn’s copyrighted content.

This means both the sites and users downloading from them are violating Saavn’s terms and copyright law. Saavn could potentially file lawsuits against sites offering downloads of their content without permission. Users could also face legal risks for using these unauthorized Saavn downloaders.

Ethically, these third-party download sites also undermine the licensed music services Saavn provides. Saavn must properly license songs before making them available, so circumventing their service to get free downloads takes away revenues used to pay artists and rights holders.

In summary, online Saavn downloader sites may make getting songs seem easy, but they operate in legally dubious territory and pose risks for both themselves and their users.

Converting Streaming URLs

Saavn allows users to stream songs for free through their mobile app or website. While streaming lets you listen on-demand, it doesn’t allow downloading the songs. However, Saavn provides streaming URLs that can be converted into downloadable files.

To find the streaming URL for a song on Saavn, open the song in the web player and look at the network requests in your browser’s developer tools. You should see a request to an API endpoint like “song.mp3” which contains the direct media URL. This direct streaming link can be entered into a converter tool to download the song file.

There are many free online tools and browser extensions that can convert a Saavn streaming URL into an MP3 download. For example:

While convenient, downloading copyrighted songs may infringe on artist rights. Make sure you only use streaming converters ethically and legally.

Using a Streaming Audio Recorder

One way to download songs from Saavn for free is to use streaming audio recording software. This allows you to record the audio output from your computer as the song streams. Some popular streaming audio recorders include:

Wondershare Streaming Audio Recorder, EaseUS RecExperts, and OBS Studio. These programs install locally on your computer and capture audio playing through your sound card.

To record streaming audio using these tools:

  • Install and launch the streaming audio recorder.
  • Configure it to record computer/system audio.
  • Play the song you want to download on Saavn.
  • Start recording in the software.
  • Stop recording once the full song has played.
  • Save the recorded audio file.

This gives you a copy of the song saved on your computer that you can keep and playback. Most streaming recorders are straightforward to set up and provide tutorials to help guide you. Just be sure to use them legally and ethically.

Premium Downloads on Saavn

Saavn offers premium downloads as part of its Saavn Pro subscription. With Saavn Pro, users can download an unlimited number of songs for offline listening.

The Saavn Pro subscription offers several benefits for downloading music, including:

  • Unlimited song downloads
  • Higher 320kbps audio quality for downloads
  • Downloads available across devices when logged into your Saavn account
  • Offline listening – no internet required for downloaded songs

Saavn Pro is available on monthly and yearly plans. Pricing varies by region but is typically around $1-2 USD per month or $10-20 USD per year. There are often discounted promotional offers available as well. Users can subscribe on Saavn’s website or through in-app purchases.

Downloaded songs are only available during an active Saavn Pro subscription. If the subscription expires, downloads are no longer accessible as mentioned here. However, songs can be downloaded again if the user renews their subscription.

Alternatives for Downloading

Instead of downloading songs from Saavn for free, there are legal alternatives for acquiring music downloads and offline listening:

Legal music stores like iTunes and Amazon Music allow you to purchase and download individual songs or albums to own forever. The songs can then be played offline without an internet connection. This gives full ownership of the music files.

Many paid streaming subscriptions such as Apple Music, Amazon Music Unlimited, and Spotify Premium allow offline downloads for listening when internet access is limited. Downloaded songs can only be played while subscribed to the service. This provides offline listening while respecting copyrights.

By using these legal options, you can download high-quality songs guilt-free and support the artists you love. The small upfront investment is worthwhile to enjoy music while avoiding the risks of piracy.

Conclusion

As reviewed in this article, while there may be technical means to download songs from Saavn for free, doing so likely violates copyright and terms of use. There are risks involved with such unauthorized downloading and sharing of copyrighted content without permission. The music industry has taken legal action against sites enabling piracy, showing it takes copyright seriously.

The preferable alternative is to access music through authorized channels that respect artists’ rights, such as paid streaming subscriptions or authorized free ad-supported tiers that compensate artists. Supporting creators enables the production of more great music in the future. If you truly cannot afford paid options, using free streaming legally is better than piracy. There are also plenty of free resources to discover music legally, like radio, YouTube, SoundCloud, and more.

In closing, while the technical cat-and-mouse game around blocking unauthorized downloading may continue, embracing authorized music channels is the ethical choice that builds a healthy, sustainable music ecosystem. The convenience of free downloads on piracy sites or via technical workarounds simply does not justify the real-world damage caused to artists whose work fuels the music we love.

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