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Best Sources for Downloading CD Covers and Artwork

These sites can help you complete your digital music library

By Mark Harris Mark Harris Writer University of Wolverhampton Mark Harris is a former writer for Lifewire who wrote about the digital music scene and streaming music services in an easy to understand, no-nonsense manner. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on May 22, 2020 Reviewed by Jon Fisher Reviewed by Jon Fisher Wichita Technical Institute Jonathan Fisher is a CompTIA certified technologist with more than 6 years' experience writing for publications like TechNorms and Help Desk Geek. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Apps Best Apps Payment Services Although streaming audio sites include album art within their catalogs, private collectors—especially of old vinyl—may be out of luck. Options are fewer today than they used to be, given the migration to subscription music services, but several sites still offer robust catalogs of album art you're free to download and use to flesh out your collections. 01 of 06

Discogs

What We Like Large selection. Sort by genre, style, and format. Sign up quickly using Facebook or Google. Rare music selections. What We Don't Like Registration required. Somewhat cluttered album pages. Discogs is one of the largest online databases for audio. This rich audio catalog resource can be particularly useful for non-mainstream recordings where software media players such as iTunes or Windows Media Player might not be able to find the correct artwork. If you have hard-to-find commercial releases, bootlegs, or white-label (promo) material, then you might be able to source the correct album art using Discogs. The website is easy to use for finding album covers not only for digital music releases but for older mediums, too, like vinyl records and CDs. For digital music, you can also fine-tune your search with a handy filtering option that can display certain audio formats like AAC and MP3. Visit Discogs 02 of 06

Musicbrainz

What We Like Large mix of search options. Download the entire database for free. Helpful documentation. What We Don't Like Outdated website design. Confusing site to navigate. Musicbrainz offers a huge catalog of music information with included artwork. It was originally conceived as an alternative to CDDB (short for Compact Disc Database) but has now been developed into an online encyclopedia of music that sports more information on artists and albums than simple CD metadata does. For example, searching for your favorite artist will usually yield information such as all albums released by them (including compilations), audio formats, music labels, background information (relationships to others), and cover art. Visit Musicbrainz 03 of 06

Internet Archive

What We Like Free. Easy to search. What We Don't Like Limited collection. Not a dedicated art site. The Internet Archive offers many gems, both old and new, including album covers. Although the cover art is limited—fewer than 1,500 items—the quality is high, and there's no cost to download it. Archive.org Album Colors 04 of 06

Album Art Exchange

What We Like Free service. High-quality art. Community forum. What We Don't Like Eclectic collection. License model for the art is legally questionable. Originally a hobby project, Album Art Exchange now has more than a half-million high-quality album covers contributed by members across the globe. The site also includes a request feature and community forums, so if you don't find what you're looking for, it's possible someone has it and can scan the album cover for you. Album Art Exchange 05 of 06

Amazon and eBay

What We Like Established marketplaces. Easy search patterns. What We Don't Like Hit-or-miss based on current product availability. No guarantee that covers are available. If a cover is available, it may not be good quality for album art. The reseller markets on Amazon and eBay often feature old or vintage music for sale by sharing images of its covers. It's a hit-or-miss prospect, given that when an item sells, the listing fails, but if you can't find what you're looking for, stop by these sites every few weeks and look again. 06 of 06

Web Searches

bing What We Like Easy to use—it's a search like any other. Google and Bing offer image thumbnails. What We Don't Like Limited to content that's available on the open web.
For rare content, you might get lucky by searching your favorite search engine. Bing and Google both offer robust image-focused results that often uncover an elusive image that sources not from an online catalog but from someone's personal blog post. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire Best Free Album Art Downloaders for Digital Music 21 Best Places to Get Free Kindle Books (October 2022) How to Scan Songs on Spotify Using a Scan Code 16 Best Free Audio Book Websites (October 2022) 14 Best Places to Get Free Music Downloads Legally Use the Invisible Web to Find People The 5 Best Free MP3 Tag Editors 9 Best Sites for Public Domain Images The 9 Best Free Music Streaming Apps for iOS and Android (2022) 19 Best Sites to Download Free Books in 2022 10 Best Sites for Book Lovers How to Add ID3 Tags to Your Podcast Metadata 9 Driver Download Websites Reviewed Best Email Search Sites and Address Directories of 2022 14 Best Places to Listen to Free Music Online How to Add Album Art in Windows Media Player Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies