The University experience, the social life and the time gifted to you is well geared towards enjoyment but sometimes the bank balance just can't keep up with costly habits. The music industry won't like it, but for students who love music and can't afford to continually over-indulge their passion, the Internet, digital technology, and university life makes it very easy to access an increasing amount of music for free.

The exclusive, and invite only, illegal bit-torrent music download site OiNK, used by almost 200,000 people was recently shut down by a record industry increasingly worried about the way illegal downloads are cutting into artist profits. Now that OiNK has been sent to the proverbial slaughterhouse, perhaps it's time to acquaint yourself with some other more legitimate - and frankly superior - ways of getting your hands on free music that it is worth spending your student loan on.

1. mp3 blogs

Discover the world of mp3 blogs. These easy to navigate websites, operated by music fans, offer up free downloads alongside a short review in a journal format. Use mp3 blog search engine The Hype Machine to find blogs that have in the past written about bands you like and from there it's easy to establish a constant flow of new music reviewed and shared by enthusiastic individuals keen to offer music they love.

Your first stop should be the no-nonsense indie-rock-folk-electro king of the mp3 blog jungle Gorilla Vs Bear. Motel De Moka is perfect for more left field and eclectic tastes, offering several themed playlists with dozens of tracks every week. HeadphoneSex offers mp3s of indie and dance music, from DubStep to Daft Punk, whereas RCRD LBL has got some of world's finest labels on board to legitimise the medium, and compensate artists for the number of downloads.

2. Podcasts

Podcasts can fill an empty mp3 player to the brim with hours of well presented quality music. Downloadable shows have a similar feel to radio productions but they are generally shorter and tend to cater more for niches and specific tastes than radio. There's an greate variety of shows on offer, labels and artists from the mainstream to independent labels and genres, from Drum and Bass to Catholic Rock.

Find out how to get podcasts and then check out some of the best:

BBC emerging talent has the first word on the best new and unsigned music. Folkways Podcast demonstrates how one label is using the podcast medium to give listeners an introduction to genres like folk, country, Americana and artists like Bob Dylan, as well as promoting their label and musical culture worldwide.

Try downloading mixes from Tim Sweeney's weekly New York radio show, Beats in Space. He's one half of hip dance music outfit LCD Soundsystem and when he's not playing his list of guests includes some of the best djs around.

Drum and Bass mixes from Hospital Records are perfect for those late study sessions, and even Catholic Rock is getting in on the act. Searching the Itunes podcast directory will direct you to hundreds more.

3. LargeheartedBoy

LargeheartedBoy is a music blog which, alongside daily downloads of established and up-and-coming acts, and downloadable live shows the “Try-before-you-buy” weekly post is perfect for checking out the latest releases. You can download mp3s, and listen to a wide variety of all the best albums all the way through before you lay you cash down. It'll also keep you clued up about bands from Radiohead to Cliff Richard who decide to give away their music for free.

4. Get involved in the music industry

If you are serious about music, feel like you have something to say, and are willing to put the effort in, freebies are easy to come by. You can write for your student paper, a music website, or a blog, and labels and promotion companies will be eager to let you into gigs for free and give you a copy of their latest releases.

5. Discover new music

Websites like Pandora and Last.fm can suggest music you might like based on your taste, and allows you to listen to a limitless supply of free music. But beware, this can lead to a lot more money being spent when you are exposed to so much great stuff. This comprehensive list by Wired magazine rounds up the best music suggestion sites.

6. Internet radio

You can listen to radio shows from across globe, and you don't even need to listen live. You can always listen again to great late night Radio 1 shows which no-one need stay up for anymore.

But if the BBC's current offering - which also includes 6music - just doesn't do it for you, it's easy to find something else to love.

Tuning to radio stations like WOXY allows for 24 hours state-side indie and New York-based station WFMU offers a more eclectic “free-form” radio without boundaries which has archives going back to the start of the decade.

Once you've found something to love, it'll take you a good few months to get bored if you have a serious aversion to spending money.

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