In a recent article, we discussed a program named gSharkDown, a GTK downloader for the Grooveshark music streaming service. It allows users to both listen to and download music, all without needing to access the standard web interface. There are quite a few available options for doing the same thing in Windows, and while the one we’ll be discussing today doesn’t have all the features gSharkDown offers, we like it quite a bit. The name of the program is GrooveDown.
GrooveDown is strictly a downloader, so if you need the ability to listen to Grooveshark streams, you’ll need to look elsewhere. If, on the other hand, a simple downloader is all you’re looking for, then GrooveDown is a nice option.
To use GrooveDown, the first thing you’ll want to do is head over to its website.
Next, click the Download tab located near the top of the page.
On the Download page, you’ll see options for Windows, Mac and Linux.
Note: only the Windows link leads to an actual downloadable file, as Mac and Linux users will need to use other software (such as WINE for Linux), to get GrooveDown working.
GrooveDown uses a file sharing host (uploaded.to, in this case), so you’ll need to wait a bit before your download begins.
Once it’s ready, simply save the RAR file.
Because extracting support for RAR isn’t included in Windows by default, you’ll need a program that can handle it, such as 7-Zip or the Hamster Free ZIP Archiver. In this instance, we’ve used the second option.
Once the RAR file is extracted, you’ll find a portable application that needs no installation. Simply open it from the folder it was extracted into.
When you first launch GrooveDown, you’ll see a simple window. There is a space to type in your searcch term at the top, while the log of commands is displayed below this, and below the log the search results.
Before you start using GrooveDown, it’s probably a good idea to view the Settings, where you can choose a default Download directory, as well as how the downloaded files and folders should be named and organized.
When you’re ready to start downloading, simply return to the main window, type in your search string, and hit Enter. You’ll see a list of all music that matches your query.
Whenever you see a song that you want to download, double-click it, and it will be added to the download queue.
To begin downloading, click the Download button. You’ll see two progress bars. The smaller is for the song being downloaded, while the larger one along the bottom of the window is your progress for the entire download queue.
And that’s it. When the downloads are finished, they can be found in your Download folder, named and arranged (by the MP3 tag information), in correct folders, so music by the same artist and album will be located together.
As mentioned, GrooveDown is a simple downloader, and not a replacement for the entire web interface. But it never claimed to be otherwise, and for those wanting an easy to use way to grab their favorite tunes off Grooveshark, it’s a nice option.