hi everyone!
it’s been a while :]]
i started this blog the summer after my sophomore year of high school and i’ll be graduating high school soon! i can’t believe how fast time flies. i’m sorry i’ve been on hiatus, as school picked up and i got busier i slowly lost passion for creating moodboards and playlists. however, i’ve recently started getting back into it and i’m excited to keep sharing my hobby!
there will be some changes moving forward: i want to continue sharing my playlists but as i will be starting college soon, i’m not sure if i’ll have the time to make moodboards for all of them. i have a backlog of old moodboards i made years ago and will continue posting those, but after that i will not pair my playlists with moodboards as frequently. i might take a while to readjust, but i’m hoping to start posting regularly soon, so keep an eye out!
also, if you sent me a request or message, i’m so sorry for the wait! i’ll get to your playlist as soon as i can, starting from the oldest and working my way down. also, while i catch up, requests will be closed. thank you for your patience and understanding! :]]
i’m so grateful to everyone who has supported this account over the years and it truly means the world to me! i hope y’all will enjoy this new direction, i love y’all so much!
Music is great fuel for design. One of my favorite things to do is create Spotify playlists for all different types of music that I enjoy. Everything from oldies to metal to punk to shoegaze. The goal of this project was to create a strong cover design that shows up great as a thumbnail in a digital space but also something that could be used in larger physical format like a vinyl record.
Are you searching for the perfect images for your Spotify playlist covers, social media feed, or online store?
Perhaps you are too busy to take your own cover photos or you’re not skilled in photography. So you search widely for free stock images for commercial use but you keep getting funny pictures.
Fortunately, today the internet offers a wide variety of cool free pictures for commercial use. You only need to know where and how to search for the websites that offer free photos for your album cover art.
What size is Spotify Cover Art?
Spotify playlist cover art should be 640×640 pixels. As long as the dimensions are 1:1 aspect ratio, a perfect square, you’re good to go.
Find Spotify Cover Art
We have made the work easier for you by compiling a list of top websites that offer stock pictures you can use in your aesthetic Spotify playlist covers.
These sites contain cute images that can help you build your business brand.
Here are the top seven stock image websites where you can download free pictures to use in your Spotify cover art. [P.S. – our favorite site is listed last!]
Also, if you’re looking for completely custom and unique playlist cover art, you can find some really exceptional and affordable artists on Fiverr!
#7. Every Pixel
Every Pixel is a special search engine used for searching and filtering out bad pictures.
Also, it enables users to compare the various pricing that different stock image websites offer.
Every Pixel amasses all stock images, whether premium or free, to provide you with a collection of legally acceptable pictures for your design purposes.
It’s a little confusing at first when you download an image, because it takes you to Vectorstock to complete the download.
#6. Deposit Photos [Freebies]
Deposit Photos provides a collection of free pictures that a user can use in a playlist cover.
This free stock image library is recognized globally and contains more than 200 million collections of pictures.
Brands such as Subaru, TripAdvisor, and Forbes are some of the brands that use album artwork from Deposit Photos.
However, most images on this website are for sale, and you can find Deposit Photos price listings for those interested in buying unique and high-quality images.
Fortunately, the website provides more than 69,000 high-quality pictures for users to download under their royalty-free licensing for free images.
#5. Adobe Stock [Freebies]
Adobe Stock price is one of the most highly regarded platforms that offer high-quality stock pictures for purchase.
Fortunately, Adobe Stock also provides a collection of royalty free stock images and videos too.
Here, you can search for a variety of images, including those with themes of landscapes, sad emotions, and chill conditions.
You can also sample out its selection of 3D assets, free illustrations, and templates you can use in your playlist cover ideas.
#4. Shutterstock [Freebies]
Shutterstock is typically a paid subscription-based stock photo website. However, they do have thousands of free images available at no cost to you.
If Shutterstock’s free downloads aren’t doing it for you, they have an affordable entry-level plan that gets you 10 images per month for $29.
Still on the fence? Take advantage of Shutterstock’s free one-month trial.
#3. Pexels
Pexels free images and videos resource provides its photos for use under the Pexels license, which resemble that of the Creative Commons Zero license.
That means users can download, alter, copy, and share pictures from this website for use in their album cover art.
This royalty-free stock images website comprises millions of pictures uploaded by the Pexels community of photography enthusiasts.
All Pexels pictures are tagged and searchable. Thus, users can easily find them using the website’s discovery pages.
#2. Pixabay
Pixabay is a free photo resource that contains more than 2.2 million free album covers, videos, and music clips.
Pixabay free images are accessible and downloadable by users.
The website provides free album covers from contributors, and anybody can alter and use them without including attribution to the contributor or seeking any permission.
Royalty-free stock pictures on Pixabay are available to users under the Pixabay license, which resembles that of the Creative Commons CCO. However, Pixabay’s license is somehow a bit restrictive.
#1. Unsplash
Unsplash is our absolute favorite site to find free high res images. This free photo resource comprises more than 2.5 million free pictures taken by a global community of photography enthusiasts.
Unsplash images are all available for free download and use for whatever purpose, including fun for those who like to express themselves on Tumblr.
All Unsplash images are available under the Creative Commons Zero license, which allows them to copy, alter, share, and use.
With this license, users don’t need to give attribution or seek permission to use the images, but it’s encouraged.
Stock Image License Types
Usually, there are many types of licensing that come with the use of images and videos whether they are for purchase or free.
Stock image licensing types include royalty free, creative commons, commercial, public domain, and non-commercial. Their restrictions can be a bit confusing, so we’ve explained the differences below.
1. Royalty Free License
Today, royalty free is the most popular form of licensing for stock pictures that are for sale.
This license offers flexibility to the user since they can buy a photo only once but use it for multiple applications.
Nevertheless, this license has its limitations. For instance, you’re only allowed to make printouts of up to 500,000 copies of the royalty-free stock images in a publication.
However, you’re not permitted to produce a derivative product with the picture; you’ll require an extended license for that.
2. Creative Commons License
This encompasses a series of license types established by an NGO to assist photography enthusiasts in licensing their free stock images for commercial use.
Creative Commons enables photography enthusiasts to safeguard their cute pictures in easy to comprehend terms while still offering them free usage.
Free photos under Creative Commons license must have an attribution [credit to the individual who took the image].
3. Public Domain
A public domain license typically implies that the images of concern don’t actually have any license agreement.
That is, the photographer has agreed to place their album artwork in the “public domain”, and any user can use it for whatever purpose they like.
4. Commercial License
A commercial stock image usage license can be described as a consensus between the creator of the image and a different party who wishes to make use of the picture for their commercial purposes.
Usually, this license elucidates the permissible usage and the kind of usage that isn’t permitted.
5. Non-commercial License
Nearly all features of the Creative Commons licenses are self-explanatory, except the “non-commercial use aspect.”
A non-commercial license is one that doesn’t allow usage of stock free images for purposes that are of commercial nature or that result in monetary gains.
For instance, you can use images that are available under the non-commercial license in school/work presentations, decorations, or research.
The Significance of Looking at Licensing Before Downloading and Using Stock Images
If you’re a webpage designer, online store owner, or photography fan who likes downloading images from the web, check the licensing before using any image!
If you’re not careful, you can end up in a court of law or get hefty fines for using an image without the necessary license.
Because stock image licensing is written in legal terms, it may be challenging for a layman to comprehend them.
Also, since licensing varies from one stock image website to the other, you have to be keen and ensure you check the licensing of an image before using it.
Enjoy styling your Spotify playlists with cool album art!
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Arguably the best band of all time, Queen has given us some amazing well-known hits like “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “We Will Rock You”, “We Are the Champions” and “Another One Bites the Dust”.
It seems that everyone knows and loves Queen for their creative songwriting and unique instrumental sound, and you can’t think of Queen without thinking of the legendary frontman Freddie Mercury.
You may think you know everything there is to know about the band, but here are 31 facts about the iconic British rock band Queen.
Brian May is a Doctor
Queen guitarist Brian May almost went a different route with his career. He obtained his PhD in astrophysics from Imperial College London before getting with the band.
Brian May’s Guitar was Made from a 200 year-old Mantle
Brian May’s father actually made his guitar for him by hand. Affectionately known as “Red Special”, May even helped work on the guitar himself. The wood used to make it was over 200 years old. They took the wood from an antique mantle.
Freddie Mercury’s Collaboration with David Bowie was Coincidental
They were two of the biggest music stars at the time, so their paths were bound to cross at some point. However, it was not planned for them to work together.
Bowie happened to be at the same studio, in Montreux, Switzerland at the same time. Luckily, they decided to seize the opportunity and gave us the epic song “Under Pressure“.
Mercury has a Statue in Switzerland
In Montreux, Switzerland, there is a three-meter-high statue of Freddie. This is the same city where he collaborated with David Bowie.
Freddie Mercury was a Cat Guy
Freddie Mercury owned many cats throughout his life and loved them dearly. He was known to call and check in on them when he was on tour, talking to them on the phone. He even had a professional artist draw portraits of his cats.
John Deacon was Not the First Bassist in the Band
A band knows when they have found their perfect match. Luckily, they found that in John Deacon in 1971. However, they would try a number of other people before choosing him. Mike Grose, Barry Mitchell, and Doug Bogie all tried with the band before him.
Interestingly enough, John Deacon was also a trained electronics engineer and built much of the band’s equipment over the years. This included the legendary “Deacy Amp.”
Roger Taylor was Offered a Role in Genesis
Good drummers are hard to find. The band Genesis spotted Roger Taylor’s talents before he joined Queen, but he turned them down. That’s lucky for us since his contributions helped make the band what it is.
Freddie Mercury Drew Queen’s Crest
Queen’s band logo consisted of all four of their zodiac signs. There are two lions to represent the Leos [Taylor and Deacon], a crab for the Cancer [May], and two virgin maidens for the Virgo [Mercury]. Freddie came up with the logo himself. Who knew he was so into astrology?
Brian May had Hepatitis
Unfortunately, Freddie Mercury isn’t the only one who had health issues. In 1974, as they were on tour opening for another band, Brian May collapsed, and the band dropped out of the remainder of the tour for his health. He was diagnosed with hepatitis. Luckily, he has learned how to manage his illness.
Freddie Mercury Died of AIDS but kept it a Secret until the End
Freddie Mercury died of AIDS on November 21, 1991. He didn’t publically announce his condition until just before the day he died of pneumonia caused by the symptoms of his illness.
He let his band in on the secret diagnosis in 1989, and then told his sister a year later in 1990.
He made it clear that the only reason he announced his condition to the world was to bring awareness.
While we may have lost a music legend, his death helped put a spotlight on the disease and help people take the proper steps to protect themselves.
Taylor and May were the Original Queen Band Members
While most people think of Freddie Mercury when they think of Queen, he wasn’t in the original band. He roomed with someone Taylor and May were playing with when the band was called Smile.
When Freddie’s roommate Tim Staffell chose to focus on other aspirations, he recommended they consider Freddie.
The band then changed their name to Queen which consisted of Brian May, Roger Taylor, Freddie Mercury, and John Deacon.
Freddie was on a Stamp
The British government put the famous singer on one of their stamps. This was unusual since the only other person on stamps at the time was the queen.
Queen Filmed Music Videos at Home
When they first started out, they didn’t have the resources for extremely high production videos. To make it more cost-efficient for them, the band decided to film at home. Literally. Two of the videos, “We Will Rock You” and “Spread Your Wings” were filmed in Roger Taylor’s backyard.
Freddie Mercury’s Real Name was Farrokh Bulsara
You may not know that Freddie was actually born on the island of Zanzibar in East Africa as Farrokh Bulsara.
He moved to Middlesex, UK in 1964 where he legally changed his name to Freddie Mercury.
A Piano and a Bathtub
Freddie Mercury was a creative soul, and he never knew when inspiration would strike. For that reason, he had all of his assistants carry pen and paper around with them in case he needed it.
He even once had his piano brought to the bathtub so he could create a song as he was thinking about it. That song became the popular “Crazy Little Thing Called Love“.
The Stand-Free Mic was a Happy Accident
Many people picture lead singer Freddie Mercury with his famous stand-free mic. Most people don’t know that this was a complete accident. It accidentally broke during a performance once and Freddie went with it. After that, it became a thing.
The Band is an Inspiration to Many
If it weren’t for Queen, we might not have had some of the other artists. Lady Gaga, Kurt Cobain, and Katy Perry all name Queen as an inspiration in their career.
Queen’s Greatest Hits Album is the Best Selling Album of all Time
Time and time again, we see how much people absolutely love the band. From their first album, Queen to Made in Heaven, which was released four years after Mercury’s death, Queen has always been a fan favorite.
They proved that with album sales. Out of all of the albums from all of the artists around the world, more people bought their Greatest Hits album than any other. This accolade on the UK album chart beat out both The Beatles and Oasis.
Queen set a Record in Argentina
Queen didn’t just make waves in their home country and America. They had people all around the world rocking out to their music.
People in Argentina loved them so much that they set a record in the country for the biggest crowd of any concert with a whopping 300,000 people. From my understanding, they did not know how to sing in Spanish.
Queen Remained on the UK Charts for an Unprecedented 26 Years
Many bands are happy to reach the charts at all. Queen not only hit the charts, but they stayed for 26 years. No other artist in history has been able to say the same thing.
This goes to show how much the fans still love their music and how relatable it is even to the next generations.
Freddy was Concerned about the Legacy he was about to Leave Behind
On his deathbed, Freddie Mercury told his manager about his legacy, “You can do what you want with my music, but don’t make me boring.”
Don’t worry, Freddie. That would be impossible. Freddie Mercury’s death occurred on November 24th, 1991.
Was Freddie Mercury Gay?
Freddie Mercury described himself as bisexual. Although he tended to date male partners the longest and died identifying as a gay man, he had both male and female partners over the years.
Why Were Freddie Mercury’s Teeth Weird?
Freddie Mercury had 4 extra teeth on his upper jaw bone, which is what made his teeth look so weird. Despite being a performer, he was embarrassed about how they looked. He never got them fixed however, as he was afraid it would change his singing voice.
The Interesting History of Iconic Queen Song “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Freddie Mercury, who played piano on the tune, was not confident of his piano playing abilities and was reportedly nervous about doing so.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Killer Queen” both scored Queen and Ivor Novello awards for overall outstanding contributions to music.
Queen’s film about the band, titled Bohemian Rhapsody, grossed nearly a billion dollars.
The record company, EMI, released a limited edition, blue vinyl pressing of “Bohemian Rhapsody” that was a 7-inch record. They only made 200 of these and they are now worth at least $5,000 each.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” was voted UK’s favorite hit of all time in a poll by the Guinness World Records.
Michael Jackson is Responsible for the hit “Another One Bites the Dust”
Queen was encouraged by Michael Jackson to release the hit “Another One Bites the Dust,” saying that it was going to be their next big hit. The song went on to hit the U.S. Billboard 100 for 3 straight weeks.
Queen’s Live Aid Concert raised more than £150 million
The concert, Live Aid, which brought many musical artists together, raised quite a bit of money for famine relief. During the concert, Queen performed their greatest hits which ended up fan increasing their record sales exponentially.
Queen’s Live Aid concert in 2005 was deemed the greatest rock concert of all time.
Two of Queen’s albums were Named based on Marx Brothers Silent Films
A Night at the Opera, which was released in 1975, and A Day at the Races, released in 1976, were both named based on the Marx Brothers silent films from 1935 and 1937.
Queen made the Guinness World Records a Second Time
The iconic rock group Queen has an incredible fan base. In fact, the International Queen Fan Club made the Guinness World Records as the longest-running rock group fan club.
A Queen Music Video was once Banned from MTV
Queen’s song “I Want to Break Free” was banned from MTV for being too controversial. The video, which featured the members of Queen dressed in drag, was said to be too risque for television.
Elton John didn’t like the song “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Elton John reportedly said about Queen’s song “Bohemian Rhapsody” that it was “too weird for radio.”
It was also said that Elton John’s former manager, John Reid, helped Queen get a better recording deal that ended up skyrocketing their overall sales.
Freddie Mercury was not the Only Songwriter in the Group
Roger Taylor wrote at least four Queen songs during their career, including “Radio Ga Ga” in 1984, “A Kind of Magic” in 1986, “The Invisible Man” in 1989, and “These Are the Days of Our Lives” in 1991.
Sheer Heart Attack hits Gold status in the U.S.
Queen’s third album, Sheer Heart Attack, released in 1974, hit gold status in the U.S.
Queen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The British rock band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, alongside Aerosmith and Michael Jackson.
Queen Net Worth
Reportedly during their heyday, Queen sold somewhere between 170 million and 300 million records. Although some of the band members are no longer alive, the estimated net worths are as follows:
Brian May: $175 million
Roger Taylor: $170 million
John Deacon: $125 million
Freddie Mercury: $50 million