SoulSeek is a file-sharing software specializing in indie and alternative music styles.

At this moment, there is a multiple file-sharing software to share files between Internet users; each has several features that make it unique and different from others. In the case of SoulSeek, what makes it unique is the community of users that use it and the kind of files that are shared on the network.

Although we can share all kinds of files (audio, video, documents, etc.), the highest percentage of files that are shared in this network are audio files. And the audio file styles that are most shared are those alternatives, and very often, those music files can be shared legally because they are distributed under a license that allows it. Thanks to that we can find various music and musical groups.

The installation of the program is easy. We only have to consider that if we want to download faster, we need to open the TCP port 50824 (or the one we set in the options).

When we started SoulSeek, the first thing that showed up was a window that asked for a username and password to gain access to the file-sharing network. We must select a name and password that is not being used. If we select a user name already being used, the program will display the following error message: “Login failed: The password you provided does not match the user name. Please change your sign-on settings in the Options tab and try reconnecting”. If you see this message, you should change your user name. The user name we chose is not reserved indefinitely; if we do not use the program for 30 days, the user name will be free and may be used by another person with a different password.

We should use the search function to discover and download music, but we can also use the chat rooms to discover new songs and styles. These chat rooms are classified mainly by styles of music: indie, ambient, drum and bass, techno, etc. Here we will find users who are interested in such music styles and with which we can engage in a conversation or explore the files they share. Thanks to this, it will be easy to find songs of a particular style because once we are exploring the files of a user, we only need to click with the right mouse button on the song or folder that we want to download and click on “Download File(s)/Download Folder(s).”

If we search for a file and we don't obtain any results, there is the possibility to add this search to a “wish list.” In this way, if the software detects a user who has files that match the search, we will be informed so that we can download the desired files.

The software is free and accepts donations. If we donate, our user name will be permanent and not be deleted; in addition, we will have a preference in the download queue over users who have not donated.

The program is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.