Your blog on WordPress.com comes with 3,000 megabytes (3 GBs) of free space, so you can store all those gorgeous images you upload (and other files) in your Media Library.
But if you need extra storage — and want to upload your own audio and music (mp3, m4a, wav, ogg) and zip files — consider the Space Upgrade, which powers up your site with an additional 10, 25, 50, 100, or 200 gigabytes of storage.
For interviews, podcasts, and sounds
Jared Gulian, a WordPresser in New Zealand who just published a book based on his blog, Moon Over Martinborough, uses the Space Upgrade to upload radio interviews, as well as his own podcasts and retellings of various blog posts, like “Getting intimate with a cast sheep” and “The gay Americans meet the neighbors.” We love how these audio installments complement his written material and show a different side of Jared.
Adventure cyclist and writer Joe Cruz mixes image, text, and sound on his blog, Pedaling in Place. With the upgrade, he’s able to upload his own mp3 files of atmospheric recordings from his travels, as displayed in posts like “Columbus Park Sounds.” At the bottom of the post, you can see the embedded audio player built in to WordPress.com:
Extra media storage for collaborative blogs
Group blogs and online magazines use the Space Upgrade to maintain their ever-growing media archives, including The 22, a magazine focused on music, literature, and the arts.
Ian and Lewis, the film enthusiasts at 101 Films You Should Have Seen, host new podcasts every Thursday, chatting about movies you probably haven’t gotten around to seeing, as well as obscure flicks, too.
Music sites take advantage of the upgrade, including Right Beat Radio, the project of an independent music producer for film, television, and hip hop/rap artists. It uses the premium Soundcheck theme — ideal for bands and musicians — which has a custom mp3 player that allows visitors to browse, select, play, and skip through tracks.
You don’t need Soundcheck, though, if you want a music site with audio uploads. Revolt of the Apes, a site originally launched to promote and celebrate the Austin Psych Fest, a music and arts festival in Austin, Texas, uses the free Bueno theme. (For a sampling, listen to music on its “Band of the Week” posts, like this installment for Leisure Birds.)
Storage space details
Depending on what you need, you can select one of our five upgrade options:
- If you have multiple blogs on your WordPress.com account, a Space Upgrade applies to just one blog.
- Space upgrades are cumulative; you can purchase one of each type. If you buy the 10 GB upgrade, for example, you’ll have a total of 13 GB of storage (the free 3 GB that comes with your site, plus the 10 GB you’ve purchased).
- There’s no limit to the file sizes you can upload.
- If you’d like to see how much space you’ve used, go to Media ? Library in your dashboard.
How to upload audio files
Once you have the Space Upgrade, you can add audio files just as you upload your other media:
- In your dashboard, go to Posts ? Add New or Pages ? Add New to create a new post or page.
- Click on the “Add Media” button to upload the file (mp3, m4a, ogg, or wav).
For more details, visit the Space Upgrade FAQs. For information on other upgrades, visit the WordPress.com Store.
