what is the best way to record good music on a budget?

Audacity is a free program which you can download on any computer or laptop. You could also purchase a low cost audio mixer to use as an interface, such as the Behringer X1202, or any other audio mixer with usb connectivity.

Just dont

Please use LEGAL buy-a-download resources similar to iTunes or Amazon!

Please keep in mind that you can download/share only copyright-free material for free, unless the copyright owners allow free downloading/sharing of their material. ALL sites and resources that provide COPYRIGHTED material to be downloaded/shared for free, but WITHOUT permission from the copyright owners are equally ILLEGAL! So, unless you are about to download copyright-free material, please start using legal buy-a-download resources ONLY. Having no money/credit card is NEVER an excuse to STEAL anything anyway, so there is a very good reason why all the ILLEGAL sites/resources are being shut down and their users being sued for illegal downloading. It is also the reason why there is NO direct download button available on YouTube. NOT all in music business are super rich, besides, all the studio engineers, backing vocalists, instrumentalists etc. DO deserve to get paid for the sheer hard work they do in order to make the music for us. I very much doubt YOU would work for 30+ years without getting paid either.

Your question is unclear.

1) What music do you want to record? Live music? Music from CD's, vinyl albums or the radio, or online digital content?

2) What format do you want to record it in, for listening to on what equipment?

3) What sort of a budget? Everyone has a budget and some are a lot bigger than others.

4) Define "good music".

I'm not trying to harass you, but you can only get an effective answer by asking an effective question, and much as you might hope otherwise, we aren't mind-readers. .