It hasn't really been that long since cassettes replaced vinyl albums, and CDs replaced cassettes. Cassettes were more convenient than records and took up less space. Yet, in spite of their convenient format and improved sound quality compared to cassettes, I still really haven't converted my music collection to CDs. I find they are still fairly expensive. All the same, records are a nuisance. You need a big record player and most of my records have scratches on them. Even cassettes don't offer the quality of a CD.

So I was intrigued this fall when I learned about a new format for music that is becoming very popular. Since I discovered it, I can't imagine going back and listening to records and tape, and now I make (burn) my own CDs from this new music format.

Back in the early '90s, a German research facility created a new music format called the MP3 for storing compressed digital audio (songs, voices, sounds). However, the MP3 format only became popular about two years ago, once there was affordable hardware to decompress and play it.

Today, MP3s are becoming the standard format used to distribute music over the Internet. It's getting harder to find music today that isn't available somewhere on the Internet in MP3 format.

The fact that it's compressed simply means that, with little or no quality loss, the file size is a lot smaller. The compressed format means MP3 files can be shared amongst users over the Internet even with only a minimal modern connection.

They can be copied onto CDs or onto "digital jukeboxes." You get to choose and design the look and feel of your CD, the tracks that are on there, and the lengths and types of compilations you want to make for yourself. Or you can simply store them on your computer. Especially nice is the fact that you can find on the Internet all those songs that you thought only existed on vinyl. MP3s can be downloaded from a number of Internet sites, such as mp3.songs.com. That site boasts more than 200 artists who have given it permission to offer these MP3s. One of the more popular sites is MP3.com, which offers hundreds of thousands of free, downloadable songs in various musical styles.

Finally, but perhaps most importantly, there's Napster. Napster does not actually provide any MP3s. Instead, what it does is provide its members with an indexing system that allows them to track down MP3 files on other people's computers. As a member of Napster, you use their software to search for the track you want, then download it to your computer from someone else's. To listen to MP3 files, you need to download an MP3 player for your computer. These are available for all computer platforms. If you are running Windows, I recommend Winamp. Of course, you need to have a sound card and speakers or headphones, and at least a 486 processor. Because it's freeware you don't have to pay for it. It can play your MP3s, CDs and other audio formats and even includes more than 150 audio visualization and plugins to let you add effects like reverb to the music, search for and display song lyrics as you listen, or match the beats on two different MP3 files and mix them together. MusicMatch Jukebox software is another very popular - and free - software that allows users to build extensive collections of music files in MP3 format. In addition, MusicMatch Jukebox allows you to organize tracks in a Music Library, create custom playlists, and play them on your computer.

Which software is best? You can download trial, or free, versions and then decide for yourself. As a side note, there is also software available that lets you play MP3s on your Palm or Pocket PC. There are also a number of portable digital jukeboxes available on the market. Some of these sandwich-size devices have enough storage space for 120 hours of music and are flexible enough to plug into your home stereo, car stereo or PC. For now, however, expect to pay about $500 to $600. As a side note, Sony's newest cell phone actually doubles as a portable MP3 player. (Although it is only available in Japan for now.) There's no doubt we have come a long way from records and cassettes. And soon enough, CD players will likely be replaced by these new digital jukeboxes. As Bob Dylan once remarked, the times they are a changin' - and so is the technology.

Previously published in The Express 01/01
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