When MP3s first came out on the music market, most people didn't know what to do with them. Back then, the players weren't very popular because they could only hold a small amount of data and their batteries died quickly. Even though these devices weren't very popular, some smart computer users saw their potential. They saw that even though the files were much smaller than uncompressed.wav files, there was no difference in the sound quality, which was the most important thing.
Soon, people who knew what they were doing started turning their CDs into MP3s. This gave users quick access to a personal music library that could be kept on a personal computer and let them make their own play lists with their favourite songs from different albums. What a way to breathe new life into music!
But it was only a matter of time before someone literally made the connection to a friend's computer and realised that these MP3 files could be shared. Soon, more and more people were doing the same thing, and a lot of file-sharing networks popped up. Students used the fast Internet connections at their universities to share their files quickly. After a short time, a lot of files were available to everyone, so you could probably find any track you wanted without too much trouble.
Record companies were very worried about this new trend because it was a huge threat to music sales, which were their main source of income. But while these companies acted quickly by suing the sharing networks and their users, others saw an opportunity they couldn't pass up. These companies thought that online music distribution had a bright future, so they set up their own download sites where people could pay to get music. People could download MP3s of their favourite artists for the same price as a traditional CD from these sites, which grew in number. Flexibility was a big part of the system's success, because it let people choose their own music by letting them download a whole album or just a few tracks.
More and more people are buying music online these days, as MP3 players get the attention they deserve. If you are a novice MP3 enthusiast, however, you should bear in mind that certain online stores do not support certain music players music, for example, downloaded from iTunes may not be compatible with your Creative Zen player, while Napster's music won't play on an iPod. Don't get upset like this by not reading the fine print before you download.
Happy listening!
