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Net Gains (Feb 26, 99) |
The last time I was turned on was about four years ago. Ummm…
let me rephrase that - we're not discussing my libido here, but
technology, and the first time I logged on to the Net I got a
rush like never before. And it happened again just recently thanks
to another revolution called MP3 that's sweeping the Internet
today.
If you want the latest chartbuster today, you could either drop
into your neighbourhood music shop, buy it online, get a friend
to record it for you, or download it for free from the Internet
as an MP3 file. Choosing the last option is a quick, simple and
relatively cheap way to build your own music collection. But if
your conscience is alive and kicking, you may choose not to do
it, since it's also illegal. But like Internet telephony which
is banned by VSNL but very much in use, millions of MP3s are being
uploaded and downloaded all around the world.
While MP3 sounds like something out of a chemical formula, it's
just an easier way of referring to "Motion Picture Experts
Group-1 audio layer three" files. What makes MP3s so
unique and so hot is that they are relatively small files that
offer CD quality music. The Internet became the natural distribution
medium for these files. To understand this in the proper context,
take a song like Shania Twain's "You're still the one"
- the MP3 version of the song would be just one-twelfth the size
of the same song as an audio CD file. And since each complete
MP3 file averages 4 Mb, they relatively easy to download when
you get a good connection speed to the Internet.
Another more practical reason MP3s are so popular is that you
can be your own DJ. Till date, I've still to find a CD that has
all my favourite songs on it. But on the Internet, you can download
only your favourite MP3 files and create your own compilation
- a Guns N Roses here, a Celine Dion or Richard Marx there, or
maybe Spice Girls and Boyzone - and you can turn your computer
into a jukebox.
To play these MP3 files you'll need a program that will decode
and play it on your computer. A visit to any software download
site will show you a special MP3 section, and there's where you
can equip your computer with freeware or shareware to play MP3s.
WinAmp is the most popular MP3 player today with over 5 million
downloads. Net News reader Aalaap has also developed a player
called Ampzilla that you may want to try out.
Like the Internet, there's no one central site where you'll find
all MP3 files. The easiest way to find certain titles is to use
a MP3 search engine, and there are dozens of them on the Net already.
Your search will inevitably return multiple matches for a particular
song - and that's a good thing because you'll often find that
some of these are dead links, with people continuously cracking
down on illegal MP3 files. To start building your own MP3 collection,
follow the MP3 links below.
Not having MP3 files can sometimes be a plus too - as in the case
of my barber. During my last visit my hajaam went berserk
extending my receding hairline to the nape of my neck. He had
to keep clipping away for just 15 seconds longer when the radio
in the background started blaring Air Supply's "Making
love out of nothing at all". The song brought back enough
memories to make me shut my eyes and soak in every word of the
duo. However, halfway through the song, the pathetic FM transmission
and noisy static disturbed my trance just in time for me to stop
my barber from giving me an Amrish Puri haricut! If my barber
had a computer and a good selection of MP3 files, I would have
had to burn a month's salary on the wonder hair growing oil -
Anoop…
Some MP3 Sites: