Illustration by Brad Wolf

Web Exclusive... Beginner’s Guide to Digital Music, Part I By Erik Sherman, July 2005, May 2006 Just what is this digital music craze all about?

Listening to people discuss digital music and toss out terms like "MP3," "ripping," "burning," and "streaming" can make you feel like you've taken a wrong turn and ended up in a graduate class at MIT. But it's all easier than you think, and our multipart introduction to the world of digital music should make you comfortable with the basics—and eager to step up to more ambitious activities.

So Why Go Digital?

Perhaps it will help to recognize that digital music really isn't new to you. After all, if you've ever listened to a CD, you've heard digital music. What we're talking about here is managing and enjoying music in new ways via your computer and portable devices. These days, you can:

• Copy, or "rip," songs from your CDs onto your computer's hard drive. You will create an electronic library that categorizes your music by song title, album title, artist name, and so on. Suddenly, your computer becomes your own personal jukebox, capable of playing any song at the click of a mouse.
• Copy, or "burn," custom blends of your favorite songs back onto blank CDs or transfer music files into portable players. Making a mix to play at home or on the go has never been so easy.

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• Listen to and/or acquire new music from a large variety of legal online music stores. You can download only the songs that you want—without paying full-CD price for a bunch of songs that you don't like. Music services such as Apple's iTunes Music Store, Rhapsody, Yahoo!'s Musicmatch on Demand, and even Napster offer a range of options, from buying single songs to subscription services with all-you-can-hear plans. Many artists also make some of their material available as free downloads to promote their work, thereby enticing listeners to purchase other songs and full CDs.

Internet-based radio services let you stream music—that is, they serve up songs for you without actually loading files onto your computer. All of the popular music players offer streams by music genre—classical, jazz, and country are just three examples. You also can listen to radio stations from around the world.

iTunes

File Formats

Digital music files may be acquired, created, and stored as one of several types of formats, such as:

• MP3 and MP3 Pro. MP3 is probably the most widely supported audio format. Virtually any device meant to play digital music will handle these files. (It's why many people refer to portable players as "MP3 players.") MP3 Pro is a newer version whose files are even smaller, allowing more music on a hard drive or in a portable device. Keep in mind that not all devices supporting MP3 also support MP3 Pro.
• Advanced Audio Coding (AAC). According to Digital World magazine, AAC is considered better at compressing audio files and is therefore preferred by many experts to MP3. Apple and its iTunes player and music store favor the AAC approach.
• Windows Media Audio (WMA). This is Microsoft's own audio compression format.
• RealMedia. This is the compression format from Real, which makes the RealPlayer.

Music Players on Your Computer

Windows Media Player

Just as there are multiple formats for music files, there are also a number of popular music player applications with which to play them on your computer, such as:

• Windows Media Player from Microsoft
• iTunes from Apple
• Musicmatch Jukebox from Yahoo!
• RealPlayer from RealNetworks

These music players are command centers for the music lover. They can play CDs on your computer, read the tracks off the CD and create compressed versions on your hard drive, tap into Internet radio stations, and organize the music on your computer. (There are also portable digital music players, such as iPods, that let you take your music with you. We'll cover them in more detail in a future installment.)

Not all file formats work with all of the players. In fact, here's how they stack up, with a check meaning that the player handles the format:

While it is possible to move music from one format to another, it's usually a poor idea, as the sound quality will degrade with each conversion.

So for starters, choose a music format and a player. Here are the considerations:

• Sound quality. Each player can work differently with the various file formats that it supports. You need to listen to the combinations to see what sounds best to your ear.
• Compatibility with portable devices. If you decide to use a portable music player, you want it to support the file format that you've chosen.
• Usability. Like all websites and software programs, each of these music players has its own distinctive look and feel. You want to be comfortable with the player's user interface.
• The quality and quantity of songs available from the music player's accompanying online music store. Some artists have exclusive deals with specific online stores. And some of the music services offer more robust inventories of certain genres.

Mind you, there is no absolute right choice here. Some people will opt for one combination of player and format, while other folks will think them nuts for doing so. Because each of the players has a free version, it's easy enough to test them to find the best fit for you.

Stay tuned for the next installment of our Web-exclusive Beginner's Guide to Digital Music. You'll learn how to download and use different players, sort through music, and choose what to listen to. Sign up for our eNewsletter to get first word on when new content is added to the site.