Ever heard of Amanda's Bored, a musician from Georgia? Or how about a Bavarian group called Cerebral Suppression? The first plays a rendition of the Itsy-Bitsy Spider while the latter offers techno-electric heavy metal. Both sets of musicians have one thing in common -- their music can be downloaded from the Web as an MP3 file, and listened to using Windows Media Player.

Maybe you have stumbled upon .MP3 files and wondered what they're all about. MP3 is a standard for compressing audio files, such as music, so that they take up less space on your computer and transmit faster over the Internet.

Shipping container
Downloadable music files are like ready-to-assemble furniture. For easier shipping, pieces of furniture are disassembled to fit in a box. MP3 has emerged as the most popular "container" for shipping audio files on the Internet. But to actually hear Amanda's Bored sing "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider," you'll need Windows Media Player.

Windows Media Player can play a range of audio files, including MP3 files. It does so by using codecs; the name is derived from  compress/decompress. Codecs were developed to overcome the limitations of most modem connections. Since audio files are naturally large, codecs operate by eliminating all but the most essential part of the recorded audio. In the process, they can condense stereo sound by a factor of 12 without losing audio quality. This allows audio files to transmit easily using standard modems and then be decompressed after transmission to allow them to be played. The main thing about codecs is that they are mostly invisible to you. That's because codecs are embedded in the player that will finally render the MP3 files into music you can listen to on your computer speakers.

MP3 has quickly become synonymous with recorded music. A plethora of Web sites have converted music into MP3 files for quick and easy downloading. In particular, MP3 has proved a boon to musicians who use the Web to distribute their music. Many bands that have not been signed by recording labels (such as Cerebral Suppression) use the Web to let a potential audience know about their work.

The flip side
There's also controversy about MP3, since no mechanism has been developed yet to ensure that copyright owners receive proper credit and payment for the use of their material downloaded from Web sites. Many Web sites featuring MP3 music files make it clear that their files are offered without the permission of the copyright owners. However, there are a number of sites that restrict themselves to music made available by the musicians looking for an easier distribution method. Two good examples are MP3Park and MP3.com, which both offer a range of music provided with the consent of the musicians who made it. You can sample music at these sites, and, if you like it, purchase it.

MP3 downloads may be one of the most popular commodities on the Web right now. But remember that the Windows Media Player is your front door to a whole range of other media on the Web, including dozens of virtual radio stations that will stream audio directly to your computer. For more information on listening while you work, take a look at our article on Web radio.

Now, what's your listening pleasure: tiny spiders, gothic metal or something else entirely? 

MP3 is derived from a trade organization, Moving Picture Experts Group, and the third layer audio standard this group developed for compressing audio.

New computer speakers are now on order for Gordon Black's home.