MP3s - everybody knows about them, but what do you really know? Since the explosion of the .mp3 file format on the internet, and computers worldwide, there has been much controversy over their illegal use, and how they should be distributed. No one could have escaped the trials and tribulations of online file sharing phenom Napster, and their ensuing legal problems. Why all the fuss?

First, a little history

The MP3(short for Moving Picture Experts Group, Audio Layer III) file format was initially conceptualized in the mid 1980's, at the Fraunhofer Institute in Erlangen, Germany. In 1989, Fraunhofer was granted a patent for MP3 in Germany, and it was subsequently submitted to the ISO (International Standards Institute), and integrated into the MPEG-1 specification(mpeg files are used for compressed audio and video.) In the early 1990's, Fraunhofer developed the first MP3 player, but it was difficult to use, short on features, and consequently unpopular. Then, in 1998, college students Justin Frankel and Dmitry Boldyrev took a previously built MP3 engine, slapped a Windows interface on it, and WinAmp was born. With the advent of WinAmp, the MP3 revolution was underway. Multitudes of other programmers and companies have since created MP3 rippers, readers, and encoders, making the creation of MP3s that much easier.

Then came Napster

Napster revolutionized the MP3 "industry" by allowing millions of users across the world to share music with each other. By connecting directly to other users computers, downloads were fairly fast, and the exponential growth of users meant that almost any piece of music could be found and downloaded... even searched for by name. Unfortunately, this also brought MP3s to the attention of the Recording Industry Association of America (the RIAA.) The RIAA claimed that they were losing millions of dollars a year in lost cd sales, and took Napster to court. Napster has recently been shut down, and is, as of this writing, converting their web site to a new, pay-to-listen, site.

Even with the uncertainty of the future of MP3s, one thing IS certain ... MP3s will change the future of music.