PC’s Notable Steps as Music Source
We still have a way to go before there is truly a convergence between computers and home entertainment systems. But, thanks in large part to the Internet and some clever hardware and software, the line between PCs and home audio systems is starting to blur.
I’m not suggesting that laptops are about to replace boom boxes or that PC owners can throw away their stereo systems, but a properly equipped PC or Mac can let you play or even record CD-quality music.
And you don’t necessarily have to be sitting at your computer to enjoy the music. Diamond Multimedia has recently introduced the Rio PMP300 Portable Music Player that lets you walk or jog and listen to digital music at the same time.
It’s long been possible to play standard music CDs in a computer’s CD-ROM drive, and there are plenty of other ways to play music on a PC. But the audio format that’s getting the most play lately is known as MP3. Short for MPEG 1 Layer 3 (MPEG stands for Motion Pictures Expert Group), MP3 is a method of compressing audio files so they take up about one-twelfth the disk space--and Internet download time--as regular audio CD files. Yet they still sound about as good as a regular CD.
You don’t need any special hardware to play MP3 files on your computer, as long as you have a sound card and a set of speakers. All you have to do is download MP3 music files and a freeware or shareware MP3 player, such as WinAmp, MacAmp or FreeAmp, which you can download from https://www.download.com, https://www.hotfiles.com, https://www.mp3.com, https://www.goodnoise.com and other Internet sites. The Windows Media Player that comes with Windows 98 can also play MP3 files.
The Rio allows you to take the music along with you. The 2.4-ounce device, about the size of a pack of cigarettes, comes with a cable that plugs into the parallel port of any Pentium 90 (or faster) machine running Windows 95 or 98 and lets you download files from the PC into the device. Then just plug in the headset or connect the Rio to a pair of amplified speakers and you’re ready to rock and roll.
Unlike a CD or cassette player, the Rio has no moving parts, so you can take it jogging without having to worry about the “skip” effect you get when you jar a CD. Unlike a cassette player, there is no tape to rewind and nothing to jam.
I have only two complaints. The connector on the cable that plugs into the PC’s parallel port is a bit flimsy. Mine broke when I pulled on it too hard, so if you get one treat it gingerly. My other complaint is that there’s no way to connect an AC adapter, so you’re going to go through a lot of batteries. Finally, at $199.95, the Rio is still too expensive for mainstream buyers. Time and competition will no doubt bring prices down, and when that happens, this technology could be quite popular.
The Rio comes with software that lets you transfer MP3 files from your PC to the Rio. It also comes with a program, MusicMatch Jukebox, that allows you to convert tracks from regular audio CDs into MP3 so that they, too, can be stored on your PC’s hard drive and copied over to the Rio. The program, which you can download from https://www.musicmatch.com, also works independently of the Rio as an MP3 encoder. If you’re going to buy an encoder for converting CDs to MP3, I prefer AudioCatalyst 1.5 ($29.95, Windows) from Xing Technology (https://www.xingtech.com). You can download a trial copy and buy it online if you like it.
The Rio comes with 32 megabytes of internal memory, which, according to the company, is enough for “up to 60 minutes of digital-quality music.” The actual amount of music you can store depends on the way it is compressed. The “up to 60 minutes” estimate is based on compression that creates a file that plays at 64 kilobits per second, but most MP3 files I found on the Internet are encoded to play at 128 kbps, which translates to about a megabyte of file size per minute of playing time. In other words, a five-minute song would take up about 5 megabytes on your hard disk. You can increase the storage capacity by inserting a 16-megabyte SmartMedia card that costs about $50.
It should come as no surprise that some people in the music industry are threatened by MP3 and devices like the Rio. The Recording Industry Assn. of America’s Web site (https://www.riaa.com) asserts that “the great majority of MP3 files on the Internet are unlicensed and therefore illegal.” The RIAA laments that “MP3 sites make it possible for anyone on the Web to download individual songs or even whole albums for free.” The RIAA, in October, sought an injunction to block distribution of the Rio, but Diamond eventually prevailed.
Like every other recording technology, MP3 has been used by some as a way to illegally distribute copyrighted songs. Piracy is illegal and it is unfair to the artists and record companies as well as the thousands of working people who depend on music sales for their living. But just because there are some who would abuse a new technology, that doesn’t mean the technology should be stifled or saddled with intrusive anti-piracy features that, if improperly implemented, could make life harder for legitimate users.
There are numerous sites where you can legally download MP3 files to enjoy on your PC or on the Rio. Some established musicians and many as-yet-undiscovered artists are already starting to use it to distribute samples of their music, and some artists are using it as a way to bypass the traditional record labels to take their music directly to the public. There is even a new “label” called Goodnoise (https://www.goodnoise.com) that lets users download free samples and purchase individual songs and complete albums in MP3 format. Consumers pay less than the cost of CDs ($8.99 per album and 99 cents per song) and artists get half the profits, according to Goodnoise Vice President Steve Grady.
As for the rest of the music industry, Bob Dylan said it best: “You better start swimmin’ or you’ll sink like a stone. For the times they are a changin’.”
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Lawrence J. Magid can be e-mailed at larry.magid@latimes.com. His Web page is at https://www.larrysworld.com; on AOL, use keyword “LarryMagid.”
