Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

General discussion

How do you acquire most of your MP3s?

Aug 15, 2005 9:47AM PDT

How do you acquire most of your MP3s?

From an online subscription service (which one?)
From a pay-per-download service (which one?)
From a P2P client (is it legal?)
I rip them from CDs that I own (tell us more)
Other (tell us more)
I don't have MP3s (why not?)

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
Don't use or need MP3's
Aug 17, 2005 6:49AM PDT

While I do listen to the radio while I drive, I am not an avid music fan. For the odd times that I listen to music and not driving, I have CD (store bought) that I can play on my stereo. So why pay for an MP3 player and go through all the downloading, burning, etc. hassles?

- Collapse -
I dont have Mp3s
Aug 17, 2005 7:05AM PDT

I do not listen to music !

- Collapse -
No MP3s please
Aug 17, 2005 7:08AM PDT

Cds are already a compromise with regard to fidelity.
MP3s loose much of the already limited information stream.
I worry about the dynamic range too.
Probably OK for a compressed data stream like the classic FM broadcasts.
Roy

- Collapse -
Hogwash
Aug 17, 2005 1:10PM PDT

The difference in fidelity that is detectable by the average human ear is NEGLIGIBLE between an MP3 at 192 or higher KBPS, and a commercial CD. True, some data information is lost in the MP3 compression algorithm but I defy any human to detect the difference in a blind test.

Additionally, MOST audio equipment is of such average quality, that playing some super-duper expensive audiophile CD or other music source on them is like putting a Ferrari engine in a Ford Escort - rather a waste of a good engine. The difference you think you hear is 99.9999% in your imagination.

And as far as it being "moral" to purchase albums, etc., how about we leave the self-righteous judging to the religion forums. Music today is 99% BUSINESS and just 1% art. Much of the music posted for public consumption is put there BY THE ARTISTS THEMSELVES. Why? Because the vast majority of artists make next to NOTHING on the sale of their CDs. All but a few cents of each dollar you pay retail goes to business people involved in promotion, distribution, marketing, etc. These leeches are ripping off the artists far more than you ever could by downloading the music for free.

Artists make their money from their concerts and other public appearances. In order to draw crowds they need to be KNOWN. To be known they need to be HEARD. Best way to do that is give away CDs of their performances so the most people hear it. Simple sales marketing strategy.

The people complaining about free downloads are not the people creating the music... it's all the rip-off promoters and other hangers-on who make their living fleecing artists that are bitching.

And finally, and I'll probably be stoned for saying so, A GOOD 90% OF ALL THE SO-CALLED MUSIC RECORDED TODAY ISN'T WORTH THE COST OF THE CD IT'S BURNED ON. I can't believe the tons of GARBAGE that passes for "music." And anyone who hands over $10-$20 to buy it is simply musically illiterate. Yes, this is my opinion, and that of many true artists and musicians I've heard and read. Elton John said almost exactly the same thing very recently.

Whatever happened to singers who can sing, musicians that know more than four chords, and writers who can do more than clone what's already been written?

- Collapse -
RIAA Complained about cassettes Too!
Aug 18, 2005 10:21AM PDT

Maybe nobody is old enough to remember that RIAA whined when cassette recorders were released for public use, or the Movie industry whines when VCRs were released. Personally, the whole problem is RIAA, see radio stations have to pay a "Fee" for the songs that are aired. By using a "internet radio station", i.e. P2P networks, this would be no different that taping a song from the radio. It's that some DJ is NOT playing the same 20 songs over and over. The "Fee" was paid when the disc was purchased. And yes, there used to be a local station that wouold play one COMPLETE album, uninterrupted, starting at midnight, was great way to build a cassette collection!! As for current music, nothing has even peaked my intrest me in years, though I have bought a few new artist's disc here and there.So, the real problem is that deadly sin A.K.A. GREED!!!!!!!!!!!

- Collapse -
I rip from my vinil records!
Aug 17, 2005 8:18AM PDT

What is the point of downloading "popular music" in MP3 format from P2P? Some musics are so popular that they won?t ever leave the radio stations in my country. If I ever feel like listening to these, all I must do is to hit any FM station around here. Geez, some stations play just those on, and on, and on, forever. Some play only one genre. I got one here that plays Classic Rock only.

Now, for rare pieces, P2P gets handy. Especially if you can?t find those songs on the shopping center next to you. Or anywhere, at all, as a matter of fact, since the original artist is only known in underground scenarios.

As for real Classics, such as Vivaldi, MP3 is LIBERATING. You can shove all 9 Symphonies (ah, you know who I am talking about, don?t you...) in a single MP3 disc, and listen to it in your car until you feel sick. If the original vinil is badly scratched, I just go out and buy the masterized CD version, actually paying twice the Copyright, rip them to MP3, and play it in the car, where accuracy doesn?t matter, since the roar of everyday traffic and screeching tires at 80 mph are in the way. The originals are kept safe at home (from theft, did I mention another country?), and where all the details can be noted on a quality equipment (replace "Quality Equipment" with "7.1-glass-busting-200-watts-RMS-per-channel-home-theater").

A friend of mine was thinking about a CD changer for his car, some 5 years ago, but he never had the cash for it. As MP3 players got popular, he finally got his jukebox on the road, and saved some extra buck for more CDs.

- Collapse -
Peer to jeers
Aug 17, 2005 12:04PM PDT

Most of my music collection is from peer to peer downloading. Although some may call it ''illegal'' I think it's perfectly fine. I have a lot of music that I've shared online, so I'd expect others to share with me. No one gets hurt right? Wrong, according to the big wigs at the record labels it's thievery and should be stopped. I disagree, most people sharing online are sharing from their own personal music library of music they have ripped from an original cd. The record companies are not losing any money--NO record company I know has filed for bankruptcy due to online files sharing. It's all a big lie.

- Collapse -
Newsgroups
Aug 19, 2005 7:21AM PDT

I get my mp3's free on the news groups.

- Collapse -
Newsgroups
Sep 5, 2005 5:19AM PDT

Newsgroups, hunh? Didn't know about that.

Thanks for the tip.

Mickey

- Collapse -
I have been downlading them since the beginning
Aug 20, 2005 12:06AM PDT

I have been in the mp3 scene since the first ones were posted in the web and I had to use a 33.6 modem to download them. have ripped a few cds, but I always stay true to my theory of having only what I like. My collection is mainly from 80's and some 90's. I have used the social vyrus (Kazaa), I have used morpehus, and Most of them I got them from file transfers from ICQ when I had a list of more than 150 users most of them traders. Right now I haven't downloaded or ripped much because the quality of whats today hot is not my style so I dont have to be in itunes or other programs because even if I pay I still have here in my HD much of what I really like.

- Collapse -
Acquiring and Use of MP3
Aug 20, 2005 9:54AM PDT

I get most of my music from CD's. My daughter uses itunes for her iPod and my other occaissionally downloads from another service (name?) but legal.

The comments in this forum were interesting and did I feel deja vu (been there before)...

BETA versus VHS tape players, quality of picture. Many thought BETA had better quality, but SONY had the market and drove the format.

CDs replaced cassette tapes. some bemoan loss of quality with the digital. How much do you really hear?

8-Tracks gave cassette players a run for their money (all my friends in high school had them in their cars), but eventually they bit the dust (couldn't record, not all music in 8-tracks, etc.)
When I was a broadcasting major 8 tracks were preferred over cassettes (no rewind necessay); now its easy to rip a CD with necessary stuff (ads, music)

Then there is the oldest argument: vinyl is better than cassettes. Well, LP records scratch, you have to modify your turntable when you move to Europe and back to US. But then, cassettes break and have to be tossed or spliced (believe me I know the latter).
And if you have to splice tape, why not reel-to reel.

Has this been inane enough?

- Collapse -
Gimme Mo'
Aug 20, 2005 12:56PM PDT

Here's what I do...
1) Pay $.88 for WMA file downloads on Walmart.com,
2) Convert them to WAV files, remastering the WAV files using Audacity audio editor.
3)Then I convert the WAV files to MP3.
When I'm done, my MP3s sound better than the original.

Is MP3 inferior to WAV? That all depends.
The difference between good WAV sound and good MP3 sound is about the same as the difference between a 45RPM single and a 33 1/3RPM album. 45RPM sound was slightly superior to 33 1/3, but more songs could fit on an album using the slower speed. Albums still sounded great even though they played at the slower speed.

You might be able to save about 16 or 17 four-minute songs on a CD using WAV. With Mp3 the number is closer to 170 songs. I don't mind losing 10% of the audio quality (which I remaster back in, anyway) in order to store 10X as many songs on a CD, or use only 1/10th as much memory on my hard drive.

- Collapse -
I rip my mp3 from cd's that i own
Aug 20, 2005 7:44PM PDT

I rip the mp3 from the cd's i own by using Media Player 10 and i rip them from "best setting" using the highest bitrate available. i seldomly use the internet to require mp3's whilst i don't like all the stuff you have to go through, e.g. Porn, billions of pop ups etc.

i use mp3 for party's and in the public transport. mp3's are for me good when the quality doesn't have to be exact to the cd quality.

both my 3 pc's and dvd player have the possibility to play mp3.

- Collapse -
(NT) I rip them from CDs, tapes, and LPs that I own.
Aug 22, 2005 9:48AM PDT

I had started a project of putting all my old LPs onto CDs, using GoldWave and an old turntable and a cheap amplifier. Before long, I realized that I could store the backups in a much smaller space if they were MP3s. THEN I discovered that's what all the iPod fuss was about, so I loaded a bunch of them onto an SD to listen to with my Tungsten E. And THEN I realized I could also rip my CDs and tapes in the same fashion. I love having my entire collection of (legal) music available in a much smaller space. And the sound, even of 50 year old LPs, when cleaned up with GoldWave, is incredible! Anyone wanna buy some old LP show albums?

- Collapse -
Let's be honest....
Aug 22, 2005 11:51AM PDT

This is true for me and I'm sure many others. I like MP3s. Nay, I love MP3s! The most attractive feature of MP3s are their free (or at least cheap) price. When I find something that I really like I will go to the store and buy an album, but I'll be honest, that doesn't happen very often. The unavailability to me of a particular track will cause me to become disinterested, making the liklyhood of me buying a album containing that track very unlikely. In my opinion, the more easily available an artist's work is to their fans, the more money they will make from their fans who don't buy the album for personal enjoyment alone, but to support the artist. Support your favorite musicians by being selective with what you purchase, meanwhile knock those record execs down a few paygrades!

- Collapse -
Gimme a break
Sep 5, 2005 4:25AM PDT

Ah, LPs. Click, pop. Bought the LP again. Ah, cassettes! Oh no! Damn thing ate my tape! Ah, CDs! Permanent though, right? Takes up a lot of space though. Ah, mp3s. Let's see...I can buy it again for the 5th time or I can download it for free. Wonder what I'll do?