Your computer has been playing music for years, one CD at a time. Now hundreds of songs can be stored in your PC (personal computer) if they're in the MP3 format. What is it? MP3 compresses music into small computer friendly files. You access MP3 music several ways : Music can be downloaded from websites that have converted vast music libraries into MP3. Or you can prerecord CDs into your PC and convert songs in minutes into MP3. Once MP3 music is on your PC's hard drive, you can play it through your computer's speakers, " _ " it onto blank CDs or exchange MP3 files with friends using E-mail. How much? Software needed to play and convert MP3 music is often free. It comes preinstalled on most new computers or can be downloaded from many websites, including MP3. com. Some MP3 sites are free. Just type "MP3 sites" into any search engine. The popular MP3 players start at around $50and can hold hundreds of songs. A blank CD on which you can record music costs about a dollar. Advantages MP3 turns your home PC into a tape recorder. Tiny MP3 players are the size of a card, making it easy to take hundreds of songs with you. Disadvantages You may find that music at many sites is limited. And some only allow you to listen rather than download offerings. Others let you download music that then can't be copied to MP3 players. And a growing number of new CDs make it impossible to copy songs to a computer. How much will you pay for a MP3 player?
Free of charge. Free downloading. At about fifty dollars. About a dollar.