The Digital Songstream: Mastering the World of Digital Music [Paperback]

Brad Hill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 21, 2003

This is the ultimate guide to the new digital world of music. Cutting through myths, it offers a step-by-step introduction to what's possible for performers, composers, and listeners-addressing legal and ethical issues as well as the nuts and bolts of what equipment to buy and what services are available. Written in a friendly, easy-to-understand way, this book will be the first and only reference needed for anyone wishing to enter the world of computer music.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Even in the world of the post-Napster Internet, it has never been easier--thanks to the MP3 format and peer-to-peer file-sharing networks--for music fans to hear their favorite artists and discover new music: anyone with a computer and a high-speed connection can have access to a seemingly endless catalog of material from around the globe. This guide offers an excellent starting point for those new to the world of MP3s: it provides thorough overviews of a number of the services available online, rates the desktop players available for download, and demystifies the vast selection of Internet radio stations. Taking a neutral stance, Hill surveys the present legal gray areas of digital music trading--RIAA and record-company lawsuits, adware and spyware, and the ethics of peer-to-peer file sharing. Unfortunately, it's possible that the information here, however current at the moment, could be outdated within a year. Even so, this is an essential reference for anyone eager to take advantage of the digital-music revolution. Carlos Orellana
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

This guide offers an excellent starting point for those new to the world of MP3s: it provides thorough overviews of a number of the services available online, rates the desktop players available for download, and demystifies the vast selection of Internet radio stations. Taking a neutral stance, Hill surveys the present legal gray areas of digital music trading. This is an essential reference for anyone eager to take advantage of the digital-music revolution. -- Booklist
Hill's book, written for Windows novices and power uses, chronicles the whole scene, focusing not only on file-sharing but also on new standards of portability, replicability, programmability and accessability. And if you're clueless, The Digital Songstream will teach newbies how to search and find the music files you want, and how to play them. -- The Columbus Dispatch,
The book's layout encourages skimming, with plenty of bulleted excerpts and bits of bite-sized advice. In short, if you know your stuff aboutonline music, it still has something to tell you, but it won't bog you down if you're a beginner. -- Computer User
...does an admirable job of wrapping up a lot of information, along with taking on some of the thorny issues in the topic [of digital music]. It offers handy tips on such topics as making CDs, finding good streaming audio, choosing a music-subscription service, and setting up a music system to best suit you. -- Computer User
...avoids much of the tech jargon that can bog down readers, particularly newcomers. -- St. Petersburg Times
A comprehensive, understandable guide to downloading and surfing for your favorite tunes...you'll travel A to Z in creating your own home library of music, moving temporarily past ethical issues hot in today's press, into a practical guide to listening to what you want to hear. This book is a fabulous how-to companion. -- Global Rhythm

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (March 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415942039
• ISBN-13: 978-0415942034
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,911,794 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a nonfiction writer. In a typical year I write about a half-million words for publication in various media and genres. My book authorship is mostly of the how-to variety; I've penned (word-processed, actually) several "...For Dummies" titles, one "Complete Idiots Guide to..." book, and a number of non-series titles. Over the years I've written hundreds of columns and articles for magazines and Web publications. Currently I'm a lead blogger at Weblogs, Inc, where I manage a small writing staff and oversee several blogs. I have posted well over 3,000 blog entries at Weblogs, Inc. (Even I find that hard to fathom). At the time of this writing, my most recently completed book is "Blogging For Dummies," which will be out in January, 2006.

A typical day consists of ... well, writing. I sit down, check e-mail and IM messages, and start out blogging for a couple of hours to sharpen my brain for the day. If a book is in progress, chances are good that a ferocious deadline is nipping at my heels; most of my books are written in short, concentrated bursts (weeks, not months). When two or more projects collide I am reminded of the motto at an espresso bar near my home: "Sleep is for the weak."