I Want My MP3!: How to Download, Rip, & Play Digital Music [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

MP3 files raise a lot of questions about the rights of artists to be compensated for their work when making copies of their recordings is practically effortless. Bill Mann explains this challenge to the audio format and lots more in I Want My MP3, a very complete guide to MP3 audio and the communities that have grown up around it.

Much of I Want My MP3 has to do with software--the players, playlist managers, rippers, and encoders you need to convert and listen to music. Mann emphasizes the Sonique player, the AudioCatalyst ripper/encoder, and the MusicMatch Jukebox all-purpose application. He covers RealJukebox, XingMP3 Player, and RealPlayer G2 as well, but (in a break from his competitors) doesn't pay much heed to WinAmp. It's refreshing to see an author defend his personal software preferences, and also nice to read about sound-editing utilities that other books neglect completely. There's brief coverage of all popular handheld and car-mounted MP3 hardware devices too.

Mann backs up his player coverage with loads of media material, including reviews of dozens of MP3 repositories (he favors large sites over fly-by-night ratio sites run by students) and a CD-ROM containing a better-than-average collection of tunes. --David Wall

Topics covered: Arranging and playing MP3 files, ripping and encoding MP3 files (converting CD tracks to MP3 format), various software utilities and hardware playback devices, and MP3 archives on the Internet.

Product Description

Download, rip and play MP3 files! If you want to take advantage of everything MP3 audio has to offer ¿ from finding the hottest download sites to ripping your own high-quality CDs ¿ I Want My MNP3! How to Download, Rip & Play Digital Music, by Bill Mann, delivers the goods. This easy-to-read, hands-on manual gets you off to a fast start, showing you how to: *Make the most of MP3 player, ripper and all-in-one application software *Zero in on the best free and low-cost MP3 music on the Net *Shop for CD-R and CD-RW hardware with the features you need ¿ and put it to work *Find top-notch MP3 Websites, newsgroups and mailing lists *Stay street legal when copying and distributing files CD-ROM starts you off with rich selection of MP3 players, rippers, and music from every major genre.

Product Details

• Paperback: 356 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies (October 13, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072122900
• ISBN-13: 978-0072122909
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,517,056 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Learn More about this Booming Technology!, January 31, 2000

By	Jim Moran (Chicago) - See all my reviews

MP3 is the latest technology developed for the downloading and playing of music on personal computers today. It has also opened the door for lots of people to access, play, create, and affordably distribute their own music to others.

Bill Mann has written I Want My MP3 to encourage computer-savvy readers to take advantage of this new and exciting technology. The book covers a broad and thoughtfully interwoven range of topics related to MP3 technology, such as obtaining and using MP3 and utility programs, buying MP3 players for the home, office, and car, accessing and downloading sound files from online services, buying MP3 music online, creating your own kind of music, and sharing music (legally) with others!

This book offers a wealth of online resources for readers to obtain MP3 music files. A number of MP3 online music services, libraries, and search engines are discussed to help readers find the tunes and special effects they want. Is your computer able to handle MP3? Bill Mann provides readers with the insight they need to upgrade their own equipment to handle MP3 technology, including the installation and use of CD burners which have made the sharing of computer data a much simpler and affordable task!

MP3 may not be for everyone but I did happen to find the MP3 files included on the accompanying CD simply breath-taking. It's amazing how these files can be stored and accessed online. Convenient distribution has made this file format big business for a lot of people. Professional musicians, music buffs, computer hobbyists, and Web developers should learn more about this booming technology and put it to use.

This book is easy to read and follow along. It is highly recommended. Consider subscribing to some of the online newsgroups, mailing lists, and newsletters featured in the book for further educational experience. Readers are cautioned to avoid Websites offering suspected unlawful distribution of music files and the availability of other illegal content!

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A-Z MP3!, December 18, 1999

By	Thicksole (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This book has everything that you would ever need to know to get started or take your MP3 skills to the next level. Cool content for computer savvy music lovers with a couple extra bucks. Unlike most computer books, the author writes in a style that's easy to understand - for even the most novice of novices.

Contains info on playing, downloading, ripping MP3s and everything you need to know about the newest MP3 players and recorders. Good reference to start with if you know nothing or just want to learn more about MP3's.

The CD that comes with the book has some great MP3 music too - including ENIS. What a great bunch of guys they are.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A comprehensive look at the MP3 phenomena, November 8, 1999

By A Customer

This book covers nearly everything you'd want to know about mp3s: software, hardware, players, web sites...it includes mp3s by 15 bands, too. The song, "Siberia" by the Minnesota-based group Big Sky is a standout! This phenomenal track features great F vocals by Johnna Morrow, and amazing M vocals where the guy sings 3 notes at once (throat-singing?). It's worth the cost of the book!