In the Internet age, MP3 became a de facto standard for digital audio files. With the popular peer-to-peer application Napster, music lovers could exchange MP3 files so that they could get songs without paying for them.
This article has been written to enlist the MP3 advantages and disadvantages, so as to help you decide if you want to convert your existing music files which are in some other format to MP3 or not.
Advantages of MP3
MP3 technology has become very popular since its first edition release in 1993. The benefits of this technology have been listed below:
▶ The low data size (file size) is the biggest advantage. A smaller file size enables the user to rip a large amount of music files on a disc.
▶ The compression ratio is not fixed which means that the user is free to compress the files to the desired size, by having a trade off between file size and audio quality. Less compression will give better audio quality but larger file size.
▶ The distribution of music is less expensive with the advent of MP3.
▶ The files can be easily shared via an online medium (Internet) or a physical medium (USB, CDs).
▶ Individual artists, new entrants, and music companies can promote their music online. This technology has eliminated the need of a recording studio. The music can be developed and mixed anywhere and can be promoted online.
▶ Time taken to download and upload files has reduced significantly. MP3s can be downloaded through HTTP or FTP sites. Earlier if a single music file download would take hours, with this technology the time is reduced to only a few minutes!
▶ MP3 files can be played by many types of devices such as CD players and Apple iPods. You can also play MP3 files with media players such as Winamp, Windows Media Player, or QuickTime.
▶ The other advantage of MP3 is ID3 tags. The ID3 tag of an MP3 file stores the artist name, the song title, the year, and the genre. You can also create your own playlists.
▶ Due to the digital format of MP3 files, even if several copies of the same file are created, the audio quality will remain the same. This technique is known as serial duplication.
Problems with MP3
Most types of technologies has its share of drawbacks as well which have been listed below:
▶ The biggest disadvantage is the low audio quality. MP3 uses a “lossy” algorithm that deletes the “lesser audible” music content in order to reduce the file size, thus compromising on the music quality.
▶ Music piracy has increased to a greater extent. Cheaper or free “duplicate versions” of the original music files are available on the Internet for download.
▶ Data is susceptible to losses due to malware or virus attacks. For example, people who used the file-sharing service Morpheus had their computers accessed by hackers.
The MP3 advantages and disadvantages, that have been listed, will help you make a proper decision before you go for a music download the next time.
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