What are they ?
Mp3s in themselves are an excellent way of compressing audio wav files
into a file of the nearly the same sound quality, but about 1:12 of
the original size.
This is is done on the basis that the human ear can only hear a certain
range of audible sounds.
When a cd quality WAV file is encoded,the algorithm in the compression
program (such as l3enc), deletes all of the sounds in the file that the
human ear can't tell the difference if they are in the sound file or not.
Thus the size of the file is reduced dramatically, but it still sounds
like it is in cd quality.
Obviously, mp3s have been adopted in the internet in a big way, and it is
fast becoming the standard for audio on the internet because of their
small size and high sound quality.
A 5 min song in cd quality in the mp3 format may only be about 4.5 to
5 meg, making it an acceptable download size instead of the original 60
meg it was when it was in the WAV format.

Personal Views

Now, you can download nearly any song you can think of in the mp3 format,
which to some people means that they will never have to buy another expensive
cd again. Of course you can do this, but to me that is pretty lame.
The mp3 format has made copyright come to the fore front of issues on
the internet, with some people making whole cds available for download,
which some people keep on their hard disk, and never go out and buy the cd.

Now because of this the mp3 format has been given a bad name.Take the case
that fortunecity removed ALL mp3s from their server, even though some might
have been a persons own material or might have not been a full version or
cd quality.

I think that the Record companies despise mp3s so much, because they
think that they are losing cd sales should wake up to themselves.
You think about it...Do you usually buy a cd without first hearing it ?
For most of us the answer is definately NO.
So why are the record companies trying to stop something that is actually
letting people come into contact with music that they previously might have
not heard ?
I think that mp3s have actually helped to increase record sales rather than
hinder them.
I think that the companies are "scared" that they are losing control of the
distribution of their signed bands.
Now if the companies could work with makers of mp3s, then they could use
their skill to their advantage. Now I could be wrong about that and I'm sure
that their are people in the music industry that are doing their best to work
with mp3 makers, but generally from my experience , this seems to be the case.

Take a band on my page for instance. People have written to me thanking me for
putting up mp3s of the band "DAMAGED" , and they said that if they had not heard
the mp3, they would not have bought the album!!.

I hope that people discover new bands and song that they have never heard before
on my page, and I hope that if they like what they have downloaded. then they
should do their best to go and buy the artists albums. Face it. The more we
help out our METAL industry by buying their stuff, the stronger the category
will become.WHICH IS SOMETHING WE ALL WANT RIGHT !

Of course not everyone will agree with me on my point of view on this topic..
and I think that thats cool...as long as you...

EAT, SLEEP and SHIT GOD DAMN FUCKING HEAVY METAL !

Anything you would like to add, Comments, Suggestions ? MAIL ME

For much more info on what mp3's are plus heaps more go here