You've decided to join the MP3 revolution. That was the easy part. Fortunately, we're here to make the rest of the path just as easy. We've taken all the guesswork out of choosing the best software for finding, playing, and recording the digital music you so desperately crave.

If you're using a Macintosh, check out our Mac Beginner's Guide.

What is MP3?
Quite simply, MP3 is the name for a digital music format that manages to compress rather large audio files into incredibly small, yet almost CD-quality, files. This, in turn, lets users store them on their computers, upload and download them over the Internet, and even e-mail them to friends.

As an example of how great the powers of MP3 are, consider the classic Beach Boys song God Only Knows. As a standard CD file, it fills up 29MB of hard-drive space. This one track would take almost two hours to download with a 56K modem. When converted to MP3 format, though, this same file is a little more than 3MB, just one-tenth the size! Granted, it would still take ten minutes to download from the Web over a modem, but you can store multiple MP3s on your hard drive or download them rapidly over an ISDN or faster connection.

Playing MP3s
The first thing you need is an MP3 player. There are dozens available on the market today, and your computer may already have one pre-installed. To find out if you can already play MP3s, click here.

Did an MP3 player automatically play the file? If so, congratulations! Proceed to Finding MP3s.

If your computer didn't play the file, don't fret. We have two of the most popular players right here: Winamp and MusicMatch Jukebox.

If you're connected to the Web over a slower modem, you should download and install Winamp. It's generally considered the best stand-alone player and is just a brief download, so go ahead and check it out now. (On a 56K modem, it will take about two minutes to download.)
DOWNLOAD WINAMP NOW (573k)

If you're connected to the Web over an ISDN, DSL, cable, or T1 line, download and install MusicMatch Jukebox. This is a larger file (7.25MB), but instead of just playing MP3s, this program also lets you make MP3s from CDs, catalog your songs, and even create audio CDs.
DOWNLOAD MUSICMATCH JUKEBOX NOW (7.25MB)

Both programs base their interfaces on stereo interfaces and are remarkably easy to use. Once they're installed, you should be ready to go out and find some MP3s.

Finding MP3s
Only a year ago, there were very few places to find MP3s on the Web. Today, they're everywhere. But before you start looking for songs, be aware that many MP3s available on the Web are illegal, offered without the consent of the band or its label. Download these only at your own moral discretion.

There are, however, many sites that offer MP3s for legal download. One of the best places to start looking for MP3s is right here. Every page of ZDNet Music has a search box on the left that lets you search a database of more than 60,000 bands, including Beck, Madonna, The Grateful Dead, Yo La Tengo, Hole, and many more. If it's legally available online, you're sure to find it here.

Try it now!

RadioSpy
Perhaps more popular than downloading the actual files is listening to streaming MP3 online radio stations. RadioSpy is a downloadable program that makes it easy. You simply select the type of music you want to hear, and the program automatically seeks out the stations playing that type of music. You can search for specific songs that are being played and even chat with other people listening to the same station as you. MORE INFO

Napster
Currently the center of a whole host of controversy, Napster is an incredibly useful tool that lets you search for and download MP3 songs. Instead of pointing to FTP sites or Web pages, though, Napster provides an online database of MP3s available for download and ensures a vast collection that changes by the hour. We haven't been impressed with the results of many other MP3 search utilities, but Napster blew us away - nearly every file we wanted downloaded successfully. MORE INFO

Making Your Own MP3s
Making MP3s from your CD collection is simple, and the main reason to do so is size. A CD can hold 74 minutes of audio in traditional RBA format (the format that plays on a stereo). A CD of MP3s, though, can fit about 640 minutes of audio at near-CD quality. So if you have a CD burner handy, you can rapidly compress ten CDs into just one disc! (Unfortunately, this disc can only be played on a computer, but it's certainly easier to carry around with you.)

If you downloaded and installed MusicMatch Jukebox already, you're ready to go. If not, it's time to do so. MusicMatch Jukebox is an impressive program that lets you easily play, record, and catalog your MP3s.

DOWNLOAD NOW (7.25MB)

To record a CD, put it into your CD-ROM drive and start MusicMatch Jukebox. At the top of the program is a small record button. Press that, and a recorder window will pop up.

In the recorder window, select the files you want to turn into MP3s and hit the record button at the bottom of the program. A progress bar tells you how much of each song has been converted to MP3, and the main window tells you how fast your CD player is working. Depending on the CD-ROM drive, this process may take anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes per song. MusicMatch will then add the songs to your music library window and let you listen to them immediately.

NOTE: Making MP3s is a processor-intensive task. If you experience any problems, such as error messages, try shutting down all your other programs until the MP3s are ready.

Congratulations: You're now an MP3 expert. It's time to head over to ZDNet Music Downloads and start finding those MP3s!