NM DONE

The driver of this shift was the availability of a combination of music specific PC hardware and software. PCs were now sold standard with sound cards, pentium or post pentium speed processors and CD-Rom drives that increasingly too came with CD writeable (burning) capacities. With these things, using a PC to listen to and access music was an increasingly common activity, and it is this capacity that drove all subsequent developments.

Supplementing this, there emerged free or affordable powerful software CD ripping software that allowed consumers to convert their own CD libraries into music, as well as tools to access music online. With these tools available, the mp3 compression standard which was already available, rocketed to ascendence.

The emergence and effect of these hardware and software developments manifested in a range of effects in this period. Before discussing these effects, such as the emergence of mp3.com, the Madison Project, Napster and others, these PC based developments will be discussed in greater detail. The next three sections, CD-R and Ripping, access to mp3 files, and sharing of mp3 files describe the early behaviour and tools in 1998 that emerged.

The growing prevalence of PCs and the internet, were supplemented with a range of more specific digital music hardware and software which was turning the PC into a powerful music listening and sharing tool.

Bennett Hugh, 1 January 1999, CD-R’s digital destiny (recordable compact discs), Tape-Disc Business, TPDB,Copyright 1999 Gale Group Inc. All rights reserved., Accessed via Factiva:

Polon Martin, 1 December 1998, Home Digital free for all?, One to One,OTON71EnglishCopyright (c) 1998 Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved, factiva: