The MP3 player, a compression format that minimises the loss of sound quality while reducing the size of digital audio files, has completely changed how people listen to music (MP3 Developments). The forebears of the MP3 player made all of the technological advancements possible. The MP3 is so diminutive, energetic, slim, user-friendly, and lightweight that it can be used by any type of person. The MP3 player’s history is complex and has recently come under scrutiny.

MP3 stands for MPEG Audio Layer III, a standard for audio compression that allows music files to be made smaller while maintaining the same level of sound quality as their larger counterparts (The History of MP3). Although the MP3 player was not created by Apple, their iPod product line helped propel the MP3 to previously unheard-of levels of popularity. All of the music can be downloaded onto a single device, making it portable and simple to access. The device’s owner can make song playlists according to their tastes and preferences. To listen to music on an MP3 player, one can copy songs from their favourite CDs or get files from the internet for free or a little price.

Music industry titans were afraid that Shawn Fanning would wreck their business and industry when he launched Napster in 2000, an online songs service that allowed users to download music for free. However, CD sales actually climbed by 6% in the start of 2000. (Rage Against the Machines). Since Napster’s inception, it has been changed such that users must now pay a charge before they may download music. Napster is no longer a free service. Profits for these music moguls who had been in the company for more than sixty years would surely decline as these technology innovations and advancements made progress in the music industry. Technology has made it quite simple to listen to music (Rage Against the Machines). There have always been new musical genres on the rise and new adversaries for the rivals or existing businesses to contend with. It was an ongoing cycle and conflict.

The radio was viewed as the enemy in the 1920s and 1930s. Instead of playing the live concerts, radio stations that aired recorded music would be at battle with record labels and musicians’ unions (Rage Against the Machines). Philips introduced the audio cassette tape in 1963, which shifted the outrage and resentment away from the radio and into that market (Rage Against the Machines). History repeats itself, and every time a new technology is introduced in the music industry, people become angry at the newly adopted concept or item. These sentiments held by the various businesses are unavoidable.

The quality and innovations available to their clientele in audio technology are constantly improving. Thomas Edison created the phonograph and Emile Berliner created the gramophone in the early 19th century. Both devices were large and clunky (MP3 Developments). The music players evolved over the years, resulting in the small, compact design of today’s standards. The first successful recording device was created in 1855, but the general public wasn’t fully introduced to it until Thomas Edison’s phonograph in 1877. (MP3 Developments). With a face speed of 33 1/3 revolutions per minute, “long players,” or LPs as they are more popularly known, were introduced in 1947, lifting the ante for their predecessors MP3 Developments) For more details gudang lagu