Digital Songstream

Brad Hill is a master musician and computer expert. He has worked in the online field since 1992, and is regarded as a preeminent advocate of the online experience. As a bestselling author of several books and columns, Hill reaches a global audience of consumers who rely on his writings to help determine their Internet destination and home technology choices.

"This guide offers an excellent starting point for those new to the world of MP3s: it provides thorough overviews of a number of the services available online, rates the desktop players available for download, and demystifies the vast selection of Internet radio stations. Taking a neutral stance, Hill surveys the present legal gray areas of digital music trading. This is an essential reference for anyone eager to take advantage of the digital-music revolution." -- Booklist"Hill's book, written for Windows novices and power uses, chronicles the whole scene, focusing not only on file-sharing but also on new standards of portability, replicability, programmability and accessability. And if you're clueless, The Digital Songstream will teach newbies how to search and find the music files you want, and how to play them." -- The Columbus Dispatch,"The book's layout encourages skimming, with plenty of bulleted excerpts and bits of bite-sized advice. In short, if you know your stuff about online music, it still has something to tell you, but it won't bog you down if you're a beginner." -- Computer User"...does an admirable job of wrapping up a lot of information, along with taking on some of the thorny issues in the topic [of digital music]. It offers handy tips on such topics as making CDs, finding good streaming audio, choosing a music-subscription service, and setting up a music system to best suit you." -- Computer User"...avoids much of the tech jargon that can bog down readers, particularly newcomers." -- St. Petersburg Times"A comprehensive, understandable guide to downloading and surfing for your favorite tunes...you'll travel A to Z in creating your own home library of music, moving temporarily past ethical issues hot in today's press, into a practical guide to listening to what you want to hear. This book is a fabulous how-to companion." -- Global Rhythm

• Introduction 1 The Household Digital Music Center 2 Ripping and Burning 3 Choosing an Online Music Subscription 4 Sampling the Music Services 5 The Gray Area of Music Trading 6 Skirting the Fringe 7 Surfing the Internet Radio Stream 8 Folders, Filenames, and ID3 Tags 9 Desktop Players and Organizers 10 Out of the Computer and Into Your Life 11 The Conscience of Digital Music 12 The Future of Digital Music Glossary