Glossary (2000)

Glossary

a2b

Developed by AT&T, a2b is a form of digital music that uses the MPEG Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) for compression and also features a built in encryption and licensing system.

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Bit Rate

The amount of data required to hold a given length of music; measured in kilobits per second (Kbps). In general, higher bit rates result in a higher quality of sound, but also create larger files sizes. The most commonly found bit rate for MP3 files is 128Kbps, which many listeners feel is the best balance between fidelity and file size.

Burner

A hardware device that allows you to place files from your computer onto a blank CD.

CDDB

CDDB (www.cddb.com) is an online database of CD album information. It allows many MP3 Players to automatically recognize the song that is playing and display information such as Song Title, Album, and (in some cases) lyrics.

CD-R

Short for Compact Disc-Recordable. It is a drive that allows you to make your own CD-ROMs and Audio CDs.

CD-RW

Short for Compact Disc-Rewritable. These reusable blank CDs allow you to write information to them, read them, and then erase them and write new information on the CD-RW (using a CD-RW burner).

Download

The process of saving files from the Internet to your computer's hard drive for later use.

Dropbox

Using the myplay Dropbox you can drag an entire folder full of MP3, Liquid Audio (.LQT), Windows Media (.WMA), or WAV files from your hard drive onto the myplay DropBox, and the files within that folder will be automatically moved into your Locker.

Encoder

A software program that converts .WAV files into MP3 files.

Freeware

Software that has been released to the public at no charge.

Genre

A genre functions like a category for songs, compositions, artists, or music in general. Genres are made unique by their distinctive types of sound, harmony, melody, form, rhythm, and instruments. Some Genre listings are more descriptive of the medium than they are of the style (i.e. "String Quartet").

Liquid Audio

Liquid Audio is another music format that combines downloadable music with streaming audio, as well as access to artwork.

Member

A member is someone who has registered a username at ListenSmart.com. They have total access to all features, including a free homepage, access to the newsletter, and unlimited free downloads. There is no cost to become a member. Simply go to the member sign up page and take the quick walk-thru.

MIDI file

Short for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. It refers to a file format that stores the computer equivalent of sheet music. It has an ability to show a list of which notes are being played and what instruments are playing them.

MP3

Short for MPEG 1, audio layer 3; it is a digital audio file that has been stripped of its non-audible sounds and compressed to a smaller file size.

MPEG

Acronym for Moving Picture Experts Group. It refers to the set of standards for the compression and playback of digital audio and video. MP3, or MPEG Audio Layer 3, is one of these standards.

myplay

Myplay is a FREE service where you can store, organize, share and listen to your digital music online - anytime, anywhere. Click here to sign up for your own free Locker, which provides you with unlimited storage for all of your ListenSmart tracks and 3 gigabytes of storage for all your other favorite digital music. If you'd like to save your favorite tunes, simply click on the bright green button on any track on ListenSmart.com and if you are already registered with myplay, your track will be automatically saved to your locker. If not, you'll be taken to the myplay registration page for a quick sign up. Best of all, myplay is easy to use and FREE!

Operating System

Refers to whether you are running a Windows, Macintosh, Linux, or Unix system on your computer.

Player

A player is the software you need to play the music files you download from the Internet. It is analogous to the CD player for your home stereo system.

Playlist

A list of MP3 files that you want to play, in the order you want to play them.

Plug-Ins

Plug-ins are add-ons to MP3 players that extend or enhance the software's capabilities.

RealAudio

A type of streaming audio.

RIAA

Acronym for Recording Industry Association of America. The RIAA is a trade group that represents the major record labels and others in the music industry. Its major efforts include guiding the future development of MP3s and curbing music piracy.

Ripper

A software package that allows you to convert a file from a CD into a WAV file. The resulting WAV file can then be encoded into an MP3 file.

SDMI

Led by the RIAA, the Secure Digital Music Initiative intends to create a standard for downloadable music with built-in protection of copyrighted works.

Shareware

Software that lets you try the program before you buy it.

Skins

A way for users to change the appearance of a program, without changing its functionality.

SmartArtist

Refers to an artist/ band who has made their music available for download at ListenSmart.com.

SmartCompilation CDs

An assortment of your own greatest hits from ListenSmart.com. Choose either the MP3 (to be played from your computer) or CD format (to be played from your stereo), or a combination of both, and we'll manufacture and ship the disk directly to you.

SmartLabel CDs

Refers to audio CDs that SmartArtists have made available through ListenSmart.com. Check out your favorite SmartArtists' homepages to see if they have SmartLabel CDs available.

Streaming Audio

Digital sound that can be heard in real time as it is being sent over the Internet.

Sub-genre

A sub category for the main genres.

Variable Bit Rate WAV file

Uncompressed digital audio files.