Maybe youíve heard the buzz about MP3, or if you havenít yet, you soon will. MP3 is an emerging format for digital music thatís already used by over 3 million people worldwide. MP3ís popularity is quite surprising. It is the second most searched for term on the Internet according to http://www.searchterms.com . Yet, MP3 is often dismissed by the mainstream music industry as the tool of music pirates who have no regard for intellectual property. Despite the lack of support from industry counterparts, artists like the Beastie Boys are posting rare, promotional or live cuts in the MP3 format on their websites. MP3 is also becoming the digital music format of choice for many college students who have PCs powerful enough to process multimedia applications and appreciate the flexible and compact nature of MP3, which requires one-tenth the storage space of a song on a CD. The underground reputation will soon be on the way out as more companies, artists and the music industry look to MP3 for a legitimate way to mainstream the downloading of music.

Aside from its appeal to technophiles, MP3 represents a whole new realm of opportunity for independent and emerging artists. MP3 enables music to become an entity independent of the constraints of the album paradigm. The flexibility of MP3 allows for a singular release of a track without the need for any other tracks to accompany the release. A digital format also enables lower overhead by cutting out the CD production process until a time when musicians are ready to promote and package an entire CD. There is also the option to go the route of artists like Frank Black who sell whole CDs both online in the MP3 format and in physical CD format.

MP3 is a non-proprietary format, meaning you donít have to use a specific brand of player to listen to MP3s. Unlike proprietary formats (Liquid Audio and a2b, for example) MP3 players, encoders, and streaming technology are not controlled by a single corporation. This in turn promotes more flexibility and innovation for the purchase and delivery of music online. MP3 also enables a valuable exchange of information between the artist and their fan base; the artist can know when fans are purchasing their tracks and how it relates to other promotional events, which tracks seem to be the most popular, and what cities should be included in a tour. The bottom line is that using MP3 allows artists to control when their work is released, to determine who theyíre reaching, and to receive immediate feedback from fans and peers.

So what can you do to learn more about MP3? With a little research and time, independent and emerging artists can check out what it takes to become part of the MP3 community. For general MP3 news, hyperlink http://mp3.com is a great resource. Checking out Internet-based record labels, like GoodNoise ( hyperlink http://www.goodnoise.com ) is a smart idea as well. If you want information on how to become one of the millions of people who play MP3 files, then check out MusicMatch ( hyperlink http://www.musicmatch.com), Winamp (http://www.winamp.com), Xing Technology Corporation ( http://www.xingtech.com ) and Audiograbber (http://www.audiograbber.com-US.net ). From these sites, and the links that they provide, you can start using MP3 to promote your music, or to play your music collection in a flexible format.