*What is mp3?
MP3 stands for MPEG. Level 3. It is a compression format
that takes digital audio files such as you might listen to on a CD, and
makes them much smaller (about 1/10th the size, to be exact) with very
little loss of quality. When we say very little, well, the difference
is definitely audible especially in the sibilants or very high
frequencies. Nothing beats listening to a CD as far as sound fidelity
goes (except, of course, listening to the analog multitrack masters).
But mp3 is by far the best combination of compression and sound quality,
which is why it has become a de facto internet standard inspite of the
opposition of virtually the entire recording industry.
Why is the music biz opposed to mp3? Basically the music biz is
in a blind panic over any technology, like mp3, that allows artists (like
GSW) to bring their music directly to the public without a middleman.
Their stated reason for opposing mp3 is that it facilitates piracy. This
is why they have spent so much time and money on the pipe dream of developing
a so-called secure format, which they would then license, and keep
control of all the artists and all their content.
Does MP3 encourage piracy? The record execs' argument ignores
the fact that piracy has always existed ever since recorded music came
into existence. The surreal search for a secure standard seems to ignore
the logical fact that, if you can listen to a piece of music, you can
also copy it. (Losing one analog generation is certainly not a hindrance
in this day and age.) The only true secure standard would be if the major
labels could somehow pump music directly into a listener's brain....which
is certainly something they would like to be able to pull off.
What is God Street Wine's goal with MP3? We hope to have all our
commercially released recordings available for electronic purchase and
download in the mp3 format by the end of 1999, and during the next year,
to implement a program of adding new recordings and live performances
to the catalog available by this medium. We are also adding a subscription
service in which subscribers will have access to a periodically circulating
archive of GSW mp3 files culled from live shows, rare studio material,
and exclusive new material.
