Digital DJ: Finding, Sharing and Playing Music over the Internet
By PC.com December 16, 2008
Nothing sets the mood like music. Whether your tastes run to Billie Holiday to Billy Idol, there's plenty to choose from, and technology puts it all at your fingertips. So stream it to your computer at work, or put it on your MP3 player, or burn a CD to play in the car—and don't forget to share!
Listen to the Radio Without Having a Radio
Back in the day, a radio was the way we listened to music broadcasts, and it does have the advantage of letting you hear someone else's collection instead of having to orchestrate it yourself. Fortunately, listening to broadcasts over the Internet gives you better quality than that old tinny radio, and you also don't have to put up with lousy reception at work and other indoor areas, as long as you have access to a computer or other connected device.
Most radio stations offer streaming broadcasts over the Internet, which you can probably find fairly easily from their Web sites. Another option is to choose from the growing number of Internet-only radio channels. Internet radio stations feature specific types of music ranging from cool jazz to old-timey music and everything in between.
Put It in Your Pocket
For people who spend a large percentage of time running around doing errands carrying along a collection of music on your mobile Internet device or MP3 player helps keep you inyouin good spirits, even when you're stuck in traffic or long lines.
There is a lot of great free music available in MP3 form—enough that you will probably never be able to listen to it all. Once you have a collection of free music, it's also easy to share with your friends and family, by e-mailing the actual music or just sharing the URLs of the best holiday music sites you discover.
Make a CD Mix
To play your MP3s on a standard CD player (as opposed to the CD drive on your computer), you will need to change the format from MP3 to the format audio CD players understand, which is called WAV. Fortunately, many MP3 players like iTunes and WinAMP will do this for you automatically—just look at the online help in the player you use for details. When you're ready to make the CD, see our article "How to Make Your Own Personalized CDs and DVDs" to get started.
Cranking Up the Tunes at Home
Some might recall the old analog days of monster cables and tower-loud speakers. Today we still have to plan the optimal surround sound experience, but thanks to wireless networking things have become vastly simplified. Adding a digital media adapter ties together MP3s, Web videos, and your TV to make a home entertainment network that will distribute music around to any room in your home. PC.com can help you learn everything you need to know to get your favorite music flowing through every room in your house.
