MP3 is the latest format which is in use for storing, distributing and downloading music or audio files. But what is an MP3 format and what was the need for this format. The history of MP3 format goes back to the 1980s. post this time, all music was stored in a WAV format. The PCM WAV format is a format in which music is stored on compact disks and sold at music stores. This format stored audio files in large size and thus these files were not downloadable from the internet.

This got some innovators thinking and thus came about the format which is now known as an MP3 format. MP3 format brought about a revolution in the field of digital audio. Developed and improved by inventors Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and Thompson Multimedia, the format took about 2 decades to become popular in present form. As the popularity of internet grew, so did the popularity of this format. MP3 or MPEG, as it is called in technical terminology, stands for Moving Pictures Experts Group. Based on some standard rules and procedures, it performs the task of making an audio file of small size while keeping the audio quality intact. For example, a single song when recorded in a WAV format usually turns out to be of approximately 50 MB size. Whereas, the same file, when recorded in MP3 format will be about one tenth the size at approximately 3 MB to 4 MB size. The audio quality of both the files will be the same.

There are some main results of converting audio files into an MP3 format :-

1.The size of the file becomes small and hence can be downloaded from the internet easily and in a matter of just a few minutes. Whereas a WAV file is of much larger size and hence cannot be downloaded easily.

2.The second result which follows from storing files in a MP3 format is that the audio files take up very less hard disk space. Thus about one fifty songs can be recorded in a single CD as against a maximum of ten songs per CD when the WAV format is used for storing audio files. This makes it easy to store and carry files.

3.Being a data format it can be copied, pasted and transferred easily as against an audio CD format which cannot be copied or pasted.

This is a very user friendly format. Almost all music players can play this format. Also, songs stored in this format can be easily stored and played in a pen drive or an I Pod. The same can be loaded on to a mobile storage space and be converted into a ring tone. A WAV file on the other hand cannot be stored in a mobile phone due to large size.