The '.mp3' file extension means this is an MP3 file. Normally, an indication of the format is communicated in the extension of the resulting music filename (although this is far from fool-proof). Different formats encode the music in different ways and have different ways of storing the metadata. The audio format is the way the file is structured to contain the encoded digital music, metadata about the music, and even embedded cover art. The most fundamental choice to make when ripping from CD is the format of the resulting digital music file. For such reasons, ripping remains useful particularly for the discerning audiophile, or just anyone who wants more control. The music purchased from online stores is typically below CD quality, but with control over the ripping process the CD quality can be retained. For instance, the quality of the resulting digital music file, and the format it is in, is up to you. Principally, ripping gives control over the digital music that is created from a CD. More recently, streaming music from services such as Spotify or Grooveshark has become possible. Later on came downloading music, either via online stores such as iTunes or via P2P (peer to peer) networks. Early on in the digital music revolution it was pretty much the only way to listen to music digitally. Ripping, the process of transferring music from CD to computer-based files, has been around for consumers for a good ten or fifteen years.

Why you should rip CDs to lossless audio formats

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