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Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2000 11:10:23 -0800 (PST)
From: Lisa Mann <lisam@oreilly.com>
To: lwn@lwn.net
Subject: O'Reilly releases definitive guide to MP3

For immediate release
For more information, a review copy, cover art, or interview with the
author, contact: 
Lisa Mann (707) 829-0515 ext 230 or lisam@oreilly.com


   MP3 "could radically restructure the way we select music" 
                   says author Scot Hacker


Sebastopol, CA--In April 1999, the term "MP3" surpassed "sex" as the
most-searched-for term on the top Internet search engines. In a short
time (even by Internet standards) MP3--a complicated digital
music-encoding algorithm--has changed the dynamics of music
distribution.

"MP3.com proves that file-based digital music distribution could
radically restructure the way we select music and choose our stars,"
says Scot Hacker, author of the just-released "MP3: The Definitive
Guide" (O'Reilly, $29.95). "Most of the music we hear is handed to us
by the recording industry, and that industry treats music exclusively
as a business. But amazing people making amazing music are all around
us."

"I may be a hopeless idealist, but I believe that great music will
bubble to the top on its own merits. We will discover great music,
we'll tell our friends, and before long, the charts will be topped by
artists chosen by listeners rather than pushed by record labels," says
Hacker. "Don't get me wrong. I don't think music and money are mutually
exclusive. Far from it. I believe artists should be supported by
culture, and that culture should be supported by society. The MP3
revolution might--just might--get us there, or at least part of the way
there. For the first time in history, artists and musicians can
potentially be heard by anyone on the planet with Web access, and those
artists don't need any part of the recording industry to make it
happen."

Hacker's "MP3: The Definitive Guide" introduces the power-user to all
aspects of MP3 technology. It delves into detail on obtaining,
recording, and optimizing MP3 files using both commercial and Open
Source methods, and covering four platforms: Windows, Macintosh, Linux
and BeOS. In-depth chapters describe all aspects of the MP3 experience
from distributing, streaming, broadcasting, converting and playing to
archiving your collection. It shows you how to test your equipment,
optimize your encoding times, evaluate playback options, control and
organize a collection, even burn your own CD's or distribute your own
music to a massive worldwide audience over the Internet. In addition,
the author fills readers in on the complex legal issues surrounding MP3
files. Everything you need to know to enjoy MP3 is contained in this
single volume.



   "The best technical and most complete book about the world of MP3 on
    the market; The Community, Format and Movement. A must have!"
               -- Sander van Zoest, High Geek, MP3.com


Scot Hacker's Top 10 Tips for MP3 may be found at:
http://web.oreilly.com/news/mp3_tips_0300.html

Chapter 2,"How MP3 Works: Inside the Codec", and
Chapter 6, "Hardware, Portables, Home Stereos, and Kits" 
are available free online at:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/mp3/chapter/index.html

For more information about the book, including Table of Contents, index, 
author bio, and samples, see:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/mp3/index.html

For an article by the author, see:
http://web.oreilly.com/news/mp3_industry_0200.html

For a cover graphic in jpeg format, go to:
ftp://ftp.ora.com/pub/graphics/book_covers/hi-res/1565926617.jpg


# # #


MP3: The Definitive Guide
By Scot Hacker
1st Edition March 2000
1-56592-661-7, 400 pages, $29.95
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938
http://www.oreilly.com