Mp3 Search

The least efficient, but occasionally rewarding way to find Mp3 files is to use open search engines. For example, looking for a specific song ("Georgia On My Mind") on google.com returned a variety of results, few of them having to do with the song. When the search was amended with "Mp3", however, google gave a link to emp3world.com and a free download of Ray Charles's version of the song.

Searching for a single song this way might make sense, especially if one is searching for that one site which might be offering a legitimately free download. On that score, it helps to be as creative as possible in the search. Adding the words "free download" to the search, for example, might be a smart thing to do for starters; although, not everyone advertises free downloads. Another possibility is doing a search string like "directory listings" then "Mp3", then the song you're looking for. However, searching for multiple songs or albums this way, while potentially rewarding, seems hard work compared to actually going to a service like emp3world, or Rhapsody or Napster in the first place. This is especially true if you don't have time to spare.

Online music stores and peer-to-peer file sharing networks allow users to search for music in a variety of focused ways. iTunes, for example, allows users to enter an album title or artist in to an open search box on its home page. For browsing, it also offers search by genre and sub-genre, helping the user narrow down their search. In iTunes and in other services, like Rhapsody, albums can be sorted by name, sales figure and release date.

Where does Mp3 searching go from here? One answer is personalized predictive searching based on past choices made by the listener. The online music service, Rhapsody, for example, gives users recommendations it thinks they might like based on the top ten genres the user expresses an interest in. Like other services, it also offers recommendations based on everything the user has recently listened to.