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The Evolution of Music On the PC

By July 8, 2015No Comments
Audio Listener


It happened. The MP3 became a standard and the way we enjoyed music changed forever.
Recently, digital downloads of music surpassed traditional CD sales. Times have changed, but how did we end up here?

The Age of MIDI

In the ‘80s, MIDI was your music standard. Synthesized versions of songs were made. These lacked vocal tracks, but most of the instruments could be created relatively well enough. This was the background music we heard in games like DOOM or Wing Commander. MIDI continues to be a standard today as it is interwoven with many professional keyboards and tracking systems. However, the lack of vocals made these better suited for karaoke, so a new format was needed.

The Age of MOD

In the ‘90s music on PCs were grungy and rough. We only had a few formats like MOD or module where samples from songs were strung together to form complete songs. The music was scratchy and often sounded bad. This was the first evolution of MIDI with voice tracks, and it was also used for many games at the time. Users would trade MODs online on BBSs keeping them alive, or start libraries of their own. Unfortunately most of these files never made it to the internet. There are still websites dedicated to preserving this archaic form of music.

The Age of MP3


The MP3 carved the perfect balance between file size and full sound from songs. This made it easy to store on the limited storage devices at the time and allowed users to carry a ton of MP3s on a single CD. This quickly became the standard for music. Sounds could be traded between friends or ripped directly from albums. Sample rates adjusted from the smallest size for the smallest and fastest transfer, to levels way above CDs. There were a few other formats competing as well, like AAC or FLAC, but MP3 is the most widespread.

Music and Piracy: the Dark Ages and the Ongoing War

Then we saw the likes of Napster, E-donkey, other file sharing programs and eventually torrents. We even watched the music industry war against Mega. But along the way MP3 chiseled out a tech genre, it allowed for easy storage of thousands of songs on mp3 players. Today we even see restaurants sued for playing unauthorized music. It’s a frightening time to share music and we are hoping the legal system can catch up to technology.

Portable Music and Digital Stores


As time went by, digital stores turned into valid locations for music, like the ITunes store that made it easier for people to get the songs directly onto a player. However, today those MP3 players are slowly fading away as users move on to just one device, namely smartphones which handle everything.

Streaming Music

Music has begun to change again from direct ownership back to the station format. Apps like Songza, Pandora and Spotify let listeners enjoy song lists, make their own stations and, in some cases, create their own personal song lists.

What Does the Future Hold for Music?

What a long strange trip this has been. In a few years it seems MP3 players have come and gone and we have all moved on. Who could have predicted we would have gone from tape to cd to mp3 to cellphone, in just the short time I’ve been enjoying music and albums. What’s your prediction on music and the future? Let us know in the comments below.

Author Dennis Kralik

A Newegg Insider contributor

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