Gone are the days of waiting until Saturday morning to get a bus into your local town to go to the record shop to buy the latest recording from your favourite artist.

Today there are many new and exciting services provided via the Internet to make this task a whole lot easier and much more immediate.

With a click of your mouse, your favourite music can be downloaded and in an instant loaded to your favourite iPod or whatever is your MP3 player of choice.

The ability to download music and material is a dream come true for most music lovers. The simple fact that you can now access and download your favourite tracks and music onto your MP3 singly as opposed to the old days of having to buy the entire album. The satisfaction of now being able to enjoy your music without having to endure the always ever present dodgy tracks usually reserved for midway through side two of any album or Cassette.

Happy days indeed.

There are practically hundreds of services that are now on offer and the choice of material available has never been wider. Because of the nature of the medium involved and the benefits of economies of scale, services are now available that would not have been commercially viable even as recently as a few years back.

If you were to ask most people about Music service online then probably the two most used phrases in any reply would contain the words iPod and Amazon but in reality these are only the tip of the iceberg.

There are hundreds of other stores where you can purchase and download music just as easily. There are now in place distribution services that are connected directly to the major record labels themselves.

An example of this is Connect, which is the in-house pay-per-track service for Sony Music. It also handles music from other record labels as well. One of the downsides recently with the whole business of purchasing and downloading music from online sources has been the restrictive software used up until recently by the major labels to prevent the unauthorised copying and distribution of material. In a word an attempt to avoid Piracy.

This short sided approach has now been changed with the landmark decision reached recently between EMI Music and iPod whereby you can now transfer music from one source to another.

However there are few things that you need to take into consideration when getting involved in all of this. Firstly the pricing, expensive prices does not necessarily relate to good quality. Secondly the quality of the music provided, it is not always as good all-round, you would be surprised so check first. Lastly what format do you require your music to be in to ensure compatibility with whatever music player you are using?

Sounded so easy at the start did it not? It still is, all that you have to do is check the basics first.

Stephen Morgan writes about a number of Internet based issues such as Recreation
and Music. A passionate music lover he champions the cause of the rise of
online music sources. Check
out Song Lyrics a useful
source for online lyrics.

Audio streaming has become one of the popular fads online –and I wonder how long it will remain that way. There are so many things online that have come and gone – it is almost laughable to think about it.

People used to think that banner ads were the way to go – people used to think that a sale page converted better with a banner heading – now they are not so sure.

People used to think that a graphic with the picture of your ebook was the way to go – and now, that may not be the case.

So what about audio streaming? Will it stand the test of time?

Honestly, I think not. You see, I have a basic theory about the online world – there are only two things that really matter online – and that is traffic and conversion.

Does audio streaming add to traffic or conversions?

What if the net effect is zero? What if there is a big jump at first, and then consumers end up choosing the simpler sites instead? And I think that is a very real possibility.

So if audio streaming is for real, how do you make money with it?

Remember, there are two things that impact money and making money online – traffic and conversions.

So does audio streaming add to traffic? Does audio streaming add to conversions?

Ask yourself that about your own web business and your own unique audio streaming before you begin to add audio streaming to your web site.

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to article marketing success, ‘Your Article Writing and Promotion Guide‘

Download it free here: Secrets of Article Promotion

Do you want to learn how to build a massive list fast? Click here: Email List Building

Sean Mize is a full time internet marketer who has written over 900 articles in print and 9 published ebooks.

Incorporating audio streaming into your website is simple, cost effective and may boost your sales by up to 35%. Typically most PC’s have up to 3 free applications capable of streaming audio from a given website. All the tools are at your disposal, so how will it deliver you this profit?

1. Your content will be more readily absorbed

We as humans retain 10-15% of the content we read. If audio is incorporated, retention jumps to 60%. This increases further to 80% when the content is in the form of multimedia ie audio visual. Imagine attending a conference in which only text was projected on a screen- how much would you learn and recall after the event? More retention translates to more returning customers, which in turn results in more profit for you.

2. It forges a personal connection between you and your customers

The web is becoming an increasingly impersonal marketplace. Incorporating your voice in your sales pitches introduces a personal element that will give you an edge over your competition. If they can hear and believe in what you are selling, they will be more likely to purchase your product. Further to this streaming audio testimonials of satisfied customers will serve to enforce the value of your products, and may lead to more conversions than would result from plain text testimonials.

3. Benefits the visually challenged

The internet often forgets those who are visually challenged. Streaming audio changes and elevates the experience on your website for every user, and will open it to customers that your competitors may neglect.

4. Appeals to customers with time constraints

Customers who have hectic schedules have even shorter attention spans. Audio streaming provides a hook to entice such customers. For example, a customer may be working on their word processor whilst listening to your content in the background. Through the technological advancements of PDA’s such as the Blackberry, audio streaming creates the ability to appeal to mobile customers who could listen to your content rather than trying to read miniscule text on their screens. Audio streaming is fast becoming a standard feature on current models of mobile phones.

Conclusion

In the future internet pages without some form of audio streaming may be viewed in the same light as silent films – a thing of the past. We live in a fast paced competitive world where as many senses as possible need to be engaged to give one an edge over their competition. Audio streaming will provide the edge for you to increase your website profit.

P Korber writes on audio streaming and the benefits for your business. To learn more visit my Site:
http://www.howtostreamaudio.com

Interested in audio streaming software? Visit: http://www.howtostreamaudio.com/productreviews.html

Hi-speed internet is now almost everywhere in North America. As a result, web site designers can now afford to offer streaming audio as part of their web site content without worrying about too much bandwidth constraints. Would audio make a difference on your site? The key issue is whether audio is added value. Does your audience really need audio? For example, if you in the music business, it might be a good idea, or if you’re selling videos, it could be an asset. But if you sell vacuum cleaners online, maybe not.

If audio isn’t an absolute requirement, then you may want to consider what ways it might be beneficial in delivering your product or service message. For one, it can help capture the attention of the visitors. Certain people pay more attention to an audio message than a text one. With a good voice, a sales message using audio streaming may create a sense of buying urgency, and even a sense of trust among prospective buyers. One desirable characteristic of audio is that it becomes one more good way in which you can rapidly involve any person that hits your home page — they may not read, but they can hardly avoid listening!

Like any aspect of your webs site, if you do decide to use audio, by all means make sure you do it right. Use professional voice talent (unless you have a quality radio-style voice of your own. Voice talent is readily available and is not expensive. Voices.com would be an online resource worth considering. You can be sure that a quality voice will make a decided difference in the reception of your visitor.

Want to learn more about it? Download the free ebook, Steps to Internet Marketing Success.

Adding audio is certainly beneficial because hearing your voice builds a lot of confidence in you. Customers are more willing to trust someone they can hear than just an email address. Until a few years ago the use of audio was more of a decoration than anything else but advancing technology has now made it possible to host long seminars and explanatory audio clips without troubling the user. Streaming audio means users do not have to wait for huge downloads to complete before they can hear the message. Today website, and even blogs and newsletters, are using streaming audio in order to offer a more personalized experience to their recipients.

Including an audio welcome message to your website is always more effective then just a text message. The welcome message could also explain new features, new products, and other time sensitive information to visitors that will enhance their browsing experience. Testimonials are another area where the audio from your customers will be more effective than just some text and images. Audio is not use heavily at present and Internet users find it a pleasant change from all the text browsing. If you run a blog then you could include a “tip of the day” or similar feature in audio to make it different.

Adding audio to your website is no longer something over the top because technology and user expectations have undergone vast changes in recent years. Audio is now seen as just another healthy addition that makes the user experience more pleasant.

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to article marketing success, ‘Your Article Writing and Promotion Guide‘

Download it free here: Secrets of Article Promotion

Do you want to learn how to build a massive list fast? Click here: Email List Building

Shortly after March 2nd, 2007 webcasters began voicing their concern that the new performance royalty rates would essentially put them offline and out of business. In a very short time the internet radio community launched a grass roots campaign to draw public attention to this issue. By utilizing the listener reach internet stations currently have and the use of prerecorded public service announcements the outcry was heard. Very quickly websites appeared online to fight the legislation through email, letters and petitions aimed at congress. Listeners were asked to contact their representatives and voice their opinions on the legislation. This campaign caught the attention of many news outlets and effectively brought the desired attention.

SoundExchange after being pounded by the press defended their position and the rate increases. They then began their own grass roots campaign to counter the one launched by webcasters. Due to their recent publicity suing people for downloading illegal music when they didn’t even own a computer, kids and little old ladies they have won no sympathy. They’re next tactic was to get artists to speak out in favor of the new rates. A very few did. In response http://webcastersunite.net, an organization of independent webcasters, set up a petition for artists to sign that are against the new rates. It already sports 3 times more artists signatures than the SoundExchange posting. Webcastersunite.net believes all artists should have a say, not just the famous ones. This petition will be submitted to congress.

Currently the National Public Radio (NPR) has filed appeals along with many other webcasting organizations. The Copyright Board agreed to hear arguments to determine if an appeal was warranted. Soundexchange filed it’s own appeal against a rehearing of the rates. In my personal opinion I forsee a long drawn out battle if the rates are not amended to a more fair rate for all webcasters. It appears to me that Soundexchange is biting the hand that feeds it. Internet music sales have been steadily climbing over the last few years. The excessive rates that exceed the income of even the largest internet stations, would put literally thousands of internet radio stations out of business and offline for good. How can that be good for music and the artists that create it?

Related http://webcastersunite.net

With the advent of technology, telecommunications just can’t be left behind. Businesses of every size and form keep on learning more modern ways to work. Recently, a method of communicating with clients in the form of conference calling is known to be one of the most cost-effective since it cuts down on travel expenses.

Vendors of conference call utilize state-of-the-art telecommunications devices to provide improved digital sound while bridging multiple phone lines. Some businesses attempted to tape their conference calls to allow them to listen to the tape upon the completion of the conference call. But it has been discovered that transcribing the discussion accurately can be problematic.

A solution for this headache-causing dilemma is very much needed. This is where conference call transcript services come in handy. A conference call transcript is a splendid way of following up a conference call to ensure that all of the participants or even those who were not able to attend it have a clear grip of its results.

Typically, a conference call transcript is made from a digital record of the meeting.

Here are three tips on how to come up with the best conference call transcript or help your conference call transcription service provider.

1. The speakers must be prompted and identified.

Every time a speaker gets to have the floor, he must identify himself clearly. This will rid the conference call transcript service provider of the guesswork of who is who talking about which and what. A participant list will also aid the transcriptionists in creating the conference call transcript.

2. Avoid using any gizmo that will interfere with the call’s quality.

Anything that might break in the conversation, i.e., speakerphones and cell phones must be turned off. They might pick up noise from the background that may drown out the comments of the speakers. That will surely cause major fuss in preparing the conference call transcript.

3. Use your most audible voice.

Speaking clearly and slowly will not only benefit the listeners but also the transcriber of the conference call. Conference call transcripts are verbatim copies of your meetings. Oftentimes, these assemblies are for the discussion of your company’s earning results. It would be wise to exert your greatest effort in making it them easy for the transcriptionist to decipher. Surely, you don’t want erroneous data on your conference call transcripts.

If your company can’t do the dirty job of transcribing your own conference calls, hiring conference call transcription service will do you best. It is a must to know that your conference call transcript provider is capable of creating quick and professional transcriptions that are utterly accurate.

This service usually has a two-day or 48-hour turnaround time. But if you’re in a rush, don’t fret since 24-hour turnaround can be negotiated with some transcription companies. It will definitely be rewarding if you state all your requirements clearly before you make the transcriptionist start his job. If you’re aiming for confidential transcription, this could also be arranged.

Outsourcing companies that produce conference call transcripts vary in rates. Consulting your budget should also be given major consideration to ensure that you get the best deal for your conference call transcription needs.

For more information on conference calls, using your phones, or video conferencing, visit http://www.MyPhoneInfo.com now.

An audio message on your web site can certainly make a difference in terms of traffic as well as sales. Audio streaming makes a visit to your website seem more personal while it explains your product or service. Most importantly audio streaming sets your web site apart from the other sites on the net. Adding this feature to your website can be one of the simplest things that you can do to convert hits to sales. There are a variety of places you can go to get inexpensive or even free audio features for your web site. But is it really worth it? Let us take a look.

It Makes it Personal

Adding audio streaming to your website creates a personal connection and bond between you and your customer. If you create a personal message directed specifically at your visitors, they will tend to feel more comfortable and at ease with your site, your business and with you.

It Explains Your Product or Service

You can use audio streaming to explain your product or service and even your selling terms and return policy. Sometimes it is just a lot easier to explain what you sell or what you do as opposed to writing a lengthy description that may be passed over because it overwhelms your customers.

It Sets Your Site Apart from the Others

Face it, by adding audio streaming to your web site you are setting your site apart from the others. In a vast Internet sea of websites that all sell the same products, offer the same services and they all pretty much look alike, adding audio gives your site an added punch. Audio will make your web site stand out and it will not easily be forgotten.

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to article marketing success, ‘Your Article Writing and Promotion Guide‘

Download it free here: Internet Article Marketing

Do you want to learn how to build a massive list fast? Click here: Email List Building

Audio book sales have exploded to over 15% of worldwide book sales: given their convenience, this percentage is set to escalate dramatically. What’s the reason for this unprecedented popularity?

Ten tips put you right in the picture:

1 Almost every kind of book worth reading is available as an audio book.

2 Audio books actually cost less than the printed version of the same book.

3 Audio books are great for “multitasking”. You can drive to work or take the commuter train to the office, or do your aerobics or take the dog for a walk, even paint the house while listening to a book. Or while learning: there are many educational titles.

4 Audio books are supremely portable: As well as making music mobile for you, your mp3 player enables you to carry whole books around as well.

5 The best audio book advantage is that you can ‘read’ it anywhere you can wear earbuds

6 If you don’t have an mp3 player, no problem. Use your IPod.

7 No IPod? No PDA? No, problem either. Download the free book on your PC: listen to it on any headset or your computer speakers.

8 Burn an audio book onto a standard CD using Windows Media Player, listen in the car on the way to the golf course.

9 Any audio book title can be downloaded immediately your purchase is completed.

10 The leading online audio book store is open 24/7, just scroll down for the direct hotlink.

Leisure time is at a premium, things just keep on getting busier every day, but once you have listened to an audio book, you’ll want to hear more. With thousands of titles available, in every possible category, any time can become listening time to enhance your life.

There’s the BBC comedy audio book for example: it’s good for a great giggle for one whole hour. Join the revolution in online reading, now. Get it while it’s free.

Why not listen online now? Head over to the link here now and download a free audio book. Then you will really appreciate just what I am on about.

Mike Rose is an architect in New Zealand: he’s busier than ever in retirement, enthusiastically operating a leading online audio book store. Check out the free books at Audio Books 2 GO and listen to a free sample of any book that grabs your attention. Email address is available on the store website.

Feel free to republish this article on your website, in your newsletter, or in other publications, provided that the article is reproduced in its entirety, complete with this resource box and with author’s information and website links.

There is a bewildering away of recording equipment available to record your interviews, focus groups, conferences etc. for later transcription, but this article aims to inform you on the different features available for recorders, what they’re for and how the will (or won’t) be of use to you, as someone who is recording for transcription. There is an enormous price range from less than £50 to hundreds of pounds, and this article aims to explain indicate which features cost more and what to look out for. The different features are first listed and then explained, and this should allow you to choose a machine that’s right for you and your transcriptionist. As any visit to a good website or shop selling these machines will show you, this is not a comprehensive list. It’s a list of the most important aspects from a transcription point of view.

The different features are:

• Recording quality
• Frequency response
• Amount of recording time
• Computer interface
• File type
• Editing of recorded voice e.g. rewinding and adding or deleting some words
• How is the recorder powered?
• Dimensions
• Microphone jack
• Links with a speech recognition software

Recording quality will normally be indicated as SHQ - stereo high quality, HQ - high quality, SP (short play) and LP (long play). SHQ is the best quality (and stereo of course) but will take up the most memory, so you will be able to record less at this setting. LP is the poorest quality but you can record more time. Mono is probably perfectly adequate for an interview, but if you’re recording a number of different people e.g. at a meeting, conference or focus group, it might be useful to have stereo recording. To use stereo you will need a stereo microphone or more than one external microphone.

The different recording qualities relate to different frequency responses. The human ear picks up audio in the range of between approximately 20 Hz and 20 kHz. But what are the most used frequencies in speech? I’d love to know but a quick Google search gives an unbelievable range of answers! I think it’s fairly safe to say it’s somewhere around 250 Hz to 5 kHz, with the higher end being a high-pitched woman’s voice and the lower end being a low-pitched man. So it’s around those ranges that you need to be looking. There is a wide range of different frequencies available in different recording machines but frankly most will record a one-to-one or one-to-two interview to acceptable quality at SP, and possibly even at LP.

The amount of recording time will depend on which recording quality you choose, and again the range of times is enormous, so you really need to think about what your needs are. You might need a long recording time if you’re going to be researching ‘in the field’ for significant lengths of time, with no access to your PC to download files, or if you are recording a conference, especially if you want to use a high quality recording for this, which will mean you have less time. If, however, you are recording notes or dictation, or one-to-one interviews, and can regularly download information onto your PC, there is no need to save vast amounts of data onto the machine. It is probably this factor that creates the biggest price differences, so think carefully and don’t buy a machine that gives you hours more time than you need.

The computer interface is a really important consideration. If you are planning to send the recordings to a transcriptionist to be transcribed you will need to download them onto your PC first. They can then either be emailed (if small enough, see file type section), transferred by FTP, or in some cases, including my company Penguin Transcription, sent using a file-sending box on the transcriptionist’s website. Even if you plan to transcribe the files yourself it is a tedious business if you have to do this directly from the ‘note taker’ as recorders that don’t have a download interface are sometimes called. Ideally the recorder will link to your PC with a USB interface, usually requiring no extra software or drivers. Alternatively it might link through a port and come with a CD containing the relevant drivers.

The file type is another very important consideration and is perhaps the one that is most often overlooked. Examples are WAV (uncompressed, great quality but enormous), WMA (Windows Media format, compressed but reasonable quality for voice), DSS (Olympus proprietary transcription file, very compressed but specially designed for voice so good quality). These are just a few examples and you can see details of a wider range of file types in my separate article on this site ‘Digital File Types for Audio Transcription’. If you plan to send your files to a transcriptionist for transcription you will ideally want files that are reasonably small and can be emailed, although there are various ways of sending much larger files over the net. WAV files will not only take a long time to send, they will take up a lot of space on your PC, and on your recorder. DSS or DVF files for instance, are much more convenient as they are small and compact, can be emailed without being blocked by the server, and are delivered quickly.

Editing of recorded voice will probably be more important if you are using the machine to take dictation rather than an interview. When dictating a letter you may want to go back and delete the last few words and replace them with something else. The recorders at the mid to upper end of the price-range usually have this feature but if it’s important to you it’s worth checking to make sure as they by no means all have it.

How is the recorder powered? Most recorders are battery powered but if you’re gong to be using your recorder significantly it’s worth checking that you can use rechargeable batteries, from an environmental and cost perspective! It’s also a consideration if dimensions are important to you. In particular the batteries can add considerably to the weight. Most modern recording machines are fairly light and quite discreet though. If weight is a concern make sure that the weight listed includes the batteries.

Whether or not the recorder has a microphone jack is an important consideration, as is the quality of mike that it allows you to plug in. Really for anything but one-person dictation an external microphone is a necessity. Recording an interview with only the machine’s internal microphone is likely to give disappointing results. A poor recording will lead, at worst, to a poor transcription, and at best to an expensive transcription, as it will take longer to complete! If you are recording a conference you will need more than one mike, or a stereo microphone, as already mentioned.

Some recorders link with speech recognition software. As yet this type of software is really only of use for one-voice recording e.g. dictation of notes. Even then you will need to spend some time and energy ‘training’ the software to recognize your voice, and then carefully check the transcript as it will doubtless be ridden with mistakes, especially on homophones (words that sound the same but are spelt differently.) However, if you are going to use one of these packages then a feature that links your recorder directly to it is a useful addition.

This list is only the most important features in my opinion for transcription of interviews, dictation, focus groups and conferences. It does not cover the recording of music which requires a much wider frequency range and a number of other specialist considerations, but I hope that it is helpful for those embarking on research that requires transcription.

Penguin Transcription, part of Penguin Office Services, offers an affordable transcription service by tailoring each quote to the exact requirements of the client. The more information the client can provide us with, and the better the quality of the recording for transcription, the more affordable the transcription service will be. Why not visit our site and fill in an enquiry form at http://www.penguin-transcription.co.uk/PTS_enquiry_form.html to receive a quote for your transcription requirements. If you are looking for transcripiton equipment we use and recommend Speak IT, http://www.speakit.info

This article is copyright, Anne Hickley, 2007.