File sizes are large, but quality is high. Because it delivers CD-quality sound, MP3 is favored by music fans. Intellectual property issues have made MP3 on the Web a hot issue. There are large archives of midi music on the Web. This is called streaming .
Files are also compressed, so they take up less room to store.
RealAudio streaming is rapidly becoming the most popular audio format on the Web. Recorded sound can be streamed, as well as live audio. Archives of recorded sound can be made available. You can get the latest player free at RealNetworks . All Macintosh computers have built-in sound.