Files to use

It is possible to upload audio files of any format but we recommend that, wherever possible, MP3 files are used as the MP3 format typically gives the best trade off between space and quality.

Warnings about specific file types:

CDA files (on CDs)

When you look at the contents of a CD on a Windows computer, you will see files such as ‘Track01.cda’ etc. These files do not contain the audio tracks. If you attempt to copy a .cda file from the CD to your hard disk the file will contain no audio data. Similarly, if you attempt to upload a .cda file, the file you sent will contain no audio data and our online registration systems will warn you if you try to upload these types of files.

In order to upload your audio files you will need some software that converts the data on the CD to audio files on your hard drive, and use these files when you register on-line.

Playlist files

Many software applications create play list files that act as pointers to audio files on your computer (and typically specify a playing order). Playlist file types will vary between applications, but the most common file extensions used are .wpl (used by Windows Media Player) and .m3u (used by a lot of open source applications and WinAmp).

Playlist files do not contain audio data. It is the actual audio files that the playlist ‘points to’ that should be uploaded.

If in doubt, always check the size of the files you are uploading: CDA files, playlist files and other file pointers will be very small, perhaps a few kilobytes, while files containing audio will tend to be several megabytes in size.

If you use the online registration facility to upload your songs, we strongly recommend that you to convert the tracks to an MP3 format, as this will greatly reduce the time you spend uploading and reduce costs. For this you should use an audio conversion/ripping program.

• iTunes includes a CD ripping facility, and is available for both the Apple Mac and Windows.
• For Windows, a program such as AudioGrabber, which is available free of charge via www.audiograbber.org can also be used to convert any CD or audio .wav files to MP3 files on your PC, which can then be uploaded.
• For Linux users various CD ripping applications are available depending on the distribution and desktop. Audio ripping is also built into the Dolphin file manager (though an install of the lame MP3 codex is normally required).

On most broadband connections you should expect an upload speed of 1MB/min, so each MP3 file should take a few minutes to upload.