All downloading and swapping of MP3s has attracted wrath of RIAA because there are no digital security features associated with MP3, so millions of songs are freely shared everyday by millions of users. The files are small enough to be downloaded easily, or even sent to a friend as an email attachment.

Another thing that makes MP3s very exciting and compelling is that it is easy for people to become DJs by mixing their favorite songs. A lot of people have created their own compilation CDs where they take all of their favorite songs from different artists and bands and burn them to CD very quickly and easily.

Webcasting or Internet radio has also become very popular allowing listeners to "stream" audio on their computers. Unlike downloaded MP3s, streamed MP3 files aren't stored on your hard drive, but are broadcast like traditional radio through your MP3 player. Real Networks was one of first to offer streamed audio software, which uses a proprietary format known as RealAudio. Microsoft allows offers their own proprietary streaming audio through their Windows Media Application. If you do a search for "Internet radio" or "webcasting", you will find hundreds of Internet radio stations offering every imaginable type of programming.

Of course, as exciting as MP3s are, there are some legal and business battles that are being waged. MP3 itself is not an illegal audio format, but when people offer up MP3 versions of copyrighted material that is considered a copyright infringement. The Home Recording Act allows you to make copies of your music CDs for personal use but by law, you are not allowed to distribute or share these files with friends or family if they do not own a copy of CD.

The debate rages on as to whether or not MP3 and P2P file sharing programs are good for music industry. MP3 proponents believe that MP3s help promote music and musicians by getting music heard far and wide. On other hand, MP3 critics argue that free music will kill music industry and artists who depend on it. Essentially, it is a battle for control of music distribution. Artists can now bypass record labels and distribute their music very easily and effectively.

A balanced and compromised solution should benefit artists and music labels. There is no doubt that artists and musicians should be compensated for their efforts, yet a lot of new and upcoming bands distribute free MP3s as way to get their music heard. As buzz and excitement builds around band, people are more inclined to support bands by buying their CDs, attend concerts and purchase other band merchandise. Ultimately, bands and music labels probably don't want to bite hand that feeds them.

So, where does that leave us? Well, as we have seen many times over years, hot technology trends come and go. However, MP3s have really captured ears of music aficionados worldwide. With millions upon millions of MP3 audio files out there, and hundreds and maybe even thousands of MP3 related software that has been developed by software developers worldwide, there is no doubt that MP3s are here to stay.

Q: What do you find to be most effective marketing and promotion vehicles of your software?

A: I don't really focus on marketing or promotion - perhaps I'd be a millionaire if I had ;-) My main focus is to keep software going out and make sure that it's available from a wide range of websites. I occasionally get approached by magazines who wish to covermount software and I usually accept those. Most of my sales come from word of mouth.

Q: What distinguishes your product from others on market?

A: In beginning it was a combination of being a direct-to-disc recorder and having auto-track. A few programs now contain an approximation of auto-track now, but I'm told that mine is probably most effective. Now, I guess that sheer weight of features is a big selling point as well as degree of customer support I offer. There are lots of little uniquities (if that is a word) in software, but it's really up to user whether those are what they're after.

Q: What kind of market research did you perform prior to developing your product(s)?

A: I didn't. I don't really go with idea of looking for a market and developing a product for it - it's too calculating and it means that you'll have less interest in what you're doing than in how much money is coming in. Good shareware works because users are dealing with a fellow enthusiast.

Q: What tools do you use to manage your software development business?

A: My development is done with Visual C++ 6.0 under Windows 2000 with Visual Sourcesafe for revision control. I have VMWare for cross platform testing and use a combination of Microsoft Word and Doc-to-Help 2000 for my help development. The rest of operation is handled by a fusion of MS Outlook, MS Access and a huge amount of home grown VBA code and C++ plugins. It's a real timesaver having your website, backups and even your release procedure totally automated and it also removes likelihood of mistakes caused by shipping wrong file (it used to happen occasionally). I used to use Installshield Express for distribution, but old version broke on systems which had used installs from new version and new version couldn't be automated as easily, so I now use my own installer. Finally, for distribution, I have Aid Submission Genius, PadGen, AddSoft and Submass (all paid for, of course) and for keeping an eye on my website I use 123 Log analyser. There are other tools I use for various purposes, but nothing which is development specific.

Q: Where do you see your business/software heading in future?

A: I'm branching out into writing now - my other shareware projects haven't met with same degree of success as Audiotools and I don't really want to keep all my eggs in one basket. There may be some more shareware coming in next couple of years (I have a couple of products in development) but I imagine that Audiotools and my books will be my main focus. I even plan to write a book about Audiotools at some point, to give shareware developers "the inside story" as it were. Ultimately, I follow path of least resistance, so my direction in future will very much depend on my successes in present. That concludes a very insightful conversation with Andrew Fish from Unrelated Inventions - http://www.unrelatedinventions.com. Please take time to visit his web site and check out his software and some of his writings.