We encode our files at 256kbps & 44 kHz for good quality sound with a relatively small file size.

Our current samples, however, are encoded at 64kbps & 22 kHz and are 30 seconds long, sampled from one minute in to the song. We plan to have full streaming samples available in the near future.

A word on our pricing structure for MP3s—basically we charge $0.99 for every five minutes of track length, as follows:

Track Length		Price (CAD)
0:01 -  4:59		$0.99
5:00 -  9:59		$1.98
10:00 - 14:59		$2.97
15:00 - 19:59		$3.96
20:00 - 24:59		$4.95
25:00 and up		$5.94

Please note that we allow you seven (7) days in which to download your MP3 files and, in case of problems, you may download a file up to five (5) times.

What is an MP3?

MP3 files are compressed digital audio files, making it possible to deliver high quality sound over the internet. An MP3 encoded at 256kbps, the bitrate we use at MelodicArts, compresses audio by roughly 5.5 times—a three-minute long song which uncompressed would be about 30MB in file size becomes 5.45MB in .MP3 format, a much smaller package which is much easier to download.

While .MP3 is just one of many compression file formats in use (other examples are .OGG, an open source format called OggVorbis, or .MOV, the Quicktime format), it is the most universal and therefore most-supported format regardless of platform (Windows, Mac, Linux).