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What Does it Mean to Rip a Song?

The terminology used in the modern music industry can confuse those people who find themselves on the wrong side of the "digital divide." Knowing what it means to "rip a song" is simply a matter of self-education.
  1. Definition

    • When someone copies a song on to her computer's hard drive from a portable musical source (like a CD), this is called "ripping" a song. You can also rip music from a flash drive or an MP3 player.

    How It's Done

    • In most cases, you simply need to pop the CD into your computer and follow the prompts you are given. A box will appear asking if you want to rip the song, click "Yes" to start ripping.

    Origin of the Term

    • The word comes from a time in the print media industry's history when images had to be copied directly from the original using a process called Raster Image Processor. This is where the term "rip" comes from.

Recording Music

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