When the MP3 first came out in the 1990s, it was a revolutionary digital audio coding format that significantly reduced the file size of audio content. It dropped sizes by 95 per cent. This changed the culture around listening to music: People could carry a massive number of songs on a small device instead of lugging around physical CDs.

MP3, the digital audio coding format, changed the way we listen to music and drove the adoption of countless new devices over the last couple of decades. And now, it's dead. The developer of the format announced this week that it has officially terminated its licensing program.

Some people fall asleep better by listening to music. If that sounds like you, check out this collection of music tracks, which correspond to the five stages of sleep.

Mac: Need to just quickly play a song from you hard drive, but don't want to go through the trouble of opening up iTunes? OS X Daily points out that Spotlight's the best choice for doing so.

Android: Previously mentioned Peggo has always been a great tool to grab the audio from YouTube videos or Soundcloud songs so you can listen to it offline, like a podcast. Now the app is bringing its features to Android so you can listen on the go.

Hi Lifehacker, I want to purchase a portable MP3 player for my aunt. The problem is that she has a vision impairment and is in her 70s. Are there any models out there that have basic functionality and big buttons?

Hi Lifehacker, I am after an MP3 player that will be used mostly to play music and podcasts in the car. What would be the best sort of MP3 player for this sort of task, both in value and features?

Dear Lifehacker, I know the norm nowadays is to simply carry large amounts of music on your phone for every occasion, but there are times when I'd much prefer to just have a dedicated MP3 player and save my phone's battery and memory for other things. What are the best options out there for dedicated MP3 players that are easy to use and reasonably priced?

As more music services appear on the scene, it has become more and more difficult to keep your library from becoming a disjointed, cluttered mess split between 10 different apps. Tomahawk is a free, cross-platform music player that combines a wide variety of services and files into one place so you can have one giant mega-library of everything you want.

Winamp is our favourite music player for Windows, but the free version lacks a few key features -- most notably video playback and unlimited CD ripping. If you want to upgrade to Winamp Pro, reader vanLog shares a code that will get you 15 per cent off.

The music industry is notorious for attempting to repeatedly persuade consumers to pay out money for "special editions" of the same content: remasters, deluxe box sets, alternate takes and iTunes exclusives abound. But when we reach the stage when an MP3 rip of performer's own vinyl copy of their record has become a saleable item, the shark hasn't just been jumped: it has been reduced to mincemeat.

Once the Beatles signed up, Australian hard rockers AC/DC were the biggest major act holding out from selling their music on iTunes (or in any other digital music store). That changed today, with AC/DC finally realising that if rock and roll ain't noise pollution, you might as well make money while the download sun shines.

Dear Lifehacker, I'm tired of Spotify and I want to move back to buying music. iTunes has a great selection, but will I still be able to play those songs if I switch away from Apple products? Would another service or physical CDs be better? And do artists make more money at one store than another? Help! Thanks, Tricky Tunes

Dear Lifehacker, I was on the verge of buying another iPod (my fourth) when I stopped myself. Of my three previous iPods two have been irreparably damaged by relatively minor things, not to mention the usual issues that come with iPod territory. Is my best choice to get another iPod or are there other options that I just haven't considered because I'm brainwashed to think they're the ONLY mp3 player worth getting these days? Thanks, PodPerson

Over a two-year period, just five songs by Australian artists managed to top the Australian music charts. Is that a concern in an era when single-track sales are increasingly dominant?

The music industry has changed a lot in the digital era. We have legal digital stores, streaming services, blogs and artist-curated websites dishing out free music all the time. It's easier than ever to create a massive music library without spending any money. Here's how to do it.

iOS: The Metro-styled music player Track 8 has received an update to make it universal. This means the once iPad-only music app is now compatible with the iPhone and iPod Touch. Alongside the universal update the app now also supports AirPlay.

Cassette tapes aren't exactly the highest quality audio, but if you have a few rare tracks that you can't buy on CD (or a few homemade cassettes you want to back up for posterity), CNET shows how to easily record them to an MP3 file with Audacity.

Music-hosting service SoundCloud makes it easy to share your voice, music or any other audio with a few clicks. It's great, but sometimes you're desperate to actually download and save a track from SoundCloud. This handy bookmarklet, courtesy of github user pheuter, adds a Download MP3 link to any track on SoundCloud.