Coordinates	40°26′30″N80°00′00″N
name	MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III
extension	.mp3
mime	audio/mpeg, audio/MPA, audio/mpa-robust
released
latest release date
genre	Audio compression format, audio file format
standard	ISO/IEC 11172-3, ISO/IEC 13818-3
url	}}

MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression. It is a common audio format for consumer audio storage, as well as a de facto standard of digital audio compression for the transfer and playback of music on digital audio players.

MP3 is an audio-specific format that was designed by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) as part of its MPEG-1 standard and later extended in MPEG-2 standard. The first MPEG subgroup – ''Audio'' group was formed by several teams of engineers at Fraunhofer IIS, University of Hannover, AT&T-Bell; Labs, Thomson-Brandt, CCETT, and others. MPEG-1 Audio (MPEG-1 Part 3), which included MPEG-1 Audio Layer I, II and III was approved as a committee draft of ISO/IEC standard in 1991, finalised in 1992 and published in 1993 (ISO/IEC 11172-3:1993). Backwards compatible MPEG-2 Audio (MPEG-2 Part 3) with additional bit rates and sample rates was published in 1995 (ISO/IEC 13818-3:1995).

The use in MP3 of a lossy compression algorithm is designed to greatly reduce the amount of data required to represent the audio recording and still sound like a faithful reproduction of the original uncompressed audio for most listeners. An MP3 file that is created using the setting of 128 kbit/s will result in a file that is about 11 times smaller MP3 compressed at 128 kbit/s: 128,000 bit/s (1 k = 1,000, not 1024, because it is a bit rate). Ratio: 1,411,200/128,000 = 11.025.|group= note}} than the CD file created from the original audio source. An MP3 file can also be constructed at higher or lower bit rates, with higher or lower resulting quality.

The compression works by reducing accuracy of certain parts of sound that are considered to be beyond the auditory resolution ability of most people. This method is commonly referred to as perceptual coding. It uses psychoacoustic models to discard or reduce precision of components less audible to human hearing, and then records the remaining information in an efficient manner.

History

Development

The MP3 lossy audio data compression algorithm takes advantage of a perceptual limitation of human hearing called auditory masking. In 1894, Alfred Marshall Mayer reported that a tone could be rendered inaudible by another tone of lower frequency. In 1959, Richard Ehmer described a complete set of auditory curves regarding this phenomenon. Ernst Terhardt ''et al.'' created an algorithm describing auditory masking with high accuracy. This work added to a variety of reports from authors dating back to Fletcher, and to the work that initially determined critical ratios and critical bandwidths.

The psychoacoustic masking codec was first proposed in 1979, apparently independently, by Manfred R. Schroeder, et al. from AT&T-Bell; Labs in Murray Hill, NJ, and M. A. Krasner both in the United States. Krasner was the first to publish and to produce hardware for speech (not usable as music bit compression), but the publication of his results as a relatively obscure Lincoln Laboratory Technical Report did not immediately influence the mainstream of psychoacoustic codec development. Manfred Schroeder was already a well-known and revered figure in the worldwide community of acoustical and electrical engineers, but his paper was not much noticed, since it described negative results due to the particular nature of speech and the linear predictive coding (LPC) gain present in speech. Both Krasner and Schroeder built upon the work performed by Eberhard F. Zwicker in the areas of tuning and masking of critical bands, that in turn built on the fundamental research in the area from Bell Labs of Harvey Fletcher and his collaborators. A wide variety of (mostly perceptual) audio compression algorithms were reported in IEEE's refereed Journal on Selected Areas in Communications. That journal reported in February 1988 on a wide range of established, working audio bit compression technologies, some of them using auditory masking as part of their fundamental design, and several showing real-time hardware implementations.

The immediate predecessors of MP3 were "Optimum Coding in the Frequency Domain" (OCF), and Perceptual Transform Coding (PXFM). These two codecs, along with block-switching contributions from Thomson-Brandt, were merged into a codec called ASPEC, which was submitted to MPEG, and which won the quality competition, but that was mistakenly rejected as too complex to implement. The first practical implementation of an audio perceptual coder (OCF) in hardware (Krasner's hardware was too cumbersome and slow for practical use), was an implementation of a psychoacoustic transform coder based on Motorola 56000 DSP chips.

MP3 is directly descended from OCF and PXFM. MP3 represents the outcome of the collaboration of Karlheinz Brandenburg, working as a postdoc at AT&T-Bell; Labs with James D. (JJ) Johnston of AT&T-Bell; Labs, collaborating with the Fraunhofer Society for Integrated Circuits, Erlangen, with relatively minor contributions from the MP2 branch of psychoacoustic sub-band coders.

The song ''Tom's Diner'' by Suzanne Vega was the first song used by Karlheinz Brandenburg to develop the MP3. Brandenburg adopted the song for testing purposes, listening to it again and again each time refining the scheme, making sure it did not adversely affect the subtlety of Vega's voice.

MPEG-1 Audio Layer 2 encoding began as the Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB) project managed by Egon Meier-Engelen of the ''Deutsche Forschungs- und Versuchsanstalt für Luft- und Raumfahrt'' (later on called ''Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt'', German Aerospace Center) in Germany. The European Community financed this project, commonly known as EU-147 (or Eureka 147), from 1987 to 1994 as a part of the EUREKA research program. MUSICAM Audio Coding was developed as part of the Eureka 147 project and has been subject to the standardization process within the ISO/Moving Pictures Expert Group (MPEG).

As a doctoral student at Germany's University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Karlheinz Brandenburg began working on digital music compression in the early 1980s, focusing on how people perceive music. He completed his doctoral work in 1989 and became an assistant professor at Erlangen-Nuremberg. While there, he continued to work on music compression with scientists at the Fraunhofer Society (in 1993 he joined the staff of the Fraunhofer Institute).

Standardization

In 1991, there were only two proposals available that could be completely assessed for an MPEG audio standard: Musicam (Masking pattern adapted Universal Subband Integrated Coding And Multiplexing) and ASPEC (Adaptive Spectral Perceptual Entropy Coding). The Musicam technique, as proposed by Philips (the Netherlands), CCETT (France) and Institut für Rundfunktechnik (Germany) was chosen due to its simplicity and error robustness, as well as its low computational power associated with the encoding of high quality compressed audio. The Musicam format, based on sub-band coding, was the basis of the MPEG Audio compression format (sampling rates, structure of frames, headers, number of samples per frame).

Much of its technology and ideas were incorporated into the definition of ISO MPEG Audio Layer I and Layer II and the filter bank alone into Layer III (MP3) format as part of the computationally inefficient hybrid filter bank. Under the chairmanship of Professor Musmann (University of Hannover) the editing of the standard was made under the responsibilities of Leon van de Kerkhof (Layer I) and Gerhard Stoll (Layer II).

ASPEC was the joint proposal of AT&T; Bell Laboratories, Thomson Consumer Electronics, Fraunhofer Society and CNET. It provided the highest coding efficiency.

A working group consisting of Leon van de Kerkhof (The Netherlands), Gerhard Stoll (Germany), Leonardo Chiariglione (Italy), Yves-François Dehery (France), Karlheinz Brandenburg (Germany) and James D. Johnston (USA) took ideas from ASPEC, integrated the filter bank from Layer 2, added some of their own ideas and created MP3, which was designed to achieve the same quality at 128 kbit/s as MP2 at 192 kbit/s.

All algorithms for MPEG-1 Audio Layer I, II and III were approved in 1991 and finalized in 1992 as part of MPEG-1, the first standard suite by MPEG, which resulted in the international standard ISO/IEC 11172-3 (a.k.a. ''MPEG-1 Audio'' or ''MPEG-1 Part 3''), published in 1993. Further work on MPEG audio was finalized in 1994 as part of the second suite of MPEG standards, MPEG-2, more formally known as international standard ISO/IEC 13818-3 (a.k.a. ''MPEG-2 Part 3'' or backwards compatible ''MPEG-2 Audio'' or ''MPEG-2 Audio BC''), originally published in 1995. MPEG-2 Part 3 (ISO/IEC 13818-3) defined additional bit rates and sample rates for MPEG-1 Audio Layer I, II and III. The new sampling rates are exactly half that of those originally defined for MPEG-1 Audio. MPEG-2 Part 3 also enhanced MPEG-1's audio by allowing the coding of audio programs with more than two channels, up to 5.1 multichannel. There is also ''MPEG-2.5'' audio, a proprietary unofficial extension developed by Fraunhofer IIS. It enables MP3 to work satisfactorily at very low bitrates and added lower sampling frequencies. MPEG-2.5 was not developed by MPEG and was never approved as an international standard.

+MPEG Audio Layer III versions
! Version	! International Standard	! First public release date (First edition)	! Latest public release date (edition)
MPEG-1 Audio Layer III	ISO/IEC 11172-3 (MPEG-1 Part 3)	1993
MPEG-2 Audio Layer III	ISO/IEC 13818-3 (MPEG-2 Part 3)	1995	1998
MPEG-2.5 Audio Layer III	nonstandard, proprietary

Note: The ISO standard ISO/IEC 11172-3 (a.k.a. MPEG-1 Audio) defined three formats: the MPEG-1 Audio Layer I, Layer II and Layer III. The ISO standard ISO/IEC 13818-3 (a.k.a. MPEG-2 Audio) defined extended version of the MPEG-1 Audio – MPEG-2 Audio Layer I, Layer II and Layer III. MPEG-2 Audio (MPEG-2 Part 3) should not be confused with MPEG-2 AAC (MPEG-2 Part 7 – ISO/IEC 13818-7).

Compression efficiency of encoders is typically defined by the bit rate, because compression ratio depends on the bit depth and sampling rate of the input signal. Nevertheless, compression ratios are often published. They may use the Compact Disc (CD) parameters as references (44.1 kHz, 2 channels at 16 bits per channel or 2×16 bit), or sometimes the Digital Audio Tape (DAT) SP parameters (48 kHz, 2×16 bit). Compression ratios with this latter reference are higher, which demonstrates the problem with use of the term ''compression ratio'' for lossy encoders.

Karlheinz Brandenburg used a CD recording of Suzanne Vega's song "Tom's Diner" to assess and refine the MP3 compression algorithm. This song was chosen because of its nearly monophonic nature and wide spectral content, making it easier to hear imperfections in the compression format during playbacks. Some jokingly refer to Suzanne Vega as "The mother of MP3". Some more critical audio excerpts (glockenspiel, triangle, accordion, etc.) were taken from the EBU V3/SQAM reference compact disc and have been used by professional sound engineers to assess the subjective quality of the MPEG Audio formats. This particular track has an interesting property in that the two channels are almost, but not completely, the same, leading to a case where Binaural Masking Level Depression causes spatial unmasking of noise artifacts unless the encoder properly recognizes the situation and applies corrections similar to those detailed in the MPEG-2 AAC psychoacoustic model.

Going public

A reference simulation software implementation, written in the C language and later known as ''ISO 11172-5'', was developed (in 1991–1996) by the members of the ISO MPEG Audio committee in order to produce bit compliant MPEG Audio files (Layer 1, Layer 2, Layer 3). It was approved as a committee draft of ISO/IEC technical report in March 1994 and printed as document CD 11172-5 in April 1994. It was approved as a draft technical report (DTR/DIS) in November 1994, finalized in 1996 and published as international standard ISO/IEC TR 11172-5:1998 in 1998. The reference software in C language was later published as a freely available ISO standard. Working in non-real time on a number of operating systems, it was able to demonstrate the first real time hardware decoding (DSP based) of compressed audio. Some other real time implementation of MPEG Audio encoders were available for the purpose of digital broadcasting (radio DAB, television DVB) towards consumer receivers and set top boxes.

On July 7, 1994, the Fraunhofer Society released the first software MP3 encoder called l3enc. The filename extension ''.mp3'' was chosen by the Fraunhofer team on July 14, 1995 (previously, the files had been named ''.bit''). With the first real-time software MP3 player Winplay3 (released September 9, 1995) many people were able to encode and play back MP3 files on their PCs. Because of the relatively small hard drives back in that time (~ 500–1000 MB) lossy compression was essential to store non-instrument based (see tracker and MIDI) music for playback on computer.

Internet

From the second half of 1994 through the late 1990s, MP3 files began to spread on the Internet. The popularity of MP3s began to rise rapidly with the advent of Nullsoft's audio player Winamp, released in 1997. In 1998, the first portable solid state digital audio player MPMan, developed by SaeHan Information Systems which is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, was released and the Rio PMP300 was sold afterwards, despite legal suppression efforts by the RIAA.

In November 1997, the website mp3.com was offering thousands of MP3s created by independent artists for free. The small size of MP3 files enabled widespread peer-to-peer file sharing of music ripped from CDs, which would have previously been nearly impossible. The first large peer-to-peer filesharing network, Napster, was launched in 1999.

The ease of creating and sharing MP3s resulted in widespread copyright infringement. Major record companies argue that this free sharing of music reduces sales, and call it "music piracy". They reacted by pursuing lawsuits against Napster (which was eventually shut down and later sold) and against individual users who engaged in file sharing.

Despite the popularity of the MP3 format, online music retailers often use other proprietary formats that are encrypted or obfuscated in order to make it difficult to use purchased music files in ways not specifically authorized by the record companies. Attempting to control the use of files in this way is known as Digital Rights Management. Record companies argue that this is necessary to prevent the files from being made available on peer-to-peer file sharing networks. This has other side effects, though, such as preventing users from playing back their purchased music on different types of devices. However, the audio content of these files can usually be converted into an unencrypted format. For instance, users are often allowed to burn files to audio CD, which requires conversion to an unencrypted audio format.

Unauthorized MP3 file sharing continues on next-generation peer-to-peer networks. Some authorized services, such as Beatport, Bleep, Juno Records, eMusic, Zune Marketplace, Walmart.com, Rhapsody, the legal incarnation of Napster, and Amazon.com sell unrestricted music in the MP3 format.

Encoding audio

The MPEG-1 standard does not include a precise specification for an MP3 encoder, but does provide example psychoacoustic models, rate loop, and the like in the non-normative part of the original standard. At present, these suggested implementations are quite dated. Implementers of the standard were supposed to devise their own algorithms suitable for removing parts of the information from the audio input. As a result, there are many different MP3 encoders available, each producing files of differing quality. Comparisons are widely available, so it is easy for a prospective user of an encoder to research the best choice. It must be kept in mind that an encoder that is proficient at encoding at higher bit rates (such as LAME) is not necessarily as good at lower bit rates.

During encoding, 576 time-domain samples are taken and are transformed to 576 frequency-domain samples. If there is a transient, 192 samples are taken instead of 576. This is done to limit the temporal spread of quantization noise accompanying the transient. (See psychoacoustics.)

Decoding audio

Decoding, on the other hand, is carefully defined in the standard. Most decoders are "bitstream compliant", which means that the decompressed output – that they produce from a given MP3 file – will be the same, within a specified degree of rounding tolerance, as the output specified mathematically in the ISO/IEC high standard document (ISO/IEC 11172-3). Therefore, comparison of decoders is usually based on how computationally efficient they are (i.e., how much memory or CPU time they use in the decoding process).

Audio quality

When performing lossy audio encoding, such as creating an MP3 file, there is a trade-off between the amount of space used and the sound quality of the result. Typically, the creator is allowed to set a bit rate, which specifies how many kilobits the file may use per second of audio. The higher the bit rate, the larger the compressed file will be, and, generally, the closer it will sound to the original file.

With too low a bit rate, compression artifacts (i.e. sounds that were not present in the original recording) may be audible in the reproduction. Some audio is hard to compress because of its randomness and sharp attacks. When this type of audio is compressed, artifacts such as ringing or pre-echo are usually heard. A sample of applause compressed with a relatively low bit rate provides a good example of compression artifacts.

Besides the bit rate of an encoded piece of audio, the quality of MP3 files also depends on the quality of the encoder itself, and the difficulty of the signal being encoded. As the MP3 standard allows quite a bit of freedom with encoding algorithms, different encoders may feature quite different quality, even with identical bit rates. As an example, in a public listening test featuring two different MP3 encoders at about 128 kbit/s, one scored 3.66 on a 1–5 scale, while the other scored only 2.22.

Quality is dependent on the choice of encoder and encoding parameters.

The simplest type of MP3 file uses one bit rate for the entire file — this is known as Constant Bit Rate (CBR) encoding. Using a constant bit rate makes encoding simpler and faster. However, it is also possible to create files where the bit rate changes throughout the file. These are known as Variable Bit Rate (VBR) files. The idea behind this is that, in any piece of audio, some parts will be much easier to compress, such as silence or music containing only a few instruments, while others will be more difficult to compress. So, the overall quality of the file may be increased by using a lower bit rate for the less complex passages and a higher one for the more complex parts. With some encoders, it is possible to specify a given quality, and the encoder will vary the bit rate accordingly. Users who know a particular "quality setting" that is transparent to their ears can use this value when encoding all of their music, and not need to worry about performing personal listening tests on each piece of music to determine the correct bit rate.

Perceived quality can be influenced by listening environment (ambient noise), listener attention, and listener training and in most cases by listener audio equipment (such as sound cards, speakers and headphones).

A test given to new students by Stanford University Music Professor Jonathan Berger showed that student preference for MP3 quality music has risen each year. Berger said the students seem to prefer the 'sizzle' sounds that MP3s bring to music.

Bit rate

Several bit rates are specified in the MPEG-1 Audio Layer III standard: 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, 80, 96, 112, 128, 160, 192, 224, 256 and 320 kbit/s, and the available sampling frequencies are 32, 44.1 and 48 kHz. Additional extensions were defined in MPEG-2 Audio Layer III: bit rates 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, 80, 96, 112, 128, 144, 160 kbit/s and sampling frequencies 16, 22.05 and 24 kHz.

A sample rate of 44.1 kHz is almost always used, because this is also used for CD audio, the main source used for creating MP3 files. A greater variety of bit rates are used on the Internet. The rate of 128 kbit/s is commonly used, at a compression ratio of 11:1, offering adequate audio quality in a relatively small space. As Internet bandwidth availability and hard drive sizes have increased, higher bit rates up to 320 kbit/s are widespread.

Uncompressed audio as stored on an audio-CD has a bit rate of 1,411.2 kbit/s, so the bitrates 128, 160 and 192 kbit/s represent compression ratios of approximately 11:1, 9:1 and 7:1 respectively.

Non-standard bit rates up to 640 kbit/s can be achieved with the LAME encoder and the freeformat option, although few MP3 players can play those files. According to the ISO standard, decoders are only required to be able to decode streams up to 320 kbit/s.

+MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 Audio Layer IIIavailable bit rates (kbit/s)
! MPEG-1 Audio Layer III	! MPEG-2 Audio Layer III	! nonstandard proprietaryMPEG-2.5 Audio Layer III
-	8	8
-	16	16
-	24	24
32	32	32
40	40	40
48	48	48
56	56	56
64	64	64
80	80	80
96	96	96
112	112	112
128	128	128
-	144	144
160	160	160
192	-	-
224	-	-
256	-	-
320	-	-

+MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 Audio Layer IIIavailable sampling rates (Hz)
! MPEG-1 Audio Layer III	! MPEG-2 Audio Layer III	! nonstandard proprietaryMPEG-2.5 Audio Layer III
-	-	8000 Hz
-	-	11025 Hz
-	-	12000 Hz
-	16000 Hz	-
-	22050 Hz	-
-	24000 Hz	-
32000 Hz	-	-
44100 Hz	-	-
48000 Hz	-	-

VBR

MPEG audio may use variable bitrate (VBR), accomplished via bitrate switching on a per-frame basis, but only layer III decoders must support it. VBR is used when the goal is to achieve a fixed level of quality. The final file size of a VBR encoding is less predictable than with constant bitrate. Average bitrate is VBR implemented as a compromise between the two – the bitrate is allowed to vary for more consistent quality, but is controlled to remain near an average value chosen by the user, for predictable file sizes. Although an MP3 decoder must support VBR to be standards compliant, historically some decoders have bugs with VBR decoding, particularly before VBR encoders became widespread.

Layer III audio can also use a "bit reservoir", a partially full frame's ability to hold part of the next frame's audio data, allowing temporary changes in effective bitrate, even in a constant bitrate stream.

File structure

An MP3 file is made up of multiple MP3 frames, which consist of a header and a data block. This sequence of frames is called an elementary stream. Frames are not independent items ("byte reservoir") and therefore cannot be extracted on arbitrary frame boundaries. The MP3 Data blocks contain the (compressed) audio information in terms of frequencies and amplitudes. The diagram shows that the MP3 Header consists of a sync word, which is used to identify the beginning of a valid frame. This is followed by a bit indicating that this is the MPEG standard and two bits that indicate that layer 3 is used; hence MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 or MP3. After this, the values will differ, depending on the MP3 file. ''ISO/IEC 11172-3'' defines the range of values for each section of the header along with the specification of the header. Most MP3 files today contain ID3 metadata, which precedes or follows the MP3 frames; as noted in the diagram.

Design limitations

There are several limitations inherent to the MP3 format that cannot be overcome by any MP3 encoder. Newer audio compression formats such as Vorbis, WMA Pro and AAC are generally void of a number of these limitations. In technical terms, some limitations include: Time resolution can be too low for highly transient signals and may cause smearing of percussive sounds. Due to the tree structure of the filter bank, pre-echo problems are made worse, as the combined impulse response of the two filter banks does not, and cannot, provide an optimum solution in time/frequency resolution. The combining of the two filter banks' outputs creates aliasing problems that must be handled partially by the "aliasing compensation" stage; however, that creates excess energy to be coded in the frequency domain, thereby decreasing coding efficiency. Frequency resolution is limited by the small long block window size, which decreases coding efficiency. There is no scale factor band for frequencies above 15.5/15.8 kHz. Joint stereo is done only on a frame-to-frame basis. Internal handling of the bit reservoir increases encoding delay.

Encoder/decoder overall delay is not defined, which means there is no official provision for gapless playback. However, some encoders such as LAME can attach additional metadata that will allow players that can handle it to deliver seamless playback.

The data stream can contain an optional checksum, but the checksum ''only'' protects the header data, not the audio data.

ID3 and other tags

:''Main articles: ID3 and APEv2 tag''

A "tag" in an audio file is a section of the file that contains metadata such as the title, artist, album, track number or other information about the file's contents. The MP3 standards do not define tag formats for MP3 files, nor is there a standard container format that would support metadata and obviate the need for tags.

However, several ''de facto'' standards for tag formats exist. As of 2010, the most widespread are ID3v1 and ID3v2, and the more recently introduced APEv2. These tags are normally embedded at the beginning or end of MP3 files, separate from the actual MP3 frame data. MP3 decoders normally either read info from the tags, or just treat them as ignorable, non-MP3 junk data.

Playing & editing software often contains tag editing functionality, but there are also tag editor applications dedicated to the purpose.

Aside from metadata pertaining to the audio content, tags may also be used for DRM.

Volume normalization

Since volume levels of different audio sources can vary greatly, due to the loudness war and other factors, it is sometimes desirable to adjust the playback volume of audio files such that a consistent average loudness is perceived. This normalization, while similar in purpose, is distinct from dynamic range compression.

ReplayGain is one standard for measuring and storing the loudness of an MP3 file in its metadata tag, enabling a ReplayGain-compliant player to automatically adjust the overall playback volume for each file. MP3Gain may be used to reversibly modify files based on ReplayGain measurements so that adjusted playback can be a achieved on players without ReplayGain capability.

==Licensing and patent issues == Many organizations have claimed ownership of patents related to MP3 decoding or encoding. These claims have led to a number of legal threats and actions from a variety of sources, resulting in uncertainty about which patents must be licensed in order to create MP3 products without committing patent infringement in countries that allow software patents.

The various MP3-related patents expire on dates ranging from 2007 to 2017 in the U.S. The initial near-complete MPEG-1 standard (parts 1, 2 and 3) was publicly available on December 6, 1991 as ISO CD 11172. In the United States, patents cannot claim inventions that were already publicly disclosed more than a year prior to the filing date, but for patents filed prior to June 8, 1995, submarine patents made it possible to extend the effective lifetime of a patent through application extensions. Patents filed for anything disclosed in ISO CD 11172 a year or more after its publication are questionable; if only the known MP3 patents filed by December 1992 are considered, then MP3 decoding may be patent free in the US by September of 2015 when US 5812672 expires which had a PCT filing in Oct 1992.

Technicolor (formerly called Thomson Consumer Electronics) claims to control MP3 licensing of the Layer 3 patents in many countries, including the United States, Japan, Canada and EU countries. Technicolor has been actively enforcing these patents.

MP3 license revenues generated about €100 million for the Fraunhofer Society in 2005.

In September 1998, the Fraunhofer Institute sent a letter to several developers of MP3 software stating that a license was required to "distribute and/or sell decoders and/or encoders". The letter claimed that unlicensed products "infringe the patent rights of Fraunhofer and Thomson. To make, sell and/or distribute products using the [MPEG Layer-3] standard and thus our patents, you need to obtain a license under these patents from us."

However, there exist both free and/or proprietary alternatives, with free formats such as Vorbis, FLAC, and others. Microsoft's usage of its own proprietary Windows Media format allows it to avoid licensing issues associated with these patents by avoiding usage of the MP3 format entirely. Until the key patents expire, unlicensed encoders and players could be infringing in countries where the patents are valid.

In spite of the patent restrictions, the perpetuation of the MP3 format continues. The reasons for this appear to be the network effects caused by:

familiarity with the format

the large quantity of music now available in the MP3 format

the wide variety of existing software and hardware that takes advantage of the file format and does not support the alternatives

the lack of DRM restrictions, which makes MP3 files easy to edit, copy and play in different portable digital players (Samsung, Apple, Creative, etc.)

the majority of home users not knowing or not caring about the patents' existence and often not considering such legal issues when choosing their music format for personal use

Additionally, patent holders declined to enforce license fees on free and open source decoders, which allows many free MP3 decoders to develop.

Sisvel S.p.A. and its U.S. subsidiary Audio MPEG, Inc. previously sued Thomson for patent infringement on MP3 technology, but those disputes were resolved in November 2005 with Sisvel granting Thomson a license to their patents. Motorola also recently signed with Audio MPEG to license MP3-related patents.

In September 2006, German officials seized MP3 players from SanDisk's booth at the IFA show in Berlin after an Italian patents firm won an injunction on behalf of Sisvel against SanDisk in a dispute over licensing rights. The injunction was later reversed by a Berlin judge, but that reversal was in turn blocked the same day by another judge from the same court, "bringing the Patent Wild West to Germany" in the words of one commentator.

In February 2007, Texas MP3 Technologies sued Apple, Samsung Electronics and Sandisk in eastern Texas federal court, claiming infringement of a portable MP3 player patent that Texas MP3 said it had been assigned. Apple and Sandisk both settled the claims against them in January 2009. Samsung settled as well.

Alcatel-Lucent has asserted several MP3 coding and compression patents, allegedly inherited from AT&T-Bell; Labs, in litigation of its own. In November 2006 (prior to the companies' merger), Alcatel sued Microsoft for allegedly infringing seven patents. On February 23, 2007, a San Diego jury awarded Alcatel-Lucent US $1.52 billion in damages for infringement of two of them. The court subsequently tossed the award, however, finding that one patent had not been infringed and that the other was not even owned by Alcatel-Lucent; it was co-owned by AT&T; and Fraunhofer, who had licensed it to Microsoft, the judge ruled. That defense judgment was upheld on appeal in 2008. See Alcatel-Lucent v. Microsoft for more information.

Alternative technologies

Many other lossy and lossless audio codecs exist. Among these, mp3PRO, AAC, and MP2 are all members of the same technological family as MP3 and depend on roughly similar psychoacoustic models. The Fraunhofer Gesellschaft owns many of the basic patents underlying these codecs as well, with others held by Dolby Labs, Sony, Thomson Consumer Electronics, and AT&T;. In addition, there is also the open source file format Vorbis that has been available free of charge and without any known patent restrictions.

See also

Audio compression (data)

Comparison of audio codecs

Copyright infringement

Digital audio player

DJ digital controller

Podcast

LRC (file format)

Media player

MP3 blog

MP3 Surround

MP3HD

Streaming media

MPEG

Notes

References

External links

MP3-history.com, The Story of MP3 — How MP3 was invented, by Fraunhofer IIS

MPEG.chiariglione.org, MPEG Official Web site

Wiki.HydrogenAudio.org, MP3

RFC 3119, A More Loss-Tolerant RTP Payload Format for MP3 Audio

RFC 3003, The audio/mpeg Media Type

Category:Articles with inconsistent citation formats Category:1993 introductions Category:Audio codecs Category:Digital audio Category:German inventions Category:MPEG Category:Open formats closed by software patents Category:Technicolor SA

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Coordinates	40°26′30″N80°00′00″N
Name	Lil Jon|background solo_singer
Birth name	Jonathan Mortimer Smith
Born	January 27, 1971Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Instrument	Keyboards, synthesizers, drum machine, sampler
Genre	Hip hop, crunk
Occupation	Rapper, hype man, music producer, DJ
Years active	1995–present
Notable instruments	Roland TR-808
Label	BME Recordings Universal Republic RecordsTVT Records (2001–2008)
Associated acts	The Eastside Boyz, Ying Yang Twins, Pitbull, The Mr. Move }}

Jonathan Mortimer Smith (born January 27 1971), better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, music producer, entrepreneur, and occasional disc jockey who was a member of the group Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz. Lil Jon formed the group in 1997, and the group released several albums between then and 2004. He then went on solo and released a new album in 2010 called ''Crunk Rock''.

Early life

Lil' Jon was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. He lived in Bridgeport, Connecticut, for a short time and many of his earliest influences stem from his time there. He graduated from Douglass High School.

Career

Early career

After working as a DJ for Atlanta night clubs, he started working for So So Def Recordings between 1993 and 2000. The group signed to the Atlanta-based Mirror Image Records and were distributed by Ichiban Records. In 1997, Lil' Jon & the East Side Boyz debuted with ''Get Crunk, Who U Wit: Da Album''. It included singles "Who U Wit?" and "Shawty Freak a Lil' Sumthin'", the latter of which came out in 1998. Both singles charted on the ''Billboard'' Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart at #70 and #62 respectively. In 2000 Jon took part in starting up his own label BME Recordings and signed a distribution agreement with Norcross, Georgia based Southern Music Distribution. There he released his break through album titled ''We Still Crunk''. Among the tracks on that project was the hit single "I Like Dem Girlz", which reached #55 on the R&B; chart and #3 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart.

After hearing feedback that Lil' Jon was "the new guy" from street team people in the markets where he was attracting his biggest audiences - namely Atlanta, St. Louis, Memphis and Dallas - A&R; at TVT, Bryan Leach, went to one of his Atlanta shows and was blown away by the immense energy of the experience. Leach told HitQuarters: "It was like early Beastie Boys, when they had the energy of a rock group but they were rapping, and ... that energy is what crunk music is all about." Lil' Jon & The East Side Boyz signed to TVT Records in 2001 and debuted there with ''Put Yo Hood Up'', which combined previously released tracks with new ones. The group's first nationally played single was "Bia' Bia'", which featured rappers Ludacris, Too Short, Big Kapp, and Chyna Whyte. "Bia' Bia'" peaked at #97 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and #47 on the ''Billboard'' R&B; chart.

In 2002, the group released ''Kings of Crunk''. "I Don't Give A..." was its first single; it featured Mystikal and Krayzie Bone and peaked at #50 on the R&B; chart. The group's next single, a collaboration with fellow Atlanta hip hop group Ying Yang Twins titled "Get Low", became popular in nightclubs nationwide and reached the top ten of the Hot 100.''Crunk Juice'' followed in 2004, led by "What U Gon' Do" featuring Lil' Scrappy. "What U Gon' Do" peaked at #22 on the Hot 100, #13 on the R&B; chart, and #5 on the rap chart; its follow-up, "Lovers & Friends" featuring Usher and Ludacris, peaked at #3 (Hot 100), #2 (R&B;), and #1 (rap).

Solo career and production

In addition to leading Lil' Jon & The East Side Boyz, Lil' Jon has also produced many hit urban singles. From 2003 to 2005, while still with The East Side Boyz, Lil' Jon produced hits like "Salt Shaker" by Ying Yang Twins, "Yeah!" by Usher, "Freek-a-Leek" by Petey Pablo, "Shorty Wanna Ride" by Young Buck, "Shake That Monkey" by Too Short, "Let's Go" by Trick Daddy, and "Girlfight" by Brooke Valentine. Lil' Jon entered the San Francisco Bay Area hyphy music scene in 2006 with his collaborations with Bay Area rapper E-40: Lil' Jon produced E-40's single "Tell Me When To Go" and had E-40 and Atlanta rapper Sean P on his own "Snap Yo Fingers". In 2006, Lil' Jon severed his negotiation with record label TVT. He vowed never to record for TVT Records again, alleging that TVT owner Steve Gottlieb was shortchanging him. He also began recording a rock music album, ''Crunk Rock''; in May 2006 he began recording in Las Vegas, Nevada because rock band The Killers was recording its upcoming album ''Sam's Town'' there and the East Side Boyz signed a new deal with Rick Robinson aka Double R CEO and Founder of IMG Recordings, which the album got pushed back to 2010.

MTV News reported in March 2008 that ''Crunk Rock'' was taking more time to complete than Lil' Jon already planned. As part of TVT Records' 2008 bankruptcy auction, Lil' Jon withdrew his multi-million dollar objection to the TVT sale proceedings and agreed to TVT’s transfer of his artist agreement to The Orchard. In return, The Orchard released Lil' Jon from all future obligations and returned the rights to the master recordings of ''Crunk Rock''. Crunk Rock was finally released on June 8, 2010 and it features artists such as LMFAO, Soulja Boy, Ying Yang Twins, Waka Flocka Flame, R.Kelly, and many more. In March 2011, Lil Jon took part in the fourth season of ''The Celebrity Apprentice'' on NBC and was eliminated in the Final Four. In July 2011, in a recent interview has said that he is working on a new studio album and has released a song with LMFAO called "Drink".

Musical style

Jason Birchmeier of allmusic has described Lil' Jon's production as "bass-heavy" and his album ''Put Yo Hood Up'' as having "a long and varied list of guest rappers to accompany the beats". With the guest performers featured on that album much more than the East Side Boyz, Birchmeier remarked: "The end result is an album that resembles a street-level mixtape rather than a traditional artist-oriented album". Alex Henderson, also of allmusic, contrasted Lil' Jon's style of "rowdy, in-your-face, profanity-filled party music" with other Southern rappers', those who "have a gansta/thug life agenda" and those who convey "serious sociopolitical messages". Lil' Jon has also found influence in rock music, having worked with Rick Rubin and Korn. For Trick Daddy's "Let's Go", Lil' Jon sampled the bass line from Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train".

Personal life

In 2004, Lil Jon was married in Puerto Rico. He also has a son named Slade Smith (born in 1998).

Discography

;Solo

''Crunk Rock'' (2010)

''Party Animal'' (2011)

;With the East Side Boyz

''Get Crunk, Who U Wit: Da Album'' (1997)

''We Still Crunk!!'' (2000)

''Put Yo Hood Up'' (2001)

''Kings of Crunk'' (2002)

''Crunk Juice'' (2004)

Video games

:Tony Hawk's American Wasteland

25 To Life (cameo appearance)

Def Jam: Icon

Need for Speed: Underground "Get Low (song)" song is featured in this game

Def Jam: Icon "Get Low (song)" song in this Game

Filmography

2004: ''Soul Plane''

2005: ''Boss'n Up''

2005: ''Hip-Hop Honeys: Las Vegas''

2006: ''Date Movie''

2006: ''Scary Movie 4''

2007: ''Class of 3000''

2008: ''Smoke and Mirrors''

2009: ''Pimp My Ride International''

2010: ''Freaknik: The Musical'' (voice only)

2011: ''The Celebrity Apprentice 4''

Television Shows

Chappelle Show (2004)

See also

List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards

References

External links

Official website

Category:1971 births Category:Living people Category:African American rappers Category:American dance musicians Category:American hip hop record producers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Hip hop DJs Category:Crunk Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:Rappers from Atlanta, Georgia Category:The Apprentice (U.S. TV series) contestants Category:TVT Records artists Category:Universal Records artists

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Coordinates	40°26′30″N80°00′00″N
name	Heather Headley
background	solo_singer
born	October 05, 1974Barataria, Trinidad and Tobago
genre	R&B;, soul, inspirational, gospel
occupation	Singer, songwriter, record producer, actress
years active	1997–present
label	RCA, EMI Gospel
website	www.heatherheadley.com }}

Heather Headley (born October 5, 1974) is a Trinidadian-American R&B; and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. She has won one Tony Award and one Grammy Award.

Personal life

Headley was born in Barataria, Trinidad and Tobago, the daughter of Hannah and Eric Headley. At age four, Headley began playing the music of her native Trinidad, including calypso, reggae, and soca. In 1989 she moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana in the United States at the age of fifteen with her mother and brother Junior, when her father was offered a job as pastor of McKee Street Church of God(Anderson,IN).

Headley attended Northrop High School, and was a member of their resident show choir, Charisma, and starred as Fanny Brice in the school's production of Funny Girl. After graduating from Northrop High School, Headley attended Northwestern University to study communications and musical theatre until the last day of her junior year, when she made the difficult decision to become a part of the musical ''Ragtime'' and drop out of school.

In 2003 Headley married Brian Musso, formerly of the New York Jets. Both attended Northwestern University. On December 1, 2009, they welcomed their first child John David.

Career

In 1997, she originated the role of Nala in ''The Lion King'', the Broadway musical. Headley's performance was well-received and she then originated the title role in the Broadway adaptation of ''Aida'', earning the Tony Award for Best Actress in 2000. In 1999, she appeared in the Encores! production of ''Do Re Mi'', with Nathan Lane, Randy Graff, and Brian Stokes Mitchell. She also starred in a concert version of the musical ''Dreamgirls'' alongside Audra McDonald and Lillias White.

In the autumn of 2006, Heather performed Hal David and Burt Bacharach's song "I'll Never Fall In Love Again", from the 1968 musical ''Promises, Promises'' for "The Kennedy Center Presents: The 2006 Mark Twain Prize," honoring playwright Neil Simon. The ceremony was later broadcast on PBS.

On 5 July 2007 Headley made a guest appearance for Andrea Bocelli's Vivere Live in Tuscany concert in Lajatico, Italy. They performed Vivo Per Lei and The Prayer. Headley sang "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" (also known as "America") with Josh Groban on January 18, 2009 during the We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial. On March 12, 2009, Headley sang, "I Wish" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Music

Headley released her debut album, ''This Is Who I Am'', in October 2002 on RCA Records. Although its first single, "He Is", was not very successful, the second single, "I Wish I Wasn't", achieved moderate success. The work on this album earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance and for Best New Artist.

Her second album, ''In My Mind'', was delayed due to the various executive shake-ups associated with RCA parent BMG's merger with Sony.

Under BMG North America chairman/CEO Clive Davis for the first time, Headley released her second album ''In My Mind'' in January 2006. The title track "In My Mind" ( produced by India.Arie collaborator Shannon Sanders ) was released as the first single; and its music video was directed by Diane Martel. The song reached number-one on the U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. The second single "Me Time" was released to Urban AC outlets only. An album track, "Am I Worth It", served to promote Headley's New March of Dimes Educational Campaign "I Want My 9 Months".

In 2009, Headley, along with Al Green, released a version of the song People Get Ready on the compilation album Oh Happy Day: An All-Star Music Celebration.

On the January 31, 2010, Heather won her first Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B; Gospel Album for ''Audience of One'' on the EMI Gospel label.

In December 2010, Headley performed a duet version of "Blue Christmas" and "My Prayer" with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli on Bocelli's "My Christmas" tour in six cities. Of special note: at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ on December 4, 2010, the audience insisted on a rare second encore with Bocelli, as they were captivated with her as much as Bocelli. Bocelli had to summon the detail to go back and get her to come back on stage. This is noted because Bocelli has other performers with whom he travels, but rarely do they get the ovation on the level of Bocelli, but this crowd clearly and loudly ovated their praise of Headley's stunning performance.

Discography

Albums

Year	Album	!align="center" valign="top" width="40"	!align="center" valign="top" width="40"
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Singles

Year	Song	!align="center" valign="top" width="40"	!align="center" valign="top" width="40"	!align="center" valign="top" width="40"	!align="center" valign="top" width="40"	!align="center" valign="top" width="40"	!align="center" valign="top" width="40"	Album
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Other

! Name of the Song	! Year	! Album
Can You Feel the Love Tonight	1997	''The Lion King on Broadway Cast Recording''
Shadowland	1997	''The Lion King on Broadway Cast Recording''
The Madness of King Scar	1997	''The Lion King on Broadway Cast Recording''
Love Will Find a Way	1998	''Return to Pride Rock''
Just One Dream	2001	''Golden Dreams'' (film at Disney's California Adventure park)
	2009

Awards

Acting

!Year	!Award	!Role	!Result
2000	Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical		Won
2000	Sarah Siddons Award	Work in Chicago theatre	Won

Music

!Year	!Award	!Recording	!Result
2004		"I Wish I Wasn't"	Nominated
2004		"I Wish I Wasn't"	Nominated
2010		"Jesus Is Love"	Nominated
2010	Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B; Gospel Album	"Audience Of One"	Won
2003	Billboard Music Award for R&B;/Hip-Hop New Artist of the Year	N/A	Nominated
2003	NAACP Image Award for Outstanding New Artist	N/A	Nominated
2003	NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Female Artist	N/A	Nominated
2002	Soul Train Award for Best R&B;/Soul or Rap New Artist	"He Is"	Nominated
2003		"This Is Who I Am"	Won
2003		"He Is"	Won
2003		"He Is"	Nominated
2006		N/A	Nominated

References

External links

Official website

Category:1974 births Category:Female singers Category:Living people Category:Neo soul singers Category:Northwestern University alumni Category:People from Fort Wayne, Indiana Category:Rhythm and blues singer-songwriters Category:Soul singers Category:Tony Award winners Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Trinidad and Tobago film actors Category:Trinidad and Tobago musicians Category:Trinidad and Tobago people of Black African descent Category:Trinidad and Tobago record producers Category:Trinidad and Tobago stage actors Category:American film actors Category:American musicians Category:American female singers Category:American people of Trinidad and Tobago descent Category:American record producers Category:American stage actors

de:Heather Headley es:Heather Headley fr:Heather Headley no:Heather Headley pl:Heather Headley

Coordinates	40°26′30″N80°00′00″N
name	Crystal Kay
background	solo_singer
birth name	Crystal Kay Williams
alias	Kuri(-chan), CK
born	February 26, 1986Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
origin	American and Korean
instrument	Vocals
genre	Pop, R&B;, rock, urban, dance
occupation	Singer-songwriter, actress, radio host
years active	1999–present
label	Epic Records
associated acts	M-Flo, Verbal, BoA, Chemistry, Kaname, Shinichi Osawa, Hiroshi Fujiwara, Jin Akanishi
website	}}

Crystal Kay Williams (born February 26, 1986), known by her stage name Crystal Kay, is a singer and songwriter from Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. She debuted aged 13 and is a pioneer for interracial artists in Japan.

After releasing her debut single "Eternal Memories" (1999) Kay gained fame for her third studio album, ''Almost Seventeen'' (2002), which debuted at number 2 on the Japanese Oricon charts. ''Almost Seventeen'' eventually sold over 400,000 copies and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan. Kay is currently signed to Epic Records, a sub-label of Sony Music Japan.

As of July 2009, Kay has released ten albums. Her seventh studio album, ''All Yours'' (2007) became Kay's first number-one release in her career when it debuted on top of the Oricon chart in June 2007. Kay has sold over two million records in Japan as of 2009. Throughout her career, Kay has collaborated with M-Flo and BoA, Chemistry as well as other well-known recording artists.

Early life and beginnings

Kay was born and raised in Yokohama in the Kanagawa Prefecture to an African American father and a South Korean mother. Her father was a bassist from New Jersey and a sailor in the United States Navy stationed in Yokosuka, Japan. Her mother was a professional singer with one album while her father played music as a hobby. As a child, Kay met artists such as Diana Ross and Bobby Brown through her parents taking her to shows.

Kay previously attended Kinnick High School and Sophia University.

Although her mother is Korean, Crystal does not speak Korean. Kay is fluent in Japanese and English, the latter influencing and making a regular appearance in her songs. She has also studied French. Kay has cited Janet Jackson and Michael Jackson as her biggest influences. In Japan she cites the acts of producer Tetsuya Komuro as her J-Pop influences, particularly SPEED and Namie Amuro.

Recording career

1999–2001: Debut and subsequent image change

Kay began singing for TV commercials as child from the age of 4. At the age of twelve, Kay signed to the label Epic Records in Japan when a jingle she recorded for TV CM for Vitamin water garnered attention. One year later the jingle was expanded into her debut single "Eternal Memories", on July 1, 1999. Despite peaking at number 47, "Eternal Memories" has since become Kay's eighth best-selling single. 1999 saw the release of two more singles, "Teenage Universe~Chewing Gum Baby" on September 8 and "Komichi no Hana" on November 3, the former peaking at number 47 and the latter at number 80.

Kay's debut studio album, ''C.L.L Crystal Lover Light'' was released on March 23, 2000. This album is noted by fans to have a more indie and acoustic feel as opposed to her later albums which mainly come under the genres of pop and R&B;. Kay was only 14 years old when this album was released.

''C.L.L Crystal Lover Light'' debuted at number 60 on the Oricon charts. A fourth single was released on the same day as ''C.L.L Crystal Lover Light'', "Shadows of Desire". Because of its release date it became Kay's first single to fail to chart. "Shadows of Desire" was Kay's first A-side to be sung entirely in English.

After a year-long period of inactivity, Kay returned to the music scene with the single "Lost Child". The single, which was a collaboration with Shinichi Osawa and Hiroshi Fujiwara was released on February 15, 2001 and reached number 55 on its debut week. Despite Kay only being credited as a featured artist on the song, it was still featured on her next album, ''637: Always and Forever''. Her fifth single "Girl's Night" came three months later on May 9, 2001. The single saw the introduction of urban influences in Kay's music. Despite this new style, the single peaked at number 100. One of the b-sides, "Make Me Whole" was a cover of the Amel Larrieux song of the same name. Kay's next single, "Ex-Boyfriend", was released on July 4, 2001. It featured rapper Verbal of M-Flo. The single was a success for Kay, peaking at number 44, and became her best selling single at the time of its release. Kay released her sophomore effort on August 22, 2001, ''637: Always and Forever''. The album became Kay's first album to reach the top twenty of the Oricon chart when it debuted at number 19, and sold 15,640 copies in its first week. Kay finished off 2001 with her seventh single, "Think of U", released on November 28, 2001. The single was Christmas-themed. It debuted and peaked at number 60.

2002–2006: Rise in popularity

Nine months after her last single, Kay released her eighth single, "Hard to Say", on August 7, 2002 and sold over double than her previous best selling single, "Ex-Boyfriend". It became her first top thirty single when it debuted peaked at number 26 on the Oricon chart. The single was followed by the release of Kay's next single "Girl U Love" and her third studio album ''Almost Seventeen'', on October 23, 2002. ''Almost Seventeen'' became Kay's breakthrough album, exceeding expectations and debuting at number 2 on the charts behind Mai Kuraki, selling 51,360 in its first week. The album spent a year on the charts, quickly being certified platinum by RIAJ. Three months later Kay released "Boyfriend: Part II" on January 22, 2003. It peaked at number 23. Her next single came five months later, and was another collaboration with M-Flo. The single, called "I Like It", was released as "Crystal Kay loves m-flo" and was notably the first in a long-running hit series for m-flo. It was also Kay's first top ten hit.

"I Like It" peaked at number 8, becoming Kay's first top ten hit and eventually sold around 50,000 copies. Another single, "Candy" was released a month before her fourth studio album, ''4 Real'', on October 22, 2003. "Candy" debuted inside the top thirty of the Oricon charts at number 21, her fourth single in-a-row to do so. ''4 Real'' was released on November 27, 2003 along with Kay's thirteenth single, "Can't be Stopped". ''4 Real'' debuted at number 6 on the charts behind household names in Japan such as Aiko, Do As Infinity and Mika Nakashima and sold 86,310 copies in its first week.

Kay's debut English-language album, ''Natural: World Premiere Album'', was released about a month after ''4 Real'' on December 17, 2003. The album consists of English versions of some of Kay's tracks from previous albums and covers of a few popular songs, by artists such as Gladys Knight, Cyndi Lauper and Judy Garland. Despite its title, ''Natural: World Premiere Album'' was never released outside Japan. It is currently Kay's lowest selling album.

On May 12, 2004 released her fourteenth single, "Motherland", the first of two that year. "Motherland" was used as the third ending theme for the anime adaption of ''Fullmetal Alchemist''. It was the ending theme from episodes 26 to 41. The single debuted at number 9 on the Oricon chart, her second single to debut in the top ten. Just under two months after "Motherland", Kay released her first compilation album, ''CK5'', which was released on June 30, 2004, featuring a selection of tracks from Kay's four previous studio albums, as well as her latest single, "Motherland". The album celebrates Kay's fifth anniversary since the release of her debut single "Eternal Memories" in 1999, hence the title. ''CK5'' peaked at number 2 on the weekly chart and charted for 49 weeks, eventually being certified platinum by RIAJ. Another single, "Bye My Darling!" was released on November 17, and peaked at number 40 on the Oricon chart. It was Kay's final release of 2004.

The single "Kiss" started off 2005 for Kay. It was released on January 26, 2005 and peaked at number 10 on the Oricon chart. The single had longevity at eventually became her second best-selling single. "Kiss" was the CM song for NTT DoCoMo "Music Porter". "Kiss" was written by the same songwriter of the ballad "Yuki no Hana" by Mika Nakashima. Kay's fifth studio album, "Crystal Style" followed two months later on March 2, 2005. The album debuted at number 2 and sold 296,756 copies. The album became the 44th best-selling album of 2005 in Japan.

Kay released her seventeenth single, "Koi ni Ochitara", on May 18, 2005, which was used as the theme song for the drama ''Koi ni Ochitara: Boku no Seikō no Himitsu''. The single is currently the best-selling single of her career, selling 295,456 copies to date and Kay has stated that it changed the focus of her career away from R&B; and towards J-Pop. In its first week it sold 73,717 copies, in its second week it dropped to number 4 and sold 51,546 copies, and in the third week it fell one place to number 5, selling a further 38,302 copies. Kay's next single was a collaboration with the R&B; duo Chemistry called "Two as One". The single was released on October 5, 2005 and peaked at number 2 on the Oricon charts, much like "Koi ni Ochitara" earlier that year. "Two as One" was released as "Crystal Kay × Chemistry".

On February 8, 2006, Kay released "Kirakuni/Together", her nineteenth single and the second A-side to be sung entirely in English. This single was recorded in the U.S. with producers Jam & Lewis, who are known for working with the likes of Kay's idol Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey. Kay has stated that working with them was the personal highlight of her career and was landed on Kay as a surprise by her management. The recording took place over a hectic 3 nights in LA.

The second A-side "Together" was used as the theme song in Japan for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. The single debuted at number 27. Two weeks later Kay released her sixth studio album ''Call Me Miss...'' on February 22, 2006. In its first week, ''Call Me Miss...'' debuted at number 2 on the Oricon chart as well as number 9 on the World Album Chart, selling 116,050 copies that week. It has since been certified platinum by RIAJ and was the 50th best selling album of 2006 in Japan.

2007–2008: First number-one and decline in sales

After about a years hiatus, Kay returned to the music scene with the single "Kitto Eien ni", which was released on January 17, 2007. "Kitto Eien ni" was used as the ending theme of the action film "Boku wa Imouto ni Koi wo Suru", starring Jun Matsumoto. The single debuted at number 12 and charted for seven weeks, selling 19,615 copies. Kay's twenty-first single, "Konna ni Chikaku de...", was released on February 28, 2007. It was used as the ending theme to the anime adaption of the manga "Nodame Cantabile". The single debuted at number 14 on the Oricon chart and charted for eight weeks, selling 15,158 copies to date. "Konna ni Chikaku de..." was performed live for the special Nodame Orchestra concert at the Tokyo International Forum on the single's release date. Another single, "Anata no Soba de", was released on May 16, 2007. The single only featured one track and thus was sold at the lower price of ¥525 in Japan. This single was the CM song for Menard Facial Salon. Kay released her seventh studio album "All Yours" a month later on June 20, 2007.

The album's theme was love. The track "Lonely Girl" was featured on the Japanese airings of the American dramatic television series ''Lost'' and featured on the soundtrack to the third series in Japan. The second track on "All Yours", "Dream World" was used to promote the "Barista's Special" for Tully's Coffee. The album debuted at number 1, selling 51,211 copies in its first week. "All Yours" became Kay's first number one release. The album has sold 136,841 copies and charted for nine weeks.

On November 28, 2007, Kay released her first EP, "Shining". The EP had a Christmas theme and featured the title track "Shining" as well as a second new track "Snowflake" and the previously released tracks "Happy 045 Xmas" and "No More Blue Christmas", originally featured on ''Natural: World Premiere Album''. It debuted at number 21 on the Oricon chart. "Shining" was used as the CM song for "PARCO X'MAS 2007" throughout the Christmas period. Kay also starred in the CM, in which she was seen "flying" on a reindeer.

thumb|left|250px|Crystal Kay at a radio station in 2008.On March 3, 2008 it was revealed that Kay was chosen to sing the theme song to the 2008 Pokémon film "Giratina to Sora no Hanataba: Sheimi". She also played the voice of "Nurse Joy's Chansey" in the film. The film's producers had apparently been considering the singer since 2001, when she sang "Lost Child" with Shinichi Osawa and Hiroshi Fujiwara for the soundtrack of the film "Satorare". As expected a single was released. However it was not the recently announced Pokémon theme song, but a different single entitled "Namida no Saki ni". "Namida no Saki ni" was released on June 11, 2008. It was Kay's first single in over a year, since the release of the single "Anata no Soba de" on May 16, 2007. "Namida no Saki" was used as the CM song for Tully's Coffee commercials throughout June 2008. This song exhibited a new, pop-rock sound for the singer. The single debuted at number 29 on the Oricon daily chart and eventually debuted at number 42 on the weekly chart. To date, the single has sold 3,587 copies. One month later on July 16, 2008, the Pokémon single, "One", was finally released. "One" debuted at number 25 on the daily chart and debuted at number 32 on the weekly chart, selling 2,237 copies. To date, "One" has sold 6,522 copies.

Kay graduated in Sociology from Sophia University in 2008, allowing her to concentrate on her career full time.

For her eighth studio album "Color Change!" Kay had songs produced by Bloodshy & Avant and Jam & Lewis. Kay had previously worked with Jam & Lewis in 2006. The album was released on August 6, 2008. The title "Color Change!" reflected from Kay's graduation from Sophia University that year. "Color Change!" peaked at number 6 on the Oricon daily chart and number 8 on the weekly chart, selling 15,519 copies in its first week. The album sold 33,290 copies after seven weeks on the charts. "Color Change!" was eventually certified gold by RIAJ. "Color Change!" was the 289th best selling album of 2008 in Japan.

2009–present: Ten years in the industry

On February 18, 2009, Kay was a featured artist along with Verbal of M-Flo on the song "Universe" with South Korean singer BoA from her single Eien/Universe/Believe in Love. The single peaked at number 8 and has sold 21,789 copies. On May 15, 2009 it was revealed that Kay and Jin Akanishi, from the boyband KAT-TUN, wrote a duet together called "Wonder". The song was first performed by Akanishi on the KAT-TUN's concert tour in 2009. This was the second time that Kay sang with him, the first time being during her second appearance on KAT-TUN's variety show, ''Cartoon KAT-TUN''.

On August 12, 2009, Kay released her twenty-fourth single, "After Love: First Boyfriend/Girlfriend". The single was announced on Kay's official website on July 1, 2009, which marks the tenth anniversary since the release of Kay's debut single in 1999. "After Love: First Boyfriend" features Kaname from the J-pop duo Chemistry. "After Love: First Boyfriend" is a follow up to Kay's 2003 single "Boyfriend: Part II" and used as the CM song for Tully's Coffee commercials throughout July 2009.

"After Love" was written by Craig McConnell and Canadian artist Shobha, with Japanese lyrics by Crystal Kay. "Girlfriend", featuring the Korean artist BoA with whom Kay is reportedly close friends, was used as the image song for the Japanese dubbed release of the feature film "He's Just Not That into You" starring Jennifer Aniston and Ben Affleck. The single's b-side, "Deaeta Kiseki", was released digitally in December 2008 and was also used as the CM song for Tully's Coffee that month. "After Love: First Boyfriend/Girlfriend" was Kay's second double A-side single, and her first since "Kirakuni/Together" in 2006. The single landed on the Oricon Daily Chart at peak position number 21 and on the Oricon Weekly Chart at number 31.

On September 2, 2009, Kay released her second compilation album, entitled "Best of Crystal Kay". The collection featured over thirty tracks from her discography. "Best of Crystal Kay" was also released with a "limited edition" disc containing four new songs, including "Step by Step", produced by Yasutaka Nakata of Capsule. It was used as the theme song for "Janguru Taitei" which aired from September 5, 2009. Another new song, entitled "Over and Over" will also be in the CD. It is currently used in a commercial for NTT's "Live On FLET'S". Kay did not star in this advert. "Over and Over" was produced by Taku Takahashi of M-Flo. The fourth track "Helpless Night" is a collaboration between Kay and Jin Akanishi of KAT-TUN and is performed almost entirely in English.

The collection debuted at number 2 on the Oricon Daily Chart, and sold almost 30,000 copies that day alone, and ultimately dropped to number 3 on the Weekly Chart, behind Superfly's ''Box Emotions'' and the second week sales of Arashi's ''All the Best! 1999-2009''. It sold 87,669 copies that week. This is Kay's best peak position on the Oricon Chart since since ''All Yours'' in 2007, as well as her best first week sales since ''Call me Miss...'' in 2006. Kay finished off the year by releasing her first remix album "The Best Remixes of CK" on December 16, 2006.

In 2010, Kay starred in her first role in a drama series. She played the character of Kokusho Akira, a genius hacker who has carried out many crimes all over the world in the Nippon Television drama ''Hidarime Tantei Eye'', which stars Hey! Say! JUMP member Ryosuke Yamada. The drama began airing on January 23, 2010.

On February 24, Kay released a brand new song, "Flash" on Recochoku Chaku-Uta. "Flash" was featured in the commercial for Canon IXY Digital cameras, which began airing on February 19. Kay also released a new song called "Victoria". It was being used as the commercial song for Tully's Coffee. Both of these new songs were featured in Kay's second mini album "Flash", which was released on June 16. The mini album also included a tribute to Michael Jackson, and a song written by Kay herself. She also released "Crystal Kay Live In NHK Hall: 10th Anniversary Tour CK10" on the same day. It will be her first concert DVD.

On June 22, it was revealed that Kay would sing both the opening and ending theme songs, "Time of Love" and "Cannonball" respectively, to the NHK drama ''Jūnen Saki mo Kimi ni Koishite'', starring Aya Ueto. The drama began airing on August 31. Kay will release her next single "Journey (Kimi to Futari de)" on November 24, followed by her ninth studio album on December 8.

2011: Spin the Music Tour

Crystal Kay's "Spin the Music" tour was planned to have nine shows across Japan starting February 5 and ending March 29. Her tour was cancelled after she went to the hospital complaining of sickness and was diagnosed with Acute Nephritis. Kay was advised not to go on with the tour in order to rest and recover from her illness. Her record label offered refunds through the tour's website. Kay later performed at the August 2011 MTV Zushi Fes music festival.

Influence

Crystal Kay is considered a pioneer for interracial acts in Japan. She debuted in 1999 when R&B; began to take off in Japan thanks to local acts MISIA, Double and Hikaru Utada. Her success paved the way for the mainstream success of many interracial acts in the mid-00s such as Thelma Aoyama, Anna Tsuchiya, Angela Aki and African-American/Japanese enka singer Jero.

In 2009 Kay stated that "There is still some racial thing going on, [but] people are getting used to it. You can see a lot more mixed people on TV, and even (among) models in magazines." At a summer festival that year half-Japanese half-Papua New Guinean singer Emi Maria left Kay a demo and a note saying "You're my idol, I'm sad I couldn't meet you in person."

Nevertheless Kay has commented, "I consider myself a Japanese artist because I was born and raised here, but nationality-wise I look, and am, foreign."

Discography

Studio albums

2000: ''C.L.L Crystal Lover Light''

2001: ''637: Always and Forever''

2002: ''Almost Seventeen''

2003: ''4 Real

2003: ''Natural: World Premiere Album''

2005: ''Crystal Style''

2006: ''Call Me Miss...''

2007: ''All Yours''

2008: ''Color Change!''

2010: ''Spin the Music''

Compilation albums

2004: ''CK5''

2009: ''Best of Crystal Kay''

Remix albums

2009: ''The Best Remixes of CK''

Extended plays

2007: ''Shining''

2010: ''Flash''

Filmography

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- style="background:#ccc; text-align:center;" ! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;" | Dramas |- style="background:#ccc; text-align:center;" ! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Year ! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Title ! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Role ! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Notes |- |rowspan="1"|2010 | |Kokusho Akira |Supporting role |- |- style="background:#ccc; text-align:center;" ! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;" | Movies |- style="background:#ccc; text-align:center;" ! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Year ! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Title ! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Role ! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Notes |- |rowspan="1"|2008 | |Lucky (voice) (Nurse Joy's Chansey) |Sang ending theme song, "One" |- |rowspan="1"|2009 | |Casey | |- |}

References

External links

Crystal Kay's official website

Crystal Kay Oricon profile

Category:1986 births Category:Living people Category:Child singers Category:English-language singers Category:Epic Records artists Category:Female singers Category:Japanese-language singers Category:People from Yokohama Category:People of African American descent Category:People of Korean descent Category:Pop singers Category:Rhythm and blues singers Category:Sony Music Japan artists Category:Sophia University alumni

de:Crystal Kay es:Crystal Kay fr:Crystal Kay ko:크리스탈 케이 it:Crystal Kay nl:Crystal Kay ja:Crystal Kay pt:Crystal Kay simple:Crystal Kay fi:Crystal Kay tl:Crystal Kay th:คริสตัล เคย์ zh:克莉絲朵·凱兒

Coordinates	40°26′30″N80°00′00″N
name	Armin Van Buuren
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
birth name	Armin van Buuren
alias	Amsterdance, Armania, Darkstar, Emc2, El Guitaro, Elect of DJ-RA, Gaia, Gig, Gimmick, Hyperdrive Inc., Misteri A, Perpetuous Dreamer, Problem Boy, Rising Star, The Shoeshine Factory
born	December 25, 1976Leiden, South Holland, Netherlands
origin	Koudekerk aan den Rijn, South Holland, Netherlands
instrument	Synthesizer, drum machine, equalizer, personal computer
genre	Trance, Progressive Trance, Vocal Trance, Uplifting Trance, Electro House, House Music
occupation	Remixer, Producer & DJ Composer
years active	1995–present
label	Armada Music (2003–present)
associated acts	Alibi, Dark Matter, Electrix, Lilmotion, Major League, Monsieur Basculant, Red & White, Technology, Triple A, Wodka Wasters
website	arminvanbuuren.com }}

Armin van Buuren (), (born in Leiden, Netherlands on 25 December 1976) is a Dutch trance producer and DJ. In 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 he was voted number one in DJ Magazine's annual top 100 list of the most popular DJs. Since 2001 van Buuren has hosted a weekly radio show called ''A State of Trance'' and claims to have over 30 million weekly listeners in more than 40 countries, which would make it the most listened radio show in the world. His 2008 studio album, ''Imagine'', entered the Dutch album chart at #1, a first for a dance artist in Dutch music history.

Armin van Buuren has always had his own studio and worked alone in the beginning of his career. Since the release of his third studio album ''Imagine'' from 2008 he has been working with Benno de Goeij and DJ-RA of Rank 1 on all solo productions and remixes. He is well known for his annual "Year Mix" which incorporates clips and custom mashups from the year's most popular trance tracks. Each year-mix consists of about 85 individual releases, edited into a 2 hour mix which is released on double CD as well as aired on his weekly radio show at the end of each year. According to van Buuren, each year-mix takes several months to make, including thousands of digital audio edits and hundreds of audio plugins.

Personal life

Armin Van Buuren was born in Leiden, the Netherlands on 25 December 1976, but grew up in Koudekerk aan den Rijn. He finished high school at the Stedelijk Gymnasium Leiden in 1995, and left for college to study law at Leiden University. While studying law, van Buuren's interest for making music blossomed, and he began working as a DJ in a local club called Nexus. As his musical career began to take off, he put his law degree on hold, although he did return to finish law school in 2003. Armin Van Buuren started making music when he was 14 and he often listened to music using the headphones that his father had given to him. He was inspired by French electronic music composer, Jean Michel Jarre, and wished to become a great electronic music composer like Jarre; finally meeting Jarre when van Buuren was the number 1 DJ of the world, along with DJ-RA (2009), in Amsterdam after Jarre's concert.

On 18 September 2009 Armin married Erika van Thiel in Wassenaar, Netherlands. They met during a vacation on Crete, and had been together for 9 years prior to the marriage.

On 12 January 2011, Armin announced the pregnancy of his wife Erika on Twitter. He hoped the baby, due this summer, will be his "best production ever." Their daughter, Fenna, was born on 24 July 2011.

Career

1995–1999: Early career and success

Since 1995, van Buuren has released many tracks on different labels with increasing success. His first big success was "Blue Fear" which was on Cyber Records at the age of 19. This 'Euro Trance blueprint' made it into the UK Chart. "Communication" was released on the same label, and had a huge impact on Ibiza, Spain in the summer of 1999. After being signed to AM PM Records, this track entered the UK Chart at #18 in 2000.

Van Buuren began his DJ career at club Nexus in Leiden, where he learned to play long DJ sets, which were regularly six to seven hours per set. During school holidays he played more than four times a week. In 1999, he met Dave Lewis who introduced him as a DJ in England and the United States. His career accelerated, entering the DJ magazine Top-100 in November 2001 at Number 27. He has played in more than 25 different countries and can often be found on the main stage at big summer festivals. Van Buuren played a record-breaking twelve and a half hour set for Dancetheater in The Hague (the Netherlands). In the United Kingdom he performs regularly at Passion (resident 2002), Godskitchen, Gatecrasher, Slinky, Ministry of Sound, Peach and Golden.

In the beginning of 1999, van Buuren started his label Armind together with United Recordings. The first release, Gig – "One," was well received. The second release "Touch Me," under the name Rising Star was signed to Ministry of Sound in the UK, before the record was released.

By the time of his third release, Gimmick – "Free" was signed to R&S; Records, van Buuren had managed to make his label popular very quickly. Under the surname Gaia he released "4 Elements" on Captivating Sounds, a sub-label of Warner Brothers. Teaming up with Tiësto, two new projects were born: Major League – "Wonder Where You Are?" was released on Black Hole Recordings and Alibi – "Eternity" was released on Armind. "Eternity" received club and chart success and was signed to Paul van Dyk's imprint Vandit Records. Another major collaboration followed this. Together with Ferry Corsten, van Buuren recorded a riff-classic titled "Exhale" for the System F. album. Released as a single, this track reached gold status in less than a month.

2000–2004: ''A State of Trance'' and ''76''

In 2000, van Buuren started his own Armin van Buuren compilation series. He managed to find a balance between progressive house,and vocal trance music styles. His first compilation album, ''A State of Trance'' (not to be confused with his weekly A State of Trance radio shows), sold more than 10,000 copies and contains van Buuren's well known remix of Moogwai, "Viola." His second album, ''Basic Instinct'' featured a new track: "Perpetuous Dreamer" – "The Sound of Goodbye." This track entered the Dutch charts in June 2001 at number 26. Later in the year, the track hit #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. The third album, ''In Motion'' was released 6 August 2001. This album contained the real trance sound and was very popular in the United States. A fourth album, ''Transparence'', followed in 2002. In 2003, he worked with such artists such as DJ Seth Alan Fannin throughout a global tour on Dance Revolution in Europe, selling out to crowds of 20,000 people in Armin's home country of the Netherlands.

In March 2001, van Buuren started his own radio show on ID&T; Radio (traditionally broadcast in Dutch and later English since ASOT 183). In this weekly two-hour show, entitled ''A State of Trance'', he plays the latest popular trance music tracks. His show and the artists he features are popularized by publishing the artists and track titles on his website. This radio-show/website combination has proven popular internationally. When ID&T; Radio changed genres in 2004, van Buuren left and took ''A State of Trance'' with him. The show then moved to Fresh FM, a Dutch radio station. It is now a weekly feature on SLAM!FM, another Dutch radio station, DI.FM, an online radio station, and on XM Satellite Radio, channel 80 in the United States and Canada. A complete list of stations that broadcast ''A State of Trance'' can be found at the ASOT section of Armin's website. Also in 2004, van Buuren remixed the 24 theme song into a trance hit. In June 2005, the 200th episode was celebrated in Amsterdam and subsequently aired on radio. The 250th (8 hour) anniversary episode was celebrated in Club Asta in The Hague, Netherlands, featuring van Buuren, Jonas Steur, M.I.K.E., John Askew, Rank 1 and Menno de Jong.

In 2002, he had a residency at Glow in Washington D.C., and he has played in San Francisco, Houston, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Atlanta, Austin, Denver, New York City, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Minneapolis, and Seattle. He has also regularly appeared at Amnesia on the island of Ibiza, Balearic Islands, Spain. In October that year, van Buuren was voted Number 5 in the DJ Magazine 100 top DJ's. The following year, he jumped up to the #3 spot, and held 3rd place for the next 3 years. His work left him at the #2 spot, just below Paul van Dyk in the 2006 polls, and, in 2007, Armin reached #1, heading the 2007 DJ Mag Top 100. He was voted #1 again in 2008, 2009 and again in 2010.

In June 2003 van Buuren released his debut studio album, ''76'', named after his year of birth, 1976.

2005–present: ''Shivers'', ''Imagine'' and ''Mirage''

On 8 August 2005 van Buuren released his second studio album, ''Shivers''. On the album van Buuren worked with artists such as Pakistani American singer Nadia Ali, English singer Justine Suissa and American trance duo Gabriel & Dresden.

On 11 November 2006, he had a live performance called Armin Only in Ahoy Rotterdam for the second time (after 12 November 2005) with a 9 hour solo set, where he performed to over 11,000 fans.

In the summer of 2007, van Buuren recorded and released a live set at Amnesia, Ibiza. ''Universal Religion Chapter 3, Live from Amnesia at Ibiza'' was released on 28 September 2007 as a mix compilation on Armada Records and in the US as "Universal Religion 2008" on Ultra Records on 4 December 2007.

On 17 April 2008 van Buuren released his third studio album, ''Imagine''. It features collaboration with singers such as Sharon den Adel of Within Temptation and Jacqueline Govaert of Krezip. The album debuted at number one on the Dutch Albums Chart.

19 April 2008 saw the 3rd edition of Armin Only, this time in the Jaarbeurs in Utrecht, Netherlands. The event was attended by 16,000 fans and (partly) broadcast live on Dutch National TV. During the second half of 2008, van Buuren took this show abroad, with visits to Australia, Romania, Poland, Belgium, and a special New Years Eve 2008 show at Together As One in Los Angeles, U.S.

On 29 September 2008, Armin won the DJ Award for "Best Trance DJ" at Ibiza along with other nominees, that of Tiësto, Ferry Corsten and Paul van Dyk.

On 12 January 2008, van Buuren was given the "Buma Cultuur Pop Award," the most prestigious Dutch music award.

In 2009, Foreign Media Games announced the production of ''In The Mix: Featuring Armin van Buuren'', a music game being produced in collaboration with Cloud 9 Music and van Buuren's Armada Music label. The title is scheduled to be released sometime in 2010 exclusively for the Wii console.

He has collaborated with his brother, guitarist Eller van Buuren, in such venues as ''Together As One'' in Los Angeles, U.S., on New Year's Eve 2009, as well as on Armin's 2008 album ''Imagine''.

On 3 March 2010 van Buuren was awarded with the prestigious Golden Harp, for his musical work and contribution to Dutch music, by the music collecting society BUMA/STEMRA at the 2010 Buma Harpen Gala in Hilversum, the Netherlands.

On 23 June 2010 it was announced that Armin Van Buuren's fourth studio album, ''Mirage'' was due to be released on 10 September. The first single "Full Focus", was released through iTunes Store on 24 June at midnight. The song peaked at number sixty in the Netherlands. One of the confirmed tracks from the album is a collaboration with English singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor called ''Not Giving Up On Love'', which was released as a single from Bextor's fourth studio album, ''Make a Scene''. Armin also wrote a song for English singer Seal, but due to the release of his greatest hits album, ''Hits'', the collaboration never came together.

September 12, 2010, Armin van Buuren launched "A State of Sundays", a new weekly 24-hour radio show aired on Sirius XM Radio.

October 20, 2010, Armin van Buuren won the award for Most Popular International DJ presented by The Golden Gnomes.

On October 27, 2010, Armin van Buuren was announced, for the 4th year running, as the number 1 DJ, and thus prolonging his title as 'Most Popular DJ in the World'.

The 2010 edition of ''Armin Only: Mirage'' kicked off on November 13, 2010, in Utrecht, Netherlands, with more shows coming in Kiev, Buenos Aires, Melbourne, Beirut, Poznań, Moscow and Bratislava .

On November 27, 2010, Armin Van Buuren made his third appearance in Shanghai, China. On his yearly Asia Tour, he always stops by at M2 for an unforgettable night with his Chinese fans.

A State of Trance 500 (ASOT 500)

To mark the 10 year anniversary and 500^th episode of his weekly radio show ''A State of Trance'', Armin performed at five shows across five continents over five consecutive weeks along with various artists. The first show was held on 19 March 2011 in Johannesburg, South Africa at the MTN Expo Center. In addition to Armin - Blake Jarrell, Protoculture, Lange, Leon Bolier, and Jorn van Deynhoven were performers. Super8 and TAB were to be part of the South African show, however a flight cancellation caused them to be absent for the event. The event was attended by over 20,000 people. Miami's show was performed at the Ultra Music Festival on 27 March, and part of the show were Marcus Schossow, Alex M.O.R.P.H., Cosmic Gate, Gareth Emery, Ferry Corsten, ATB, and Sander van Doorn. Argentina held the third celebration of ASOT 500 in club G.E.B.A Buenos Aires, where Heatbeat (Argentina's Trance music icons at the time), Jochen Miller, Dash Berlin, Marcus Schultz, AVB, John O'Callaghan and W & W. It was the only of the 5 ASOT 500 celebrations that was held roofless, where AVB recorded a live video with his cell phone and uploaded it to Twitter while playing his live set, showing Argentinean's passion for Trance. Den Bosch in The Netherlands followed with the biggest event of 2011. Accompanied by more than 30 DJ's from countries all over the world, Armin brought together over 30,000 people in one long night's worth of trance music. DJ friends present were Markus Schulz, Gareth Emery, Above & Beyond, Paul Oakenfold and Sean Tyas. The event was radio broadcasted live from Den Bosch by Armin himself to over 30 countries as well as many of the DJ's using their sets as their live weekly or monthly podcast. The final show was held in Sydney, Australia marking the 5th show of the ASOT 500 tour. It was held on 16 April at Acer Arena in Olympic Park and was a sold out event weeks before the night. Shogun, Australia's own tyDi, Menno de Jong, Aly & Fila, Alex M.O.R.P.H. and of course Armin Van Buuren were the lineup where Armin played for a 3 hour set in celebration of this epic 5 week tour.

Discography

''76'' (2003)

''Shivers'' (2005)

''Imagine'' (2008)

''Mirage'' (2010)

References

External links

Armin van Buuren's profile on Trancepedia

Armada Music – the record label of Armin van Buuren

Armin van Buuren - A State of Trance episodes

Category:1976 births Category:Living people Category:Ableton Live users Category:Armada Music artists Category:Club DJs Category:Dutch DJs Category:Dutch electronic musicians Category:Dutch record producers Category:Dutch trance musicians Category:Eurodance musicians Category:People from Leiden Category:People from Rijnwoude Category:Remixers

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