For some unknown reason, a number of folks out there insist on encoding audio files in .wma, .wav or RealAudio format rather than MP3.


Since I'm kind of an average Joe, you're probably like me. To that end, here are a couple of ways to convert these files to MP3 format:

Streambox Ripper (.zip file). It's a freeware program and it has a drag-and-drop format, which I like.

An alternate freeware program is Switch (.exe file). I haven't tried it yet, but it has been recommended to me so I'm offering it as an alternative to Streambox Ripper.

If you're all about spending money, there are plenty of commercial products out there which do the same thing. Google for "convert realaudio to mp3" and I'm sure you'll get a ton of other options.

God Bless.

UPDATE:

Lately, I've been using a freeware conversion program that's capable of converting .flv (YouTube format), .wma, .rar, etc. to MP3. One of the neat things about this program is that you don't have to download the file -- you simply copy and paste the URL and the program will download and convert it on its own. If this sounds like something you'd be interested in, here's the link: