RealAudio: Streaming Audio (like live radio broadcasts) typically uses the REAL AUDIO player. Clicking on the real icon will open and start the audio using the player.

MP3: Clicking on the MP3 icon will open a box in Windows that will give you two options.

Open this File from its current location

Save this file to disk

"Open this File from its current location" means that it will start your MP3 player and play the song. Sometimes it will ask you to choose a player. You may have to direct your browser as to where to find your player. Usually it's C:\Program Files\Winamp\WinAmp.exe

"Save this file to disk" means you can download the file and choose the location (drive and directory) where you wish to save it. You can also use your right mouse button and choose "Save Targe As" to do the same thing.

PROBLEMS:
Q: All I get is a web page with garbled letters and numbers...no sound.
A:This means your browser doesn't know how to start your MP3 Player. The "gobbledy-goop" you're seeing is the printing of the digital sound. Let's say you have a traditional setup of WinAmp. Here's what you do.
1) go to START then PROGRAM then WINAMP and then WINAMP.EXE
2) Your WinAmp player will load. Then at the bottom of the display select +FILE. Then pick +URL. A separate window will appear.

Q: What are the advantages of WinAmp over Real Audio? A: To be fair, the Real Audio feed sounds great. It was our first choice...but MP3 is very popular. The MP3 file is a method of compression that is popular because it uses very little bandwidth. Real Audio (although improving) uses quite a bit more. An MP3 feed can handle many more simultaneous listeners without breakup.

Q: Will WinAmp work on my Apple/Mac/IMac?
A: It will now. It's called MacAmp and it offers the same features of WinAmp but for the Apple/Mac platform.