Introduction. The concept of literacy, and of the alphabetic literacy it encompasses, is a principal means for the effective functioning of the individual in various environments and communication situations. In our time, however, a new form of literacy, digital literacy, is being added to the fundamental skills required for the smooth functioning of the individual in their physical and digital environment. Especially for the school population, who will spend their whole lives in an environment with a great number of challenges related to Information and Communication Technologies, digital literacy is a fundamental asset. Moreover, it is a basic criterion of social recognition, and its absence is a criterion of social stigmatisation. Achievements in technology have brought sharp changes to the music industry in particular and to the way music is produced and distributed in general. At the centre of these changes lies the creation of lossy algorithms for storing the music signal, and especially of the MPEG layer III algorithm, known as mp3. Understanding how this group of algorithms works, and especially how an identical result is produced although a large part of the musical information is eliminated, is a fundamental part of digital literacy in relation to music.
Aim of the research. The research aims to approach perceptions and views about lossy algorithms for storing the audio signal. In particular, it aims to locate and highlight misconceptions about the properties of lossy audio storage algorithms, and especially of the mp3 algorithm.
Methodology. Data are used from a comparative study of the literature on the methodology of lossy algorithms in general and of the mp3 algorithm in particular. Data are also used that were collected from answers to closed-ended questions put to pupils and students in music technology courses.
Findings and results. The data collected show that confusion between the concepts of “mp3” and “quality” is common: more specifically, the belief that storing with the mp3 algorithm is the optimal means of preserving the fidelity of a recording. This misconception is probably due, on the one hand, to the high frequency of use of this algorithm and, on the other, to low “exposure” to other audio storage formats.
Contribution to the field. The results contribute to identifying existing misconceptions about basic concepts related to music and to Information and Communication Technologies. They can be used in actions aimed at clarifying the content and the function of lossy audio storage algorithms.
Presentation. The paper was presented at the 7th Conference of the Greek Society for Music Education (G.S.M.E.) “Music Literacy: Formal and Informal Ways of Music Teaching and Learning” (Thessaloniki Concert Hall, 27–29 November 2015), in the thematic strand “Technology and music teaching and learning”. The abstract is that of the proposal submitted in June 2015; the full text, with the results, was published in the conference proceedings (2016).