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 <answer>ripped from CDs</answer>, which would have previously been nearly impossible. The first large peer-to-peer filesharing network, Napster, was launched in 1999.
How did people come into possession of MP3s?
ripped from CDs