mpg123

Play MP3 files

$ mpg123 [path/to/file1.mp3] [path/to/file2.mp3]

$ cat [file.mp3] | mpg123 -

$ mpg123 -z [path/to/*.mp3]

$ mpg123 --loop [3] [path/to/file.mp3]

$ mpg123 -w [output.wav] [input.mp3]

$ mpg123 [http://example.com/stream.mp3]

mpg123 [options] file-or-URL...

mpg123 is a fast, free console MPEG audio player supporting layers 1, 2, and 3. It plays local files, reads from stdin, and streams from HTTP URLs. The player supports various audio output modules including ALSA, PulseAudio, and OSS.
Terminal control mode (-C) enables interactive playback control with keyboard commands for seeking, volume adjustment, and track navigation.

-o, --output _module_

Select audio output module

Specify audio device

Write output to WAV file

Write raw audio to stdout

Set sample rate

Decode to mono

Shuffle playlist

Continuous random playback

Repeat playback count times

Read playlist from file

Skip initial frames

Decode only specified number of frames

Enable terminal control keys

Suppress output messages

Increase verbosity

Test decode without audio output

Audio buffer size in KB

Apply 32-band equalizer from file

f - Forward to next song
b - Back to beginning of song
s - Stop/replay current file
. - Fast forward
, - Rewind
+/- - Volume up/down
q - Quit

MPEG audio decoding is CPU-intensive, especially for layer 3. Network streaming requires bandwidth matching or exceeding the audio bitrate. Since version 1.26.0, returns non-zero exit code if any track fails to parse.

mpg123 was originally written by Michael Hipp in the mid-1990s and has been continuously developed since. It remains one of the most efficient console MP3 players for Unix-like systems.

aplay(1), mocp(1), ffplay(1)