I do remember using my 1997-era computer (Pentium II, 233 MHz, 32 MB RAM, 3 GB disk) to listen to audio even though I didn't have a collection of MP3s. Many computers at that time shipped with a CD-ROM (if not a CD-R or CD-RW) drive, and so could play back audio off of CDs.

I also remember waiting a few minutes to download Winamp, ICQ, and the like. (A dial-up modem would get 4 KB/s down on a good day, so 146 KB was not insignificant for an application.)