How to play audio file on windows from command line?

Question

In Windows, is there a simple way (i.e. something you could type on a single command line) to just play a couple of .mp3 files and then exit on its own?

wmplayer, f

Answer 1

Use VBScript:

Set objArgs = Wscript.Arguments

if (objArgs.Count = 0) then
    Wscript.echo "I need a sound file as argument!"
    WScript.Quit 123
end if
Wscript.echo "Playing: " & objArgs(0) & "..."

Set objPlayer = createobject("Wmplayer.OCX.7")

With objPlayer  ' saves typing
    .settings.autoStart = True
    .settings.volume = 50  ' 0 - 100
    .settings.balance = 0  ' -100 to 100
    .settings.enableErrorDialogs = False
    .enableContextMenu = False
    .URL = objArgs(0)
    WScript.Sleep(10000)  ' time to load and start playing
    '.Controls.Pause()  ' stop
End With

MsgBox "if WMP is still playing, clicking OK will end it", _
    vbInformation, "WMP Demo finished"

If the VBScript process ends, the Media Player ends too, you have to wait for it (I don't need it, my sounds are only some seconds long).

I used this for my special case today: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/microsoft.public.scripting.vbscript/gfOOvnN8t-U