It would appear that the MP3 audio file format is set to be phased out.
The developers of the early audio format at the Fraunhofer Institute have ceased their licensing agreement with a number of software developers. The institute has stated that newer MPEG codecs such as AAC files “can deliver more features and a higher audio quality at much lower bitrates compared to MP3.”
The discontinuation of the MP3 is said to have a largely minimal impact on the music and audio industries. Many people now use streaming services which already use newer audio formats making the digitisation of music undeniable. The MP3 most notably allowed Apple to become one of the most dominant music distribution forces in today’s society through the proliferation of downloadable music to various devices. Now through Apple Music, Apple is the leader in the industry.
Researchers at the Audio Engineering Library recently discovered that MP3s can make your music sound “more depressing“. It was found that MP3 compression tended to strengthen the neutral and negative emotional characteristics of a song, which the study defined as “mysterious, shy, scary, and sad“. It was also discovered that MP3’s can actually dull positive emotional characteristics including feeling “happy, romantic or calm“.
Whilst digital downloads have become the go-to source for purchasing and streaming music, last December vinyl sales outweighed digital downloads for the first time ever. Provided by the ERA, figures showed that in week 48 of 2016 £2.4m was spent on vinyl whilst only £2.1m was spent on the digital download of albums.
