MP3 Format Is Officially Dead: The Developer Of The MP3 Has Just Killed It

As Gizmodo reports, MP3 is finally dead, following the footsteps of the beloved audio cassette. MP3 is the iconic digital audio coding format changed the way millennials listen to music and led to the adoption of numerous new audio devices over the last 20 years.

And now, luckily for all true audiophiles out there – it’s gone.

Numerous relevant portals have reported that the developer of the MP3 format just announced the official termination of its licensing program.

Gizmodo says: “The actual ownership history of the various patent rights involved in MP3 technology is complicated and messy. But the Fraunhofer Institute has claimed the right to license certain MP3 patents to software developers who want to ‘distribute and/or sell decoders and/or encoders’ for it.”

So, yes – the MP3 is now dead, despite its huge effect on modern audio formats and the digital landscape as a whole.

Audio Quality Comes First

The news that the developers are ending the MP3 licensing program was accompanied by an official statement. Here’s part of it:

“Although there are more efficient audio codecs with advanced features available today, mp3 is still very popular amongst consumers. However, most state-of-the-art media services such as streaming or TV and radio broadcasting use modern ISO-MPEG codecs such as the AAC family or in the future MPEG-H.”

“Those can deliver more features and a higher audio quality at much lower bitrates compared to mp3.”

AAC Or “Advanced Audio Coding”

Although there will still be many of those who will continue to support the MP3, newer and much better formats are soon to become the standard.

The Fraunhofer Institute has already placed AAC — “ Advanced Audio Coding” — as the new standard when it comes to audio formats today, and unlike vinyl ( which is making a huge comeback at the moment), it seems unlikely that MP3 will ever live to see its own nostalgic resurrection.