If you grew up in the '90s or 2000s, you may have a special connection to the audio format known as MP3. MP3s were the audio format of choice for the common person, audiophiles notwithstanding.
Whether you're ripping a CD on your computer, downloading an album from iTunes Alternatives to iTunes:5 Best Free Music Players for Mac OS X Alternatives to iTunes:5 Best Free Music Players for Mac OS X unless you're chained to the iTunes ecosystem and have no choice but to use it, you may want to consider switching to one of these alternatives. Read More That's why the recent “MP3 is dead” headlines might have you unsettled.
The good news is that, unlike the headlines, the humble MP3 is not really dead. This isn't the apocalypse, your locally stored songs will still play perfectly, you'll still be able to rip CDs and distribute podcasts. Streamline your podcast production in Audacity with 3 easy tips Streamline your podcast production in Audacity with 3 easy tips Podcasting is fun, but post-production can be time-consuming. If you're using Audacity to edit your podcasts, these three tips can help you save a lot of time. Read More
What is the truth behind the headlines? Let us inform you.
The beginnings of MP3 go back to the end of the eighties. The audio format was developed by Fraunhofer ISS, a company in Germany. Since then, we have seen MP3s take over the world of audio. MP3s are nearly ubiquitous when it comes to storing and playing audio. It is the de facto standard. If you have a piece of hardware or software that can play audio, you can play MP3s. From your car stereo to your phone's music player.
On April 23, 2017, about a month before the doomsday headlines appeared, MP3 became a patent-free technology in the US. All that really happened is that the last of MP3's patents expired. MP3 isn't dead, it's just not profitable anymore for its patent holders, the aforementioned Fraunhofer ISS.
What we saw here (with the inflammatory “RIP MP3” headlines) was a classic case of publications rewriting a company press release, without doing their own research. It doesn't take much to start this chain of misinformation. First, a popular/traditional publication takes the company account at face value (without questioning the company's motivation or incentive to spin a narrative). They make it worse by adding a completely contextless clickbait header.
Other smaller publications then dive into clicks, picking up the story as-is, without doing their due diligence. And within a couple of hours, your social media feeds are filled with panic over the supposed death of a beloved audio format.
In 2017, this happens very often. We live in a world where we can't even agree with the term "fake news." What is fake news and how does it spread so quickly? What is fake news and how does it spread so quickly? Fake news is plaguing the internet and the worst part is that most people can't recognize it when they see it. Read more . This story is another lesson in how we should do some research on fake news:10 Best Websites for Fake News and Satire. Fake News:10 Best Websites for Fake News and Satire. Read More Follow the source, try to weigh the motivation of both the source and the post before deciding what opinion or fact to believe.
The truth is that technologies don't die when their creators declare them dead (unless it's a piece of software like Yik Yak Yik Yak Anonymous Messaging App Is Dead Yik Yak Anonymous Messaging App Is Dead Yik Yak , the beloved and loathed anonymous messaging app on college campuses in equal measure, there's no more. Will anyone miss Yik Yak? Probably not. Read More They also don't die when patents expire. In fact, the opposite is often true. Technologies die of obsolescence. The Internet and us, the people will decide when it is dead. And the MP3 is nowhere near that point in its life cycle.
Windows XP is supposedly dead, but it's still used by millions of people around the world (and still a target of ransomware The Global Ransomware Attack and how to protect your data The Global Ransomware Attack and how to protect your data A massive cyber attack has affected computers around the world. Have you been affected by highly virulent and self-replicating ransomware? If not, how can you protect your data without paying the ransom? Read More). The Pepe the Frog founder had a funeral for the character last month, but that doesn't mean people will stop using him as a meme. Just like a meme, you can't kill a tech..
GIF patents expired 10 years ago, and GIFs became popular after the fact This Lesser-Known YouTube Trick Turns Videos into GIFs This Lesser-Known YouTube Trick Turns Videos into GIFs Did you know that YouTube has a built-in feature that lets you allows Make short GIFs from videos? Is that how it works. Read more . The JPEG format for viewing images was also developed around the same time as MP3. And it's still alive and kicking. You'll see JPEG images all over the web (even when it comes to sharpness and transparent background retention, are PNGs superior JPEG, GIF, or PNG? Image File Types Explained and Tested JPEG, GIF, or PNG? Image File Types explained and tested Do you know the differences between JPEG, GIF, PNG, and other image file types? Do you know when to use one instead of the other? Fear not, MakeUseOf explains it all! Read More).
Like GIFs and JPEGs, MP3s will stay alive until they actually outlive their usefulness. So no, iTunes won't stop playing your music collection tomorrow. And you'll still be able to purchase songs as MP3 files (if you haven't switched to streaming yet).
Until now, Fraunhofer ISS has made some money every time someone licensed its technology. Which means they got a cut for every iPod sold and every piece of software that played MP3s. Now that has changed. Hardware and software manufacturers no longer have to pay Fraunhofer ISS a portion of their sales. MP3 is now free and open to use.
Just like GIF or 3D Printing, Beginner's Guide to 3D Printing. The Beginners Guide to 3D Printing for 3D Printing. 3D printing was the new "Industrial Revolution". You haven't conquered the world yet, but I'm here to talk to you about everything you need to know to get started. Read More Application developers who previously wouldn't include MP3 support can now. Because the technology is easy to manipulate, we will see new, novel and interesting use cases.
When the Fraunhofer ISS declared MP3 “dead,” one of the reasons this was given was that the MP3 format is old and therefore cannot keep up with new and better formats. The company mentioned AAC as one of the main candidates to replace MP3 (a format for which Fraunhofer ISS still has a patent). And AAC is actually a good codec. It takes up less space and is being used by streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music Spotify vs. Apple Music vs. Amazon Music Unlimited:Which is the best? Spotify vs. Apple Music vs. Amazon Music Unlimited:Which is the best? With the introduction of Amazon Music Unlimited, now is a great time to sign up for a streaming music service. In this article, we'll examine how Amazon's service compares to Spotify and Apple Music. Read more.
However, there are a few reasons why AAC might not be our audio savior. It's best only when you're playing at low bitrates. At anything over 128 kbps, it's hard to tell the difference. Second, AAC's space saving isn't much help. I mean, these days, you spend two MP3 songs just when you visit the front page of a high-tech website (and multiples of that when you stream a YouTube video. The YouTube Starter Kit:20 YouTubers Worth view YouTube Starter Kit:20 YouTubers Worth Watching There's a treasure trove of original content on YouTube, but it's hard to know where to start Let us help you with our list of 20 YouTubers who make the perfect YouTube starter kit . Read More). AAC is not this epic next generation format. It is based on MP3 and has a lot in common with our supposedly dear friend. Lastly, AAC requires a license fee. Whereas MP3 doesn't anymore.
From where we're sitting, it looks like MP3 isn't dead at all. In fact, MP3 is still a mere child.
What do you think about the “MP3 is dead” saga? Do you have a personal connection with this audio format? Do you think there is a better alternative out there that can replace MP3? Something that is infinitely better? Please share your thoughts in the comments below
