#I need to know now mp3 software#
This open access to the file type is a good thing, both for developers who need to make their software support the greatest range of file formats possible, and for laypeople who may be familiar with “.mp3” as a file extension but not much else.įor most of us, the news might not change much, because MP3s come pre-licensed on most of our phones and computers. In practical terms, that means that anyone making a piece of audio software can now support encoding and compression for MP3 files without having to pay a licensing fee. The expiration of Fraunhofer’s patents means that as of April, the MP3 is no longer tethered to the host of encoding licenses that hindered its development since the first patent was filed in 1987. Sure, the MP3 isn’t what it used to be - an inescapable, ubiquitous part of the digital musical landscape - but it’s also not going anywhere. So which is it - are MP3s DOA, or finally free? Then again, with so much music consumption happening through streaming media and phone apps, MP3 players themselves seem like analog technology - and major music technology players like Apple jettisoned the MP3 years ago for greener pastures in the form of these “better” file types. Was the tolling of the death knell premature? Though the MP3 file might have been eclipsed among audiophiles by other file compression technology that arguably delivers better sound quality, it has yet to be replaced in the public eye after all, we still refer to audio devices as “MP3 players,” not, for example, “AAC players.”
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Earlier this month, one of the patent holders for the audio file type, the German technology institute Fraunhofer, announced that in April it had allowed its patents to expire.įraunhofer releasing its patents doesn’t mean MP3s will cease to exist, though - it simply means the ubiquitous file type has been released into the wild, making it easier for developers who had previously been unable to support the file type to now go forth and use the file extension any way they want.īut many in the media saw it differently, churning out a sea of articles on the “death” of the MP3 file and declaring that Fraunhofer released the patents because the institute “didn’t want to keep it on life support.”
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Reports of the MP3's death have been greatly exaggerated.