We’re pretty sure everyone’s who’s reading this has downloaded an MP3 file at least once in their lifetime. The audio format, which became synonymous with higher bit rates with a relatively smaller file size, is being discontinued after the rights owners terminated its licensing program.
The official statement released by The Fraunhofer Institute, the owners of the rights to license the MP3 patent to developers, reads:
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.
The MP3 format played a huge role in helping Apple become the dominant force in music distribution, through the iPod and downloadable music. With AAC as the designated successor to MP3, it remains to be seen how this move will affect the music industry.
H/T: Gizmodo
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