The MP3 turns 25: A weird filename extension turned music revolution


Karlheinz Brandenburg, head of the Fraunhofer Working Group for Electronic Media Technology Ilmenau, developed the audio file format that turned the entire music industry upside down. — Heinz Hirndorf/dpa

MPEG Layer 1 has long been forgotten. MPEG Layer 2 can sometimes still be found in old TV sets. But it was MPEG Layer 3, better known as the MP3, that spurred a revolution in music.

It started 25 years ago in July 1995, when a team of researchers in Germany found a way to compress audio data into a smaller file that was easier to share online.

Subscribe or renew your subscriptions to win prizes worth up to RM68,000!

Monthly Plan

RM13.90/month

Annual Plan

RM12.33/month

Billed as RM148.00/year

1 month

Free Trial

For new subscribers only


Cancel anytime. No ads. Auto-renewal. Unlimited access to the web and app. Personalised features. Members rewards.
Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

MP3

   

Next In Tech News

Should you still learn to code in an AI world?
Beauty filters make us look more intelligent, research shows
Opinion: You are backing up your photos, right?
'Life Is Strange: Double Exposure' review: Max’s return a welcome reality
From Tetris to Mario, challenge of video games may boost brain health
The ultrasonic bath gets revisited with added AI
Divorce: Who gets the social media accounts?
Canadian news companies challenge OpenAI over alleged copyright breaches
Czech online grocer Rohlik valued at nearly $2 billion, document shows
Meta faces trial in October on unfair competition case lodged by Spanish media

Others Also Read