Strypey

"... the digital form of preserving music, how long it will last? Even an mp3 with changes of technology is the mp3 eventually going to be unplayable on our devices?”

- AlexRoss, 2022

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2018830265/alex-ross-it-s-nice-to-see-spotify-suffering-a-bit

#MP3 #DigitalMusic #DigitalMusicNews

Alex Ross: ‘It’s nice to see Spotify suffering a bit’

There's been unprecedented fallout for Spotify since musician Neil Young withdrew from the music streaming service in late January. Yet Spotify's business model has long been of concern in the music industry in relation to its poor payment policies for musicians. Music critic Alex Ross explains.

RNZ
Feb 14, 2022 at 11:19pmWeb
Show threadStrypeyFeb 14, 2022
Most likely mp3 files will be playable for as long as there are computers, because it's a documented, widely supported format, and AFAIK no longer encumbered by patents.
Show threadAlex@rtnVFRmedia Suffolk UKFeb 14, 2022
@strypey if I'm not listening to traditional linear radio I only listen to MP3s in the car; whilst my sound system will do Bluetooth streaming it means dealing with the further distraction of the mobile phone app which is unsafe (in some cases outright illegal under UK traffic laws), lots of countries are starting to clamp down harder on distracted driving (and rightly so)
Show threadErtainFeb 15, 2022
@strypey MP3s having staying power.
Show threadSandraMar 22, 2022
@strypey It sucked that MP3s were the one format that caught on with its awful-sounding filter banks compared to almost any other format like aac or opus.
Show threadStrypeyMar 24, 2022
@Sandra
It's most likely related to mp3 being the standard used by hardware decoders across a range of player devices. Keep in mind this happened before it was possible to update the firmware / software of digital appliances, something that still isn't for the faint of heart. Compatibility with legacy hardware then gives mp3 use a killer advantage among by those distributing digital music. Software media players then have to be compatible, boosting the network effect even further.