MP3 Creators Unveil New Music File Format “MusicDNA”

The creators of the MP3, the revolutionary music file that sent shock waves through the industry by making songs more easily played and shared on personal computers, are working on a new format called “MusicDNA,” a file type that would house music, lyrics, videos, artwork and as much as 32 gigabyte’s worth of information, the BBC reports. Norwegian developer Dagfinn Bach, who worked on the first MP3 player in 1993, and Karlheinz Brandenburg, the inventor of the MP3, revealed the “Music DNA” files at Cannes’ Midem music conference. So far, only the U.K. indie label Beggars Banquet and Tommy Boy Records have signed up to use the new format, which will have its beta launch this spring.

According to the BBC, “MusicDNA” will likely serve as a competitor to Apple’s iTunes LP, which also offers users lyrics, more elaborate album artwork and bonus tracks. The “MusicDNA” file will also be able to update with new information whenever the file is activated. “We can deliver a file that is extremely searchable and can carry up to 32GB of extra information in the file itself, and it will be dynamically updatable so that every time the user is connected, his file will be updated,” Bach said. (more…)