If you love something, do you have to let it go?
A quick search on google images of the word “MP3” yields nostalgic results like an iPod Nano (the "it" item of 2005) and even near–forgotten MP3 players. Over the past several decades, certain technologies have been made obsolete (I’m looking at you, Walkman) while others, like Polaroid cameras, seem to have no expiration date. The question is, will the MP3 be able to hold on in a hipster niche like the vinyl record or is even ironic usage implausible?
The MP3 file’s biggest weakness as it struggles to hold off from obsolescence is what probably made it so popular in the first place: its practicality. As soon as you search MP3 you are offered several sites to convert music from youtube to an MP3 file – every music pirator’s dream. But with new audio formats like AAC files (Advanced Audio Coding), the practicalities of MP3 files is no longer unique. Companies like Apple are leaving it behind for these newer technologies, which are basically improved versions of the MP3.
While newer audio formats have supposed better quality audio, why do some older mediums stick around? The prime success story is the vinyl record which saw a resurgence in the last decade. The key to its revival was that it found its niche market: hipsters. With Urban Outfitters coming in second for the vinyl record market share after Amazon, it’s clear that at least a portion of the targeted segment is a younger and trendier consumer. Whether it’s for the Insta, for the sound, or just the nostalgia of owning something physical in a digital era, the vinyl revival means that hope might remain for the MP3. Though this analog format was replaced with digital formats like CDs which claimed to be superior, the vinyl revival shows that music might not only be about the sound for some listeners.
Music, like all types of art, is a different experience for everyone. For some it might just be a distraction on their morning commute, while others dedicate their lives to it—it’s a spectrum of music listening and appreciation. And even with new technologies claiming to provide better sounds, it’s hard if not impossible to quantify the full experience of music. With a variety of audio formats and different listening preferences, the future of MP3 isn’t necessarily dead, but perhaps uncertain. MP3 files lack the physical appeal that helped vinyl records in their resurgence, but who’s to say that in 20 years we won’t all rush to eBay (or whatever futuristic equivalent) because we miss our pink 2nd generation ipod nanos. Either way, MP3 files have been there for us whenever we needed an Adele song to cry to or a pump–up song before a nerve–wracking final. So if you’re bored at home over the summer, find your old iPod and relive the many years of MP3 file–facilitated head bopping.
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