MP3’s dominance may end soon, as a new audio format may replace it

For the past two decades, we have all been consuming music in the MP3 format. Then came Opus in 2012, and it was slightly flexible. Now, a new audio format that’s even more flexible and efficient, and is largely expected to replace both MP3 and Opus, marking the audio technology’s biggest shift in years.

The new open-source audio codec is being developed by the Alliance for Open Media, the company behind AV1 and other known video formats. It’s now shifting its focus to audio, promising a next-generation audio format that’s royalty-free, efficient, and flexible.

Open Audio Codec may replace MP3

The new format, currently referred to as the Open Audio Codec or OAC, is built on the foundation of Opus, but aims to be better. It is still in early development, but it’s said to deliver better sound quality at lower bitrates while remaining completely open and royalty-free.

MP3 transformed digital music decades ago and is still universally supported today. Opus later became the preferred choice for internet calls and streaming, thanks to its efficiency and low latency performance.

The Open Audio Codec is designed to take the strengths of both, while being flexible and efficient. It has a royalty-free design, meaning it won’t cause any patent issues like Opus.

Because it is being developed under an open model, the codec could see wide adoption across browsers, streaming platforms, and communication apps.

The specifications for the Open Audio Codec are identical to Opus. It supports sampling rates from 8-48 KHz and bitrates from 510 kb/s. It also supports mono and stereo, constant bitrate, and variable bitrate.

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As of now, that’s all we know about the new Open Audio Codec, but we should learn more soon. Whether it replaces MP3 and Opus remains to be seen. What do you think about OAC? Let us know in the comments below.