MP3

File Format
Name	MP3
Ontology	Electronic File Formats Audio and Music MP3
Extension(s)	.mp3
MIME Type(s)	audio/mpeg
Released	1993

MP3 is the name commonly given to the audio formats specified by MPEG-1 Layer III and MPEG-2 Layer III, standardized as ISO/IEC 11172-3:1993. It uses lossy compressed data. It is based in part on work by the Fraunhofer Institute, which still holds patents in the format. Other companies may also hold patents encumbering its implementation.

ID3 tags are often used to provide metadata in MP3 files, though they aren't part of the MP3 specification.

References

• MP3 (Wikipedia)

Software

• MP3DirectCut -- MP3 editor
• LAME MP3 encoder: open-source
• LAME compiled libraries - needed for various software to let it import/export/use MP3s