The MP3 is officially dead, according to those responsible for creating the audio format.

As NPR reports, The Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits, a division of the German research institution that financed the MP3's development in the late 1980s, recently made the announcement that its "licensing program for certain MP3 related patents and software of Technicolor and Fraunhofer IIS has been terminated".

Bernhard Grill, director of that Fraunhofer division, said that another audio format, AAC, which the organisation also helped to create, is replacing the MP3, such is the popularity of platforms such as iTunes, and is now the "standard for music download and videos on mobile phones," adding that it is "more efficient than MP3 and offers a lot more functionality". Streaming services, meanwhile, are turning to 'Master Quality Authenticated' files.

AAC files are the default for transferring CDs to iTunes, and, while they take up more space on our hard drives, it's believed that the move away from MP3s will have a great deal of benefits for our listening experience and access to music.