1995

MP3 stands for MPEG-1 Audio Layer III, a method for strongly compressing audio data.
The technology is largely developed at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany.
MP3 significantly reduces file size while maintaining acceptable sound quality.
This makes it possible to share music easily over the internet.
An entire CD can suddenly fit into just a few megabytes of storage.
In the late 1990s, the first MP3 players and music software appear.
Music sharing through online platforms and file-sharing networks grows rapidly.
Music increasingly becomes a digital file rather than a physical medium.
The MP3 format fundamentally changes the music industry.
It prepares the way for digital music stores, downloads and streaming services.
MP3 becomes one of the most influential audio formats of the modern era.