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Shortly after its 26th birthday, we revisit this interview celebrating a quarter-century of the MP3.

On July 14, 1995 the file extension .MP3 was chosen and set in place for an audio format that would go on to change music. Artist, scholar and curator John Kannenberg marks the 25th anniversary of this event with an online exhibit, “MP3 @ 25: The Anniversary Exhibition” at his Museum of Portable Sound.

John joins this episode to explain why it’s important to observe this anniversary, and to recount some of the milestones in MP3’s history. From the somewhat apocryphal story of Suzanne Vega’s “Tom’s Diner” as the first MP3, to the introduction of the iPod, he helps us understand the role of MP3 in delivering us into the fully digital music universe we now inhabit.

We also dive into his singular museum, which exists on a single iPhone 4s, with a printed catalog to guide the visitor. Because of COVID-19 John is now available to provide guided online tours of the many sound artifacts that Museum of Portable Sound has in its archives. Either way, it’s about experiencing sound directly and purely, without distraction. (And we are here for the love of Radio and Sound.)

Show Notes:

• MP3 @ 25: The Anniversary Exhibition
• The Museum of Portable Sound
• Atlas Obscura: A Loopy Library of Sounds Features Sprinklers, Sirens, and Freud’s Toilet
• The Diamond Rio was one of the first MP3 players, garnering a lawsuit from the recording industry
• 10 Reasons Why CDs Are Still Awesome (Especially for Radio)
• Minidisc.org
• Podcast #255 – ‘Geek of the Week’ and the Beginning of Internet Radio
• Podcast 253 – Sound Streams: Dissecting the History of Internet Radio
• Podcast #167 – Alternative Histories of Podcasting

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