mp3
What is a .mp3 file?
audio/mpeg
MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer III) is a lossy audio format using perceptual coding to discard inaudible detail at a chosen bitrate. It is extremely widely supported and commonly carries ID3 metadata tags for title, artist, and cover art. It remains a default for music distribution and playback.
How to use a .mp3 file
Use an example MP3 to test audio decoders, ID3 tag parsing, bitrate and VBR handling, and transcoding or streaming pipelines.
Download example .mp3 files
- MP3 — CBR 192 kbpsThe source clip as constant-bitrate MP3 (LAME, 192 kbps) — the most universally supported lossy audio format. For testing MP3 decoders, players, and conversion.
- MP3 — VBR (V2)The same clip as variable-bitrate MP3 (LAME V2) — for testing VBR handling, seeking, and duration estimation against the CBR twin.
- ID3-tagged MP3 (title / artist / album)An MP3 with a full set of ID3v2.3 tags (title, artist, album, date, genre, comment) over a synthetic C-major melody. A fixture for testing tag readers, metadata editors, and music-library importers.
- MP3 with ID3 Tags and Cover ArtAn MP3 with deterministic ID3v2.3 text frames and embedded PNG cover art wrapped around unchanged MPEG audio frames.
- MP3 with ID3 Metadata StrippedThe same MPEG audio frames with leading and trailing ID3 metadata removed, for checking metadata scrubbing without an audio transcode.