Reuters U.K. reports of an upcoming meeting of the MPEG (Motion Pictures Experts Group) for a consideration of Korean-invented (Audizen) MT9, a new music format that is better than the popular MP3. MT9 (hyped as Music 2.0) separates 6 musical sounds in a music file - i.e. guitar, vocals, drums, etc. - and makes it possible for the user to adjust each sound’s volume. It’s a good way to freshen up the entire music industry especially on the retail side. The act of encoding tracks from MP3 to MT9 and asking hardware manufacturers to produce (hey, iPod!) players that support MT9 (a firmware update may not be enough for some players) could take years to accomplish. Come to think of it, with the fast turnovers of new models of music players, all it really takes is a few enthusiastic industry leaders to make this work. So what do you think, are you ready for the MT9 age?

Try Music 2.0 at the Audizen site.

Note: PMPToday likes MT9. We tested the samples Audizen has provided and we have high hopes for the MT9 format. We think it’s a great way to enjoy music and brings more facets to the audio experience, which is why we added the keyword to our list of categories.

[via reuters]