MP3 Logo Wins UK Industry Support

A logo to show that MP3 files will play on all devices has won support from seven of Britain's biggest download sites.

MP3: 100% Compatible. That’s the way the logo devised by the Entertainment Retailers Association in the UK reads, a simple method of putting across the message that MP3 files will play on any type of device.

It’s been embraced by seven of Britain’s biggest music download sites – HMV, Woolworths, 7digital, Digitalstores, Tescodigital, Tunetribe, and Play.com – as a way to show consumers what they can do with their downloads, raise the MP3 profile, and help identify legal download sites.

The Official UK Charts Company said that single track downloads were up 41% and album downloads had increased 69% over 2007.

Ben Dury of 7Digital told the BBC:

"The beauty of an MP3 file is that once you have bought it, you don’t need to be a computer genius or a lawyer to make it work and you are not locked in to a relationship with a single retailer or hardware manufacturer."