Thanks for the correction. I always thought that the MP3 format was freeware (I likely read false info about it a long time ago), but it makes sense that somewhere along the line that consumers were paying for it somewhere, somehow. The decoders are found in nearly all electronic devices that can playback digital music files.
MP3 was always known to be what it is. It is lossy garbage. There was no hiding this. It was a means to an end and gave consumers convenience they didn't have before. At that time we didn't have so much storage space at out finger tips. Now we do. We have storage space everywhere, including in the cloud. Not only that, bandwidth is not really a problem either as the author of the video states. Basically, there's is no reason ANYONE should be listening to compressed formats anymore regardless of the "marketed" benefits. I like the fact that content providers, including Spotify, are shifting toward higher quality (maybe eventually lossless). It's about time! Don't let MQA take it away from us.