Some of the pioneers behind the MP3 format have introduced a new music file type that can include things like lyrics, videos, artwork, and blog posts. Called MusicDNA, the format was developed by Dagfinn Bach, who worked on the first MP3 player, and among the investors is Karlheinz Brandenburg, who is credited with inventing MP3.

The metadata aspect of MusicDNA is reminiscent of Apple's iTunes LP format, also known by the code name Cocktail, and a format called CMX, which several record labels are developing. Both iTunes LP and CMX package interactive features like artwork and lyrics in a single file. These formats intend to recreate the heyday of looking at album art and other extras while listening to music with friends. They would also allow the industry to charge more per file, given the additional content.

But is there more to the story? A key feature of MusicDNA is that it can dynamically update the content of your music file every time you connect to Internet. "We can deliver a file that is extremely searchable and can carry up to 32GB of extra information in the file itself. And it will be dynamically updatable so that every time the user is connected, his file will be updated," said Bach.

Call me paranoid, but couldn't that open the door for various DRM mechanisms? Would you happily adopt MusicDRM – I mean, DNA – or are you satisfied with existing music formats?