[media-types] Re: [IANA #1456464] audio/nbs registrati on request

On Wed, Jul 22, 2026 at 1:32 PM Amanda Baber via RT <
[email protected]> wrote:

> Would you be able to review this request for grandfathered type
> registration (per RFC 6838, Appendix A) by August 5th? If you recommend it,
> we'll ask the IESG to approve the type.
>

A couple of housekeeping notes inline, but they're minor.

One major question though: It's clear this format is established, but where
is the media type in use such that it would be appropriate under Appendix
A?  I couldn't find any.

-MSK


> thanks,
> Amanda
>
> =====
>
> Message from the applicant:
>
> The NBS (Note Block Studio) file format has been publicly documented and
> in continuous use since the original release of Minecraft Note Block Studio
> in 2011. It has continued to evolve over the years while maintaining
> compatibility through versioned revisions, and the format specification is
> publicly available:
>
> https://noteblock.studio/nbs


This talks about the format, but not the transport.

Is this media type actually in use anywhere?


> Since its introduction, the format has been adopted by a number of
> independent applications and libraries in addition to the original editor.
> These include Open Note Block Studio, NBS Player, NoteBlockLib, pynbs,
> nbs.js, Note Block Tool, and other independent implementations that read or
> write .nbs files.
>
> The format is also used beyond standalone applications. It is supported by
> Minecraft server software and server plugins that play note block music in
> multiplayer environments, allowing .nbs files to be used directly as
> playback assets rather than only as editor project files. As a result, the
> format has become the primary interchange format for Minecraft note block
> songs between editors, libraries, players, server software, and conversion
> tools.
>
> Some examples include:
>
> https://github.com/koca2000/NoteBlockAPI
>
> https://modrinth.com/plugin/noteblockapi


These APIs look like they can generate and consume the payload, but don't
get into transport.


> https://github.com/emortaldev/NoteBlockLib


This link 404s.


> The format has remained in active use for nearly fifteen years and
> continues to be maintained and implemented by multiple independent projects.
>
> With that in mind, I would appreciate having the registration reviewed by
> the IESG-designated media type experts for possible grandfathering.
>
> If they determine that a standards-tree registration is not appropriate, I
> would be happy to revise the application as a vendor-tree registration
> instead.
>
> ===
>
> Registration form:
>
> Name: Xi Chen
>
> Email: [email protected]
>
> Media type name: audio
>
> Media subtype name: nbs
>
> Required parameters: N/A
>
> Optional parameters: N/A
>
> Encoding considerations: binary
>
> Security considerations: This media type represents a binary song project
> file. Implementations should validate all lengths, counts, and offsets
> before use. Malformed files may result in excessive memory allocation or
> resource consumption if not properly validated. The format contains no
> executable code and is not intended to carry active content.
>
> Interoperability considerations: Files are versioned. Readers should
> reject unsupported versions or ignore unknown fields according to the file
> format specification where possible.
>
> Published specification: https://noteblock.studio/nbs
>
> Applications which use this media:
>
> Note Block Studio
> NBS Player
> NoteBlockLib
> nbs.js
> pynbs
> Note Block Tool
>
> Fragment identifier considerations: N/A
>
> Restrictions on usage: None.
>
> Provisional registration? (standards tree only): No
>
> Additional information:
>
> 1. Deprecated alias names for this type: None.
>

This should be "N/A".


> 2. Magic number(s): None.
>

This should probably be "N/A" as well.


> 3. File extension(s): .nbs
> 4. Macintosh file type code: N/A
> 5. Object Identifiers: N/A
>
> General Comments:
>
> Person to contact for further information:
>
> 1. Name: OpenNBS
>

I think, just to be nitpicky, that this should be "OpenNBS Project",
matching the change controller.


> 2. Email: [email protected]
>
> Intended usage: COMMON
>
> Author/Change controller: OpenNBS Project
>
>

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