Throwing You Back To When Winamp Was Cool #TBT
90s kids will bid goodbye to their first digital music player ever as media giant AOL pulls the plug on Winamp after 16 years of production.
By Cedric Chan — 21 Nov 2013, 02:17 PM — Updated almost 11 years ago
They're Killing Winamp And It Will Be No More As Of 20 December 2013
While the company has declined to release official figures, former employees who worked on Winamp estimate its current revenue at around $6 million annually. And Winamp still has an estimated user base of millions worldwide.
engadget.com
"Winamp.com and associated Web services will no longer be available past December 20, 2013. Additionally, Winamp Media players will no longer be available for download. Please download the latest version before that date. See release notes for latest improvements to this last release. Thanks for supporting the Winamp community for over 15 years."
winamp.com
Winamp Was First Released In 1997 And Was Acquired By AOL In June 1999 For Over $80 Million
Though Winamp eventually lost popularity, in the late '90s and early 2000s it was one of the go-to media players for listening to local music or radio streams. In 2002, Winamp's maker, Nullsoft, was acquired by AOL for over $80 million in stock, where it's remained in development until now.
theverge.com
No Reason Is Given For Winamp's Shutdown
Its founder Justin Frankel was dubbed the World's Most Dangerous Geek by NYTimes and IEEE writer, David Kushner. Critics viewed AOL's acqusition of the Winamp as the turning point in its development.
The pioneer of digital players, back when MP3s were still new, has adapted to non-Windows operatings systems but failed to build on its fanbase
Image via androidcommunity.comWinamp released its last available version v5.6.6 on Nov 20, 2013. Music fans eventually gravitated to more adaptable, ubiquitous plug-ins such as iTunes, and more presently mobile music streaming services.
theverge.com
