Winamp Killed After 15 Years Of Media Playing

Much-loved media player Winamp will shutter on December 20, 2013, the company has announced, with the AOL-owned software planning to cease all of the related web services and yank the official download. The news, quietly announced alongside version 5.66 of the software, ends fifteen years of the app being offered, with the Winamp team warning that anybody wanting a copy before it's pulled should download soon.

AOL acquired Winamp creators Nullsoft back in June 1999, paying $80m in stock at the time. Since then, the software has been gradually developed – most recently adding new Windows 8 support and the capability of importing an iTunes Library.

However, the rise of the iPod and its companion iTunes software, along with streaming media services like Spotify, meant that Winamp's appeal waned. The team tried to broaden its footprint with an Android app, but it's unclear how many users upgraded to either the desktop or mobile Pro versions.

AOL had intended to use Winamp technologies as part of its own AOL Media Player. However, that app never made it past beta status, and was discontinued in 2005.

"Winamp.com and associated web services will no longer be available past December 20, 2013" the company said today. "Additionally, Winamp Media players will no longer be available for download. Please download the latest version before that date. Thanks for supporting the Winamp community for over 15 years."