Winamp, one of the pioneers in online digital music, will officially be discontinued on December 20. AOL, which manages the 15-year-old music player and media file manager, made the announcement Wednesday.
The shutdown of Winamp includes its website and associated web services. It will also be unavailable for download after that, but you can install it into your PC (as well as Winamp for Android if you like).
While there are many alternatives to satisfy your online music fix from iTunes to Pandora, from Spotify to Last.fm, many online music fans–especially those who have used Winamp back in the 1990s–felt a bit nostaligic for something that is part of the evolution of digital music.
“Winamp was a trailblazer in the digital music revolution and iTunes wouldn’t exist without the groundbreaking work they did,” Michael Robertson, founder of MP3.com, said in an interview with Mashable. “The guys behind Winamp were pioneers that deserve a place in the music hall of fame.”
And if you’re wondering what’s with the software’s association with llama jokes, it has to do with the brand’s demo mp3 file released in 1998, which includes the statement: “Winamp, it really whips the llama’s ass.”
Source: Mashable
