AOL shuts down Winamp for good

I caught this story on twitter today and it got me thinking.  Every podcast I listen to is either using a web player or is cataloged in my Winamp library.  Along the same lines I have used Winamp to rip every CD I own for easy digital storage and at one time I used to subscribe to several Shoutcast servers for music and tech news.

Now that Winamp is going away I won't have any more of that.  There might be a chance that someone will pick it up as an open source project but given that AOL paid big bucks for the startup I highly doubt it.

On Wednesday, Ars confirmed the announcement with Geno Yoham, Winamp’s general director since October 2008. He declined immediate comment but said that he would try to arrange a future interview.

Ars wrote an extensive feature on the rise and fall of Winamp in June 2012, detailing AOL’s mismanagement of the property since its dotcom-boom acquisition. As we reported then, Winamp continued to receive updates and make a tiny amount of money for AOL throughout the last 15 years. AOL even released the first Android version in 2010 and a Mac version in 2011.

I guess it will be time to make sure I'm upgraded to the latest version, pay to make sure I have a good key and hope for the best while I wait for the next big thing to come along.

Related Web URL: http://arstechnica.com/business/2013/11/after-15-y...