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Winamp

The MP3 player that soundtracked the 90s internet — still exists, now as a services-focused brand

Transformed — Winamp, created by Justin Frankel's Nullsoft in 1997, was the dominant MP3 and media player of the late 1990s and 2000s. It still exists as a player, but in recent years it has shifted toward artist services, with the desktop player described as "legacy software."

Winamp was released in 1997 by Nullsoft, the company founded by Justin Frankel, and it quickly became the way most people played MP3s. Its hugely customizable skins, playlist system and support for custom plug-ins made it a near-universal part of the early digital-music experience.

The player grew into an icon of the late-1990s and 2000s internet. AOL acquired Nullsoft in 1999, and Winamp continued to be updated and used for years, even as other players and streaming services appeared. It also became famous for its long-running "This is Winamp, it really whips the llama's ass" startup message.

Winamp survives today under newer ownership. Its desktop player remains available, but the company has pivoted toward artist services, and the classic desktop app is now described as "legacy software." It is a much smaller operation than the powerhouse it once was.

Quick facts

Launched
1997, by Nullsoft
Creator
Justin Frankel
Peak
Dominant MP3 player of the 2000s
Acquired
By AOL in 1999
Status
Still exists as a player
Now
Pivoted to artist services

Lineage — where the name went

A player written by two programmers in 1997, bought by AOL, nearly shut down by AOL, rescued by a Belgian streaming startup, and finally valuable enough that its owner took its name.

  1. 1997 — Justin Frankel created Winamp (co-creator of the player)
  2. 1997 — Dmitry Boldyrev created Winamp (co-creator of the player)
  3. 1997 — Justin Frankel founded Nullsoft (the company built around the player)
  4. Nullsoft created SHOUTcast (the streaming-radio server that shipped alongside the player)
  5. 1999 — AOL acquired Nullsoft (took the company, and with it the player)
  6. 2013 — AOL created The 2013 shutdown announcement (the announcement that the player would close in December 2013)
  7. The 2013 shutdown announcement was succeeded by Winamp (the closure AOL announced and then reversed by selling instead)
  8. 2014 — Radionomy acquired Winamp (bought from AOL in January 2014)
  9. 2014 — Radionomy acquired SHOUTcast (the two assets were sold together; AOL took a 12% stake in the buyer)
  10. Radionomy rebranded as Llama Group (the same Belgian company under a later name)
  11. 2025 — Llama Group rebranded as Winamp Group SA (the owner took the name of the product it had bought)
  12. 2024 — Llama Group created The 2024 source-code release (the Windows source was released under a custom source-available licence and then withdrawn)

Entities in this tree: Justin Frankel (person); Dmitry Boldyrev (person); Nullsoft (company, 1997); Winamp (product, 1997); SHOUTcast (product); AOL (company); The 2013 shutdown announcement (event, 2013); Radionomy (company); Llama Group (company); Winamp Group SA (company); The 2024 source-code release (event, 2024)

Sources

  1. Winamp - Wikipedia — Wikipedia (2026-09-05)
  2. What happened to Winamp: from the MP3 myth to its return — Mundobytes (2026-09-05)
  3. After 15 years of llama-whipping, AOL shuts down Winamp for good — Ars Technica (2026-09-20)
  4. AOL Sells Winamp And Shoutcast For $5-10M To Radionomy, Takes 12% Stake In Belgian Digital Audio Startup — TechCrunch (2026-09-20)
  5. Winamp is opening up its source code — Winamp (2026-09-20)
  6. Llama Group Officially Becomes Winamp Group SA — Euronext (2026-09-20)

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