As reported by Ars Technica, Winamp posted a brief message on its site this afternoon announcing the company's closure after more than 15 years. All Winamp services will go dark on December 20, and no further support will be offered for Winamp media players.
Back in 1999, AOL purchased Winamp for more than $80 million dollars. And according to its staff, the AOL acquisition began the long, arduous decline of the Winamp brand. "There's no reason that Winamp couldn’t be in the position that iTunes is in today if not for a few layers of mismanagement by AOL that started immediately upon acquisition," said Winamp's Rob Lord, during a 2012 interview. Matt Clark is a freelance writer covering the world of videogames, tech, and popular culture. Follow him on Twitter @ClarkMatt and MyIGN at Matt_Clark.