Winamp, the music player that became a popular tool in the late 1990s and early 2000s, was officially scooped up by Radionomy on Tuesday. The media player and its comrade SHOUTcast were slated to shut down on December 20, but sources claimed the halt in service was put on hold so that AOL could hammer out the details of a possible acquisition. Now the deal has gone public.
"Winamp is a top independent player that gives millions of people the best player functionality available," Radionomy CEO Alexandre Saboundijian said in a statement. "Its role is clear in the future evolution of online media—we plan to make the player ubiquitous, developing new functionalities dedicated to desktop, mobile, car systems, connected devices and all other platforms."
Unnamed sources told TechCrunch that the two services were bought from AOL in a cash and share deal worth between $5 million and $10 million USD, and AOL taking a 12 percent stake of Radionomy in the process. AOL originally paid $80 million for Nullsoft, developer of Winamp and SHOUTcast, back in 1999. AOL's stake in the company will be financial, sources told TechCrunch.
Radionomy will reportedly provide Winamp users with access to more than 60,000 Internet radio stations; playback for 60 audio and video formats; 6,000 add-ons, including skins, plug-ins, online services and visualizations -- all available in 16 languages. There will also be tools for managing podcast subscriptions.
Radionomy's acquisition of SHOUTcast will expand its presence in the United States, making it the source of approximately half of all streamed Internet radio worldwide. Even more, Winamp browsing and streaming capabilities will also offer an opportunity to expose more listeners to Radionomy and Shoutcast stations, Radionomy revealed in a press release.
"Winamp and Shoutcast are great brands with significant value in the right situation, which Radionomy will provide," said Susan Lyne, CEO of AOL's Brand Group. "This is a very positive outcome for the enthusiastic users of these products."
For more information about Winamp and SHOUTcast, head here.
