Winamp

Related Saying Goodbye to Winamp with One Last Spin

We might have gotten all nostalgic for nothing, as Winamp will reportedly avoid being shut down today.

According to TechCrunch, AOL is “finalizing negotiations” to sell Winamp and the Shoutcast Internet radio service to an unnamed buyer. Both products would live on under the deal, says “a source with knowledge of the discussions.”

While the deal isn’t done yet, it’s apparently close. In the meantime AOL may keep the MP3 software on its servers beyond the announced shutdown date of December 20.

TechCrunch previously reported that Microsoft was interested in buying Winamp. It’s not clear whether that’s still the case.

After taking Winamp for a spin last month, I was pleasantly surprised by how well it performed in its old age. I’d probably start using it more often if my music listening hadn’t shifted entirely to streaming sources such as Rdio, Songza and Pandora.

If Winamp does get a stay of execution, we’ll probably hear more details soon. In the meantime, read this wonderful ode to Winamp by Ryan Sims, who is now the head of design at Rdio.

Update: As Engadget points out, you can also crank up the nostalgia with Spotiamp, a lightweight Spotify player that resembles Winamp in its glory days.