In May 2024, Llama Group, the owner of the iconic Winamp music player, fulfilled its promise by releasing the entire source code of Winamp on GitHub. This move was aimed at inviting developers to collaborate and contribute to the development of the project. Winamp, introduced by Nullsoft in 1997, gained immense popularity due to its support for MP3 digital music files, simple interface, customization options, support for various audio formats, and online radio and podcast listening capabilities.
The development of Winamp slowed down after AOL acquired Nullsoft, and it came to a halt in 2013. Despite efforts by Radionomy to revive the project in 2014, the software couldn’t regain its former prominence due to the shift towards online music streaming services.
The release of the Winamp source code on GitHub allows other developers to freely contribute to the modernization and advancement of the music player. However, it’s important to note that the software’s license prohibits the distribution of modified software created from the source code. This means that despite the availability of the source code, distributing modified versions of Winamp is restricted.
Given Winamp’s iconic status and the nostalgia associated with its early days, the release of the source code was met with strong interest from the community. Within 24 hours of its publication, Winamp’s GitHub repository received 2,500 likes and 600 forks, indicating a high level of community engagement. Despite the challenges of updating the source code to modern technologies, the release of the source code has opened up opportunities for collaboration and potential future developments for this legendary music player.