Editing Nullsoft

{{Short description|American software company}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}

{{Infobox company
| name = Nullsoft
| logo = Nullsoft.svg
| type = Private
| successor = [[Radionomy]]
| foundation = 1997
| defunct = 2014
| location = [[Sedona, Arizona]]
| key_people = [[Justin Frankel]]<br />[[Tom Pepper]]
| industry = [[Computer software]]
| products = [[Winamp]], [[SHOUTcast]], and others
| owner = Radionomy Group
}}

'''Nullsoft, Inc.''' was<!--actual status indeterminate, wait for explicit source. See Talk--> an American [[software house]] founded in [[Sedona, Arizona]] in 1997 by programmer [[Justin Frankel]]. Its products included the [[Winamp]] [[media player (application software)|media player]] and the [[SHOUTcast]] [[MP3]] [[streaming media]] server. 

==History==
In 1997, [[Justin Frankel]], a programmer from [[Sedona, Arizona]], founded Nullsoft, Inc in his home town. The company's name is a [[parody]] of [[Microsoft]].<ref name="RS">{{cite magazine |first= David |last= Kushner |date= January 13, 2004 |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20070321025028/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5938320/the_worlds_most_dangerous_geek |title= The World's Most Dangerous Geek |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5938320/the_worlds_most_dangerous_geek |archivedate=March 21, 2007 |url-status= dead |accessdate= June 7, 2013}}</ref> ''Mike the Llama'' is the company's [[mascot]].{{efn|this is frequently referred to in promotional material (especially for Winamp) citing [[llama]]s. Frankel introduced the llama in Winamp's startup sound clip, inspired by the lyrics of [[Wesley Willis]]: "Winamp, it really whips the llama's ass!"<ref name="RS" />}} The company launched the media player [[Winamp]] in 1997, developed by Frankel and Dmitry Boldyrev. It was the second [[real-time computing|real-time]] MP3 player for Windows, following [[WinPlay3]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.silicon.co.uk/mobility/mobile-apps/tales-tech-history-winamp-220495|title = Tales in Tech History: Winamp|date = August 25, 2017}}</ref>

Nullsoft, along with [[Spinner.com]], were sold to [[AOL|America Online]] (AOL) on June 1, 1999, for around $400 million and thereafter existed as a [[subsidiary]], subsequently becoming a division of AOL Music. The headquarters were moved to [[San Francisco, California]].<ref name="Mook-2004">{{Cite news |last=Mook |first=Nate |date= November 10, 2004 |url=http://betanews.com/2004/11/10/death-knell-sounds-for-nullsoft-winamp/ |title= Death Knell Sounds for Nullsoft, Winamp |publisher= Betanews |accessdate= June 7, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Krigel |first=Beth |date=1999-06-01 |title=AOL buys Spinner, Nullsoft for $400 million |url=http://news.cnet.com/2100-1023-226540.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131208082243/http://news.cnet.com/2100-1023-226540.html |archive-date=2013-12-08 |access-date=2024-04-15 |website=CNET}}</ref>

According to [[Bonnie Burton]], then editor of the website Winamp.com, 2001 was a period of heightened tension between the Nullsoft staff and upper management, because of Frankel's uncompromising views about file-sharing. He had developed [[Gnutella]] in 2000 and released it using company infrastructure.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Burton |first1=Bonnie |title=Waving goodbye to Winamp, paying respects to Nullsoft |url=https://www.cnet.com/culture/waving-goodbye-to-winamp-paying-respects-to-nullsoft/ |website=CNET |access-date=14 April 2024 |language=en |date=November 22, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Harmon |first1=Amy |title=Technology; Free Music Software May Have Rattled AOL |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/20/business/technology-free-music-software-may-have-rattled-aol.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=14 April 2024 |date=20 March 2000}}</ref> Ars Technica also noted that AOL failed to effectively monetize or find a larger audience for Winamp.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Farivar |first=Cyrus |date=2017-07-03 |title=Winamp's woes: How the greatest MP3 player undid itself |url=https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2017/07/winamp-how-greatest-mp3-player-undid-itself/ |access-date=2024-04-15 |website=Ars Technica |language=en-us}}</ref> Nullsoft's San Francisco offices were closed in December 2003, with a near-concurrent departure of Frankel and the original Winamp development team.<ref name="RS" /><ref name="Mook-2004" /> In 2013, some AOL Music sites were shut down and others sold to [[Townsquare Media]].<ref>{{Cite news |title= Townsquare Media Acquires Some Doomed AOL Music Sites And Comics Alliance |first= Josh |last= Constine |date= June 2, 2013 |url= https://techcrunch.com/2013/06/02/townsquare-media-acquires-shuttered-aol-music-sites-and-comicsalliance/ |publisher=[[Techcrunch]] |accessdate= June 7, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title= AOL shuts down music-related services |publisher= CNET News |date= April 26, 2013 |first= Charles |last= Cooper |url= http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57581661-93/aol-shuts-down-music-related-services/ |accessdate= June 7, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title= Radio chain picks up pared-down AOL music sites |publisher= CNET News |date= June 3, 2013 |first= Joan E. |last=Solsman |url= http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57587311-93/radio-chain-picks-up-pared-down-aol-music-sites/ |accessdate= June 7, 2013}}</ref>

In November 2013, an unofficial report surfaced that [[Microsoft]] was in talks with AOL to acquire Nullsoft.<ref>{{cite web|title=AOL reportedly wants to sell Winamp to Microsoft|url=https://www.theverge.com/2013/11/21/5130536/microsoft-aol-reportedly-working-on-winamp-sale|work=The Verge|date=November 21, 2013 |accessdate=November 21, 2013}}</ref> On January 14, 2014, it was officially announced that Belgian online radio aggregator [[Radionomy]] had bought Winamp and Shoutcast, formerly owned by Nullsoft. No financial details were publicly announced.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://techcrunch.com/2014/01/01/aol-sells-winamp-and-shoutcast-music-services-to-online-radio-aggregator-radionomy|title=AOL Sells Winamp And Shoutcast Music Services To Online Radio Aggregator Radionomy|last=Lunden|first=Ingrid|work=[[TechCrunch]]|publisher=[[AOL]]|date=January 1, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Winamp lives on after acquisition by Radionomy|url=https://www.theverge.com/2014/1/14/5263086/winamp-radionomy-acquisition-internet-radio-service|work=The Verge|date=January 14, 2014 |accessdate=January 14, 2014}}</ref>

== Software ==
=== Winamp ===
{{main|Winamp}}
Winamp is a media player released by Nullsoft in April 1997. By 1999, it was downloaded by 15 million people.<ref name="RS" /> The company released several new versions of the Winamp player and grew its monthly unique subscriber base to 60 million users by late 2004.<ref name="Mook-2004" /> Winamp was discontinued by Nullsoft around 2013.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Burton |first=Bonnie |date=2013-11-23 |title=Waving goodbye to Winamp, paying respects to Nullsoft |url=https://www.cnet.com/culture/waving-goodbye-to-winamp-paying-respects-to-nullsoft/ |access-date=2024-04-15 |website=CNET |language=en}}</ref> New versions of Winamp, which started releasing in 2023, are by a different developer named Llama Group.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Newman |first=Jared |date=2023-04-12 |title=Winamp is back, but not like you remember |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90880374/winamp-is-back-but-not-like-you-remember |access-date=2024-04-15 |website=FastCompany}}</ref>

=== SHOUTcast ===
{{main|Shoutcast}}
SHOUTcast (currently Shoutcast) is an [[MP3]] [[streaming media]] server.

=== Nullsoft Scriptable Install System ===
{{Section-stub|date=April 2025}}
In later years, their open source installer system, the Nullsoft Scriptable Install System (NSIS) became an alternative to commercial products like [[InstallShield]], [[InnoSetup]], InstallSimple and InstallAware.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cimpanu |first1=Catalin |title=Trend: Ransomware Hidden in NSIS Installers Harder to Detect |url=https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/trend-ransomware-hidden-in-nsis-installers-harder-to-detect/ |website=[[Bleeping Computer]] |access-date=14 April 2024 |language=en-us |date=March 16, 2017}}</ref>

=== Other ===
Nullsoft's developments after acquisition included the Nullsoft Streaming Video (NSV) format, which was intended to stream media that used any [[audio codec|audio]] or [[video codec]]. In 2002, the press reported a technology called [[Ultravox (software)|Ultravox]] being developed by Nullsoft.<ref>{{Cite news |title= AOL aims to supercharge streaming |publisher= CNET News |date= June 26, 2002 |first= Jim |last= Hu |url= http://news.cnet.com/AOL-aims-to-supercharge-streaming/2100-1023_3-939736.html |accessdate= June 7, 2013}}</ref> The company also created the [[peer-to-peer]] networks [[Gnutella]] and [[WASTE]].<ref name="RS" /> Although AOL tried to limit the distribution of Gnutella and WASTE, the Ultravox technology was reportedly used for some AOL radio services in 2003.<ref>{{Cite news |title=AOL pulls Nullsoft file-sharing software |publisher= Flexbeta |date= May 30, 2003 |url= http://www.flexbeta.net/main/comments.php?catid=1&id=2931|url-status=dead |archivedate= September 8, 2004 |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20040908005241/http://www.flexbeta.net/main/comments.php?catid=1&id=2931|accessdate= June 7, 2013}}</ref> A service called Nullsoft Television was announced in 2003 using NSV.<ref>{{Cite web |title= Nullsoft TV Worldwide Public Access |publisher= Nullsoft.com |url= http://www.nullsoft.com/ntv/publicaccess/ |url-status=dead |archivedate= February 19, 2003 |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20030219221159/http://www.nullsoft.com/ntv/publicaccess/ |accessdate= June 7, 2013}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.winamp.com/ Winamp]

[[Category:Companies disestablished in 2013]]
[[Category:Companies established in 1997]]
[[Category:Defunct software companies of the United States]]
[[Category:Former Time Warner subsidiaries]]
[[Category:Radionomy]]
[[Category:1999 mergers and acquisitions]]