FoxyTunes
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software, Browser extension |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Founder | Vitaly Sirota, Alex Sirota |
| Fate | Acquired by Yahoo! in 2008; discontinued in 2013 |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Alex Sirota |
| Products | Browser media playback extension |
| Owner | Yahoo! (from 2008) |
| Parent | Yahoo! |
FoxyTunes functioned as a browser add-on that allowed users to manage media playback directly within their internet browser. Created by Alex Sirota and later purchased by Yahoo! in 2008, the extension was officially retired in 2013.
History
Alex Sirota, a computer science graduate, initially released FoxyTunes as a free tool supported by donations in 2004. The venture was formally established in 2005 by Vitaly and Alex Sirota with backing from private investors. On February 4, 2008, Yahoo! acquired the company for an amount reportedly exceeding , maintaining the FoxyTunes brand. Yahoo! declared on June 28, 2013, that FoxyTunes would be discontinued as of July 1, 2013. At its height, the software was localized into more than 30 languages.
Software
FoxyTunes operated through a toolbar integrated into compatible web browsers.
It was compatible with browsers such as Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, SeaMonkey, Mozilla Application Suite, Flock, and Mozilla Thunderbird. The extension offered basic media player controls and displayed information about the track currently playing. In 2007, FoxyTunes introduced the FoxyTunes Planet, a rich media homepage. Additionally, the toolbar allowed users to search for images, lyrics, videos, and artist biographies related to the music being played.
Users had the option to personalize the toolbar’s look by installing skin extensions that provided different designs, color schemes, dimensions, and minimized views.
Supported players
FoxyTunes was compatible with over 30 desktop and online media players across various operating systems:
- Microsoft Windows
- Apollo media player
- The Core Media Player
- dBpoweramp Audio Player
- foobar2000
- iTunes
- JetAudio
- JRiver Media Center
- Last.fm
- MediaMonkey
- Media Player Classic
- musikCube
- Musicmatch Jukebox
- Spotify
- Songbird
- Sonique
- Quintessential Player
- Pandora
- RealPlayer
- UltraPlayer
- VLC media player
- Winamp
- Windows Media Player
- Yahoo! Music Jukebox / Yahoo! Music Engine
- Zinf
- Linux
- Mac OS X
- Online services
- Yahoo! News
- Yahoo! Music
- Twitter via TwittyTunes
Reception
Version 1.0 of FoxyTunes received attention from several prominent technology outlets including ExtremeTech in 2004, Ynet in 2005, PCMag in 2007, and PCWorld. In a 2008 feature titled "Firefox 3: Top ten extensions" for The Telegraph, Claudine Beaumont identified it as her preferred add-on. By that year, Haaretz reported that FoxyTunes had amassed 8 million downloads. Later evaluations were published on platforms such as download.com, Softpedia, How-To Geek, and in 2011 by Chris Wiles for TechAdvisor/Macworld as well as on Ghacks.