Nullsoft
| Company type | Subsidiary (former) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software |
| Founded | January 1, 1997 in Sedona, Arizona, United States |
| Founder | Justin Frankel |
| Defunct | 2013 |
| Fate | Acquired by America Online in 1999; later assets sold to Radionomy in 2014 |
| Headquarters | Sedona, Arizona (original), later San Francisco, California , United States |
| Products | Winamp, SHOUTcast, Nullsoft Scriptable Install System (NSIS), Nullsoft Streaming Video (NSV) |
| Parent | America Online (1999–2013), Radionomy (2014–) |
Nullsoft, Inc. was a United States-based software house established in 1997 in Sedona, Arizona by the developer Justin Frankel. Its prominent offerings included the Winamp media player and the SHOUTcast MP3 streaming media server.
History
Founded in 1997 by Justin Frankel in Sedona, Nullsoft’s name was a playful nod to Microsoft. The company adopted Mike the Llama as its mascot, famously featured in Winamp’s startup sound, which drew inspiration from Wesley Willis’s lyric: "Winamp, it really whips the llama's ass!" The initial version of Winamp, created by Frankel alongside Dmitry Boldyrev, debuted the same year as one of the pioneering real-time MP3 players for Windows systems.
On June 1, 1999, Nullsoft and Spinner.com were acquired by America Online for an estimated $400 million, subsequently becoming part of AOL Music and relocating their headquarters to San Francisco.
By 2001, conflicts emerged between Nullsoft’s team and AOL executives due to Frankel’s firm support for file-sharing; he notably developed and launched the Gnutella peer-to-peer protocol using company assets. AOL faced challenges in generating revenue from Winamp or significantly expanding its audience. The closure of Nullsoft’s San Francisco office occurred in December 2003, coinciding with the exit of Frankel and the original Winamp development group.
In 2013, AOL began divesting or shutting down several music-related properties to Townsquare Media. Later that year, rumors surfaced about Microsoft negotiating to acquire Nullsoft. On January 14, 2014, Belgian online radio platform Radionomy officially took ownership of Winamp and SHOUTcast from AOL/Nullsoft; financial details were not publicly revealed.
Winamp
Winamp was introduced by Nullsoft in April 1997 as a media player and had achieved 15 million downloads by 1999. The company released various iterations over time, reaching 60 million monthly unique users by late 2004. Nullsoft ceased development of Winamp around 2013. Since 2023, new editions have been produced by Llama Group.
SHOUTcast
SHOUTcast is recognized as an MP3 streaming media server extensively utilized for internet radio transmissions.
Nullsoft Scriptable Install System
The open-source Nullsoft Scriptable Install System (NSIS) was developed by Nullsoft as a competitive alternative to commercial installation software such as InstallShield and InnoSetup and gained popularity for software deployment purposes.
Other
Following its acquisition, Nullsoft created the Nullsoft Streaming Video (NSV) format designed to stream media using multiple audio and video codecs. In 2002, the company advanced Ultravox technology aimed at improving streaming performance. Nullsoft also developed peer-to-peer networks including Gnutella and WASTE. Although AOL limited their distribution, Ultravox reportedly became integrated into select AOL radio services in 2003. Additionally, in 2003 Nullsoft announced a service named Nullsoft Television that utilized NSV technology.