Grooveshark Closes Down, Posts Apology on Website

For a company that served as a precursor to today's music industry, and a trailblazer for now-ubiquitous streaming music platforms, it's not the most dignified exit.

Grooveshark closed down yesterday (April 30) as part of an agreement with the recording industry.

Warner, Sony, and Universal -- in other words, all the major labels -- have pursued litigation against Grooveshark for copyright infringement since 2011. The streaming service originally launched in 2007 and hit its peak around 2011, when it claimed 35 million users. That number no doubt declined heavily after the service's app was removed from Apple and Google app stores in 2010 and 2012, respectively.

This year, Grooveshark saw itself staring down legal damages of up to $736 million. Instead, it chose to shutter the streaming service, issuing an unequivocal apology on its website.

"Today we are shutting down Grooveshark," the statement begins. "We started out ten years ago with the goal of helping fans share and discover music. But despite the best of intentions, we made very serious mistakes."

The statement goes on to urge Grooveshark users to sign up with a licensed streaming service.

"There are now hundreds of fan-friendly, affordable services available for your to choose from, including Spotify, Deezer, Google Play, Beats Music, Rhapsody, and Rdio, among many others. If you love music and respect the artists, songwriters, and everyone else who makes great music possible, use a licensed service the compensates artists and other rights holders."

You can read the entire apology here.