Winamp, the player that defined the MP3 era, is getting a streaming-era second act

Winamp is coming back in the first half of 2027, with Deezer supplying the streaming technology and global catalogue for a rebuilt player that pairs subscriptions with users’ own music files.

What the new player will do

The partnership, announced on 29 July, is the engine room of Winamp’s latest relaunch. Deezer provides its white-label streaming tech and licensed catalogue; the premium subscription service that results keeps the Winamp name and runs natively inside the new Winamp Player. Winamp says the player will blend streaming with local music libraries, internet radio, podcasts and personal cloud collections, wrapped in a “highly customisable” interface with social features.

“This partnership with Deezer gives us access to world-class streaming technology and one of the richest music catalogues in the world, allowing us to focus on what matters most: building a unique Winamp product that brings together everything users want to listen to in one place,” said Alexandre Saboundjian, chief executive of Winamp Group. Roughly translated: Winamp supplies the interface and the nostalgia; Deezer supplies everything that makes a streaming service actually work.

Why Winamp chose Deezer

The division of labour says as much about Deezer as it does about Winamp. Deezer is the independent underdog in a market run by Spotify and Apple Music; selling its infrastructure to brands with loyal audiences is a way to grow without outspending them. For Winamp it is the latest in a long line of reinventions — NFTs, creator tools, a mobile app — and the first that gives its surviving desktop audience a reason to pay. Winamp claims the classic player is still actively used by more than 40 million users worldwide, and says it will gain the premium tier once the new platform launches.

What remains unannounced is most of the product. Winamp has not said what the subscription will cost, which devices it will run on, or how its catalogue compares with what Spotify already offers. Further previews are promised in the coming months.