This time, the arrangements have been completely revamped compared to before, and the new Winamp, set to be released in 2027, is a combination of the iconic MP3 player and a modern streaming service. This means that, in practice, Winamp can retain its late-90s look if desired, while simultaneously enjoying the ease of streaming - without forgetting MP3 file playback.
Winamp will not build its subscription-based streaming service from scratch; instead, the company has licensed the music catalog and streaming technology of French Deezer for its use.
To avoid scaring off current users of the original Winamp too much, Winamp promises in its press release that the original Winamp application, which operates without a streaming service, will also continue to exist, meaning there will be two separate versions of Winamp available in the future.
This move is likely quite smart, as, surprisingly, according to Winamp, the original MP3 player still has about 40 million active users. The new Winamp, set to be released next year and coexisting with the traditional version, is also promised to support MP3 file playback, internet radio playback, and Winamp's traditional playlists.
Winamp was originally released in 1997 and quickly became the world's most popular MP3 player, at a time when MP3's popularity was at its peak. The player was sold during the dot-com boom to the then-internet giant AOL. Since then, the player has changed ownership several times throughout its history, while the popularity of local music files has waned as streaming has conquered the music market.
The company has made several different "comebacks" and attempts over the years. Perhaps the most unsuccessful was the most recent one, where Winamp was promised to become an open-source program. However, the company only wanted external development assistance for the player's development, without actually releasing the program as open source. The experiment was almost immediately terminated, and since then, nothing has been heard from Winamp. Until now.
French Deezer, on the other hand, is increasingly investing in Winamp-style licensing partnerships, i.e., "white label" packaging, where it provides the technology and music catalog, but the actual streaming service is run by an external party.
Written by: Petteri Pyyny @ 20 Sep 2026 15:37
