Winamp, the iconic MP3 player that dominated Windows desktops before the streaming era, is scheduled to return in 2027. However, the new iteration will differ significantly from its predecessor. Through a strategic partnership with Deezer, the software will be reborn as a modern music player featuring its own premium subscription service, leveraging Deezer’s white-label streaming infrastructure and licensed music catalog.
According to the official announcement, the revamped player will integrate local files, internet radio, podcasts, and cloud-stored music libraries alongside the new subscription tier. Importantly, Winamp states that this new platform will coexist with the original desktop application rather than replace it. The company reports that the classic version continues to serve more than 40 million active users globally, with the Deezer-powered subscription slated for addition after the initial launch.
The collaboration addresses financial challenges for Deezer, which reported a decline in new subscriptions from partner deals during the first half of 2026. Revenue from this segment dropped 7.6 percent to 70.7 million euros, with new partnerships falling by approximately 800,000 year-over-year. This decline coincided with the winding down of a bundling agreement with Latin American retailer Mercado Libre. In April, Deezer identified rebuilding its white-label business as a key strategic priority, citing recent deals with operators like Telenor and French energy provider EDF.
Winamp benefits from the arrangement by gaining access to licensing and streaming technology it previously lacked, while Deezer secures its largest brand integration to date within its Deezer for Business program. The deal was signed on July 1 and presented to investors as part of Deezer’s updated business offerings.
This upcoming launch follows a previous failed attempt to revitalize the brand. In October 2018, Alexandre Saboundjian, then CEO of Winamp owner Radioomy, promised a complete overhaul for 2019 that would unify home listening, MP3s, cloud libraries, and streaming. That plan never materialized due to the complexity of integrating multiple third-party services. The current partnership bypasses those obstacles by combining Winamp’s interface with Deezer’s infrastructure from day one.
The road to 2027 has seen other developments, including a refreshed version of the software released in 2022. In September 2024, Winamp published the classic player’s source code on GitHub under a custom license, but the repository was deleted weeks later following criticism over restrictions on forks and the presence of proprietary code from Dolby and Microsoft.
Details regarding pricing and supported platforms have not yet been disclosed. Winamp has described the upcoming subscription model as “fundamentally different” from current streaming services and promises features such as customizable interfaces, social tools, and enhanced music discovery. If successful, the Deezer partnership marks a significant rebound for a service that AOL nearly shut down in 2013 before selling it to Radionomy.
Does anyone else find it weird that a ‘subscription’ is coming to a tool once defined by local MP3 ownership? Fingers crossed it respects my library first.
I still have the classic desktop app running. Hope the new version doesn’t clutter the nostalgia with too many modern bells and whistles.