Prime Highlights
- Winamp will partner with Deezer to power its new premium music subscription service.
- Winamp will partner with Deezer to power its new premium music subscription service.
Key Facts
- Winamp is a classic music player that gained popularity during the MP3 era.
- Winamp’s free desktop player is currently used by more than 40 million people.
Background
Winamp, the once-dominant music player from the MP3 era, is preparing for a fresh comeback through a new partnership with streaming service Deezer.
The two companies announced this week that Deezer will power Winamp’s upcoming premium music subscription service. Under the agreement, Winamp will use Deezer’s white-label technology and its global licensed music catalogue, while keeping its own branding and user interface intact.
The tie-up forms part of a wider relaunch built around the next-generation Winamp Player, expected to launch in the first half of next year. The companies said the updated player aims to reinvent the listening experience for the streaming era by bringing together premium music streaming, local music libraries, internet radio, podcasts and personal cloud collections within a single application.
Winamp said the new service would focus heavily on personalisation, offering a customisable interface, social features and improved tools to discover and organise music. The company stated that its subscription offering would provide a distinctly different experience compared with existing digital streaming platforms.
Although the announcement is likely to appeal to long-time Winamp users from the MP3 era, it remains uncertain how many listeners will be willing to pay for another music subscription, given the already crowded streaming market dominated by major players. Even so, Winamp noted that its free desktop player continues to be used by more than 40 million people worldwide.
This is in addition to the renewed interest that people have shown towards vintage gadgets, where gadgets such as MP3 players and cassette tapes have found a way back into favour with music enthusiasts.
