Winamp to return in 2027 with new streaming subscription via Deezer deal

Winamp, the customizable MP3 player that dominated Windows desktops before the streaming era, is set to return in 2027 in an entirely new form. The company has announced a partnership with music streaming service Deezer, which will supply the licensed catalog and white-label streaming technology behind a rebuilt Winamp player.

The new app will introduce a paid subscription tier alongside existing features such as local file playback, internet radio, podcasts and cloud-stored music libraries. It marks the first time in Winamp's nearly 30-year history that the brand has offered a premium subscription. The classic desktop application will not be replaced — Winamp says it still counts more than 40 million active users worldwide — and the same Deezer-powered subscription is expected to be added to it after the new player launches.

A deal that benefits both sides

In its first-half 2026 financial results, Deezer reported that subscribers gained through partner deals fell to 3.1 million, down roughly 800,000 year over year, while revenue from that segment dropped 7.6 percent to 70.7 million euros as a bundling arrangement with Latin American retail giant Mercado Libre wound down. Deezer told investors in April that expanding white-label partnerships — which also include Telenor and French energy company EDF — is a strategic priority. The Winamp agreement was signed on July 1, ahead of the public announcement.

Under the deal, Deezer will run the streaming infrastructure and provide the music catalog, while Winamp retains full ownership of the product, its branding and its subscriber relationships. Winamp lacks music licenses and streaming infrastructure of its own, while Deezer gains its largest brand partner yet for its white-label business.

This is not the first time Winamp has promised a streaming-era revival. In 2018, its then-CEO said a new version would launch in 2019 with a fuller listening experience, but that plan — reliant on integrating multiple third-party streaming services — never materialized. In 2024, Winamp briefly published the classic player's source code on GitHub, only to delete it weeks later following criticism over its licensing terms and the discovery of proprietary Dolby and Microsoft code inside. Pricing and supported platforms for the 2027 subscription have not yet been disclosed.