Winamp has returned, now featuring streaming powered by Deezer.

      It truly whips the llama’s backside, and it seems it's not finished yet. Winamp, the music player that many of us turned to before the advent of Spotify, is gearing up for another revival. This time, it’s backed by real streaming capabilities.

      On Wednesday, Winamp and Deezer announced a partnership that will enable Deezer to power a new Winamp premium subscription service. Deezer will provide the white-label streaming technology along with its globally licensed catalog, while Winamp retains its own branding, design, and vision for how a music player should operate.

      This collaboration is part of a larger relaunch initiative. A next-generation Winamp Player is set to launch in the first half of 2027, aimed at “reinventing the music player for the streaming era.”

      The concept is a unified app that integrates everything; streaming tracks will be accessible alongside local music files, internet radio, podcasts, and personal cloud collections, all in one location. Winamp promises a customizable interface and additional social features.

      In contrast to today’s Spotify-dominated landscape, where files and subscriptions exist in separate compartments, this new offering appeals to those who miss the days of dragging MP3s into a customizable player.

      There is a substantial audience ready for this. Winamp claims that over 40 million users still actively utilize its free desktop player. Additionally, this aligns with a growing trend: retro technology is making a comeback, from cassettes to MP3 players to iPods.

      However, there is a potential drawback: the pressing question is whether people are willing to pay for yet another subscription. The market is saturated with services like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music, and is increasingly inundated with AI-generated tracks. Deezer, as a partner, has noted that about half of its daily uploads are now AI-generated, prompting them to start regulating these uploads.

      Another concern is Winamp’s own history. A redesign aimed at artists in 2023 did not succeed, and a planned open-source release in 2024 encountered licensing issues. CEO Alexandre Saboundjian even presented a similar “unify everything” vision back in 2019.

      The distinction this time, according to the company, is that it has a solid streaming infrastructure in place, instead of merely a new facade. The challenge now is whether nostalgia will translate into paying subscribers, a hurdle that many streaming services have stumbled over previously.

      Both Winamp and Deezer are based in Europe: Winamp Group is located in Brussels, while Deezer operates out of Paris. For a brand that played a significant role in shaping the MP3 era, a 2027 streaming resurgence from Europe is an intriguingly unexpected turn. Longtime enthusiasts will simply be pleased that it is making an effort.