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Winamp used to be a popular audio player for Windows. Things went quiet after its heyday and rights changed hands several times in that period.
Veteran users of the player had big hopes when a comeback of the player was announced in 2021. After a, mostly, bug fix release in 2022, a new Winamp Player was announced for release in 2023.
The release turned things around significantly, as it was launched as as web-based application and not a traditional desktop app. Even worse, the web-based player did not support playing local files. Everything seemed to be designed to push the new Winamp platform. This web-based platform gave artists a home and users the opportunity to follow artists and subscribe to their music.
Llama Group SA, the current owner of Winamp, revealed plans to launch the final version of the Winamp platform on July 1, 2024. Its aim is to recruit at least 50,000 artists in 2024 and one million artists by the end of 2028.
Besides the launch of the platform, Llama Group SA also plans to launch a new Winamp player on the same day. The player will be "the best player to listen to all types of audio" and the primary option to listen to music from artists on the Winamp platform.
Winamp source code release
Today, Llama Group SA announced plans to release the source code of the original Winamp player on September 24, 2024. This is the classic version of the audio player and not the web-based Winamp version.
Interested users may submit their name and email address on the FreeLLama page to receive information about the source code release.
Winamp users who do not want to wait for that release can check out WACUP, the Winamp Community Project, which is based on classic Winamp but actively maintained. The latest version can be downloaded from the official website.
Closing Words
Whether the new Winamp platform and player will succeed remains to be seen. Much depends on the actual player. If it is based on classic Winamp, but supports modern features, then it has the potential to succeed.
Most Winamp users are likely sticking to the latest classic release or the Wacup release at the time. It will be difficult to get them to switch players.
The release of the source code on the other hand may lead to more classic Winamp forks. How those fare against Wacup remains to be seen.
Now you: do you still use Winamp or do you use another audio player?
- Mutton and Matt
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