Winamp has partnered with Deezer to launch its own premium music subscription service as part of a major overhaul of the iconic media player.

Under the agreement, Deezer will provide a white-label streaming platform that Winamp will offer under its own brand. The subscription service will be built directly into the new player rather than redirecting users to a separate Deezer experience.

Winamp said the redesigned platform would bring together premium streaming, locally stored music, internet radio, podcasts and cloud-based audio collections within a single application.

The company is also promising a highly customisable interface, social features and new tools for discovering, organising and listening to music.

The premium service will also be added to Winamp’s existing desktop player following the launch of the new platform. Winamp claims the legacy software remains in active use by more than 40 million people worldwide.

Winamp, the media player of your college years, is shutting down next month

How the old Winamp media player used to look

Winamp first became popular during the late 1990s as a lightweight and highly customisable player for MP3 files, but struggled to retain its relevance as people shifted towards streaming platforms.

Its owner AOL shut it down in 2013, before the software was later acquired and eventually brought under the ownership of Llama Group.

Winamp chief executive Alexandre Saboundjian said the new partnership would allow the company to focus on creating a broader listening platform rather than building its own streaming infrastructure.

“Winamp has always been about giving users the freedom to experience music their own way,” Saboundjian said.

“This partnership with Deezer gives us access to world-class streaming technology and one of the richest music catalogues in the world.”

Deezer chief commercial officer Julien Delbourg said the streaming company would provide its technology, catalogue and industry experience to support Winamp’s next phase.

The next-generation Winamp Player is scheduled to launch during the first half of 2027.

Full pricing, availability and supported markets for the new subscription service have not yet been announced.

Winamp said further product previews and announcements would be released ahead of the launch.