Winamp to redesign its application, enable monetization for creators; Details inside

Back in the 90s and early 2000s, Winamp was among the most popular music players. For those who have enjoyed the war interface and the classic controls, Winamp has announced a complete redesign. The official website has been created to reflect Winamp's redesign and features a new logo as well. From what it looks like, Winamp is trying to make a strong comeback by adopting the online nature of streaming and creating a social network of music lovers. 

The official Winamp website reads the following as a welcome note to visitors - "Something big is happening. We're building Winamp for the next generation. Not just updates, but totally remastered. The new Winamp connects you to your music wherever you are." Adding to it, the welcome note says "It brings you closer to the artists you love. It's home to your favourite music podcasts and radio stations."

New Winamp might enable monetization for creators 

On the official website, Winamp says that it has a vibrant community of 80 million active users. The new update will give artists and audio creators better control over their content and help them connect with their followers or fans. Winamp might introduce some sort of monetization on the platform for creators and artists as well. The website also asks users to download the current v5.8 and stay tuned for the coming update. Those who wish to become beta testers for Winamp's upcoming update can register on the official website as well. 

While the Winamp beta tester program is open for registration, the users enrolled will be among the first to experience the new Winamp app. Inferring from the welcome note on the website and other details mentioned, the new Winamp app could be completely different from the original music-playing application. It should follow a modern design language and be user-friendly. In 2021, most music playing applications are based on the internet and hence, online streaming might be a big part of the refreshed platform.

 Winamp was originally launched as an offline music-playing application for Microsoft Windows. However, with the advent of other applications such as Windows Media Player and the exponentially growing popularity of internet-based streaming services, Winamp lost its course. It will be interesting to see the new features, interface, and other services Winamp brings along with the remastered version.