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Winamp announces revamp with added direct-to-fan goodness

By | Published on Friday 14 April 2023

Winamp

You all remember Winamp right? Yes, Winamp! Everyone’s digital music software of choice back in the olden days. Well, Winamp has launched a new player which, and I quote, “comes with a range of functionalities aimed at unlocking the relationship between artists and fans, while empowering creators to become their own merchants”.

“Winamp, famed for its customisable skins and irreverent attitude, continues to be massively popular with a community of 83 million users around the world”, the company behind the digital media player, Llama Group, would like you all to know.

However, “the new player ecosystem represents an important evolution of the player to focus its empowering attitude on the needs of music artists in the 2020s”.

The revamp makes Winamp more mobile friendly and it integrates with a wider range of content sources, while the new direct-to-fan elements will come via a feature called Fanzone, which will allow artists to set up and sell tiered subscription plans.

A website for artists and creators is already live via which they can set themselves up on Fanzone. Other services for music-makers will follow, including distribution, copyright management and some of that NFT nonsense.

“The goal for Winamp’s new player is to grow to 250 million users and to have one million artists on the Winamp Fanzone accessible through the new player, all generating revenue through the Fanzone”, the Llama Group says.

“The existing 83 million-strong Winamp community of listeners have the ability to upgrade to the new platform to increase the range of services”.

The firm’s CEO Alexandre Saboundjian adds: “Winamp has a legacy of 30 years of music empowerment and irreverence. That challenger spirit is needed today more than ever”.

“Creators find it increasingly hard to gain value from streaming services”, he adds, “making it harder for them to sustain their art and grow their careers. In this environment, artists have to take their future into their own hands – they need to supplement the income by becoming their own merchants”.

“With the new Winamp player, our aim is to empower creators to make more money, at a time when they really need it”, he goes on. “Winamp’s mission is to change the mindset of artists – from one where they feel like victims of poor revenues from the [streaming services], to one of empowerment about what they can achieve by themselves”.

“Meanwhile, a new generation of superfans are looking for new ways to spend money on, and engage with, their favourite artists”, he concludes. “Winamp’s Fanzone offers them an opportunity to do just that”.



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