Winamp comes back from the dead with the official release of version 5.8. A leaked beta version had been released onto the internet and the company decided to make this new version available officially. It can be downloaded here.
In the late 1990’s and early years of the millennium, Winamp was the goto media player for Windows but lack of development and a couple of less than careful owners has left it dated and sidelined by more capable offerings. Winamp is now owned by Radionomy, an online radio aggregation service, which also owns SHOUTcast internet radio broadcasting software.
There are a number of improvements to the new version including full compatibility with Windows 10 and Windows 8.1. Plus, Winamp is 100% freeware again unlike previous versions that have Pro functionality. It remains a capable and customisable media player for downloaded files and a full list of all its features can be found on the Winamp support forums here.
Radionomy’s CEO, Alexandre Saboundjan, announced on the 15th October that a new version of Winamp – Winamp 6, will be released in 2019 but there are no further details of what this new version of Winamp will look like or how it will integrate into streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music.
Winamp has created a mailing list to keep folks updated on progress and for those that wish to sign up, go here.
