Radionomy releases Winamp 5.8 early after leak, and hints at big changes ahead

Winamp

Following an unauthorized leak, Radionomy has made the long-awaited Winamp 5.8 available to download ahead of schedule.

Earlier this week, Radionomy revealed that it would be re-launching the venerable media player in 2019 for both desktop and mobile. It also announced a forthcoming minor update to the existing player, which was still available to download, but had been untouched since 2014.

Shortly after the news broke, a beta version of the update began circulating the internet. To avoid eager Winamp fans downloading an illegitimate copy that might contain malicious software, the developer pushed the release forward and is encouraging users to only download the software from the official site.

A whole platform

Radionomy has given Winamp's website a new lick of paint, too - the most interesting part of which is a new tagline at the very bottom of the homepage: "cast, play, sell". This implies that the new Winamp will be more than just an app for streaming and playing content. Instead, it might be a whole platform, built for creators as well as listeners - a little like Spotify.

It has also added a newsletter registration form, allowing fans to sign up for updates on the project. "Our teams are currently working hard on Winamp with the intention to make it a player of today while preserving what makes it so special," the company says. "In other words, a complete listening experience. Therefore, we can say it: no llamas will be hurt in the process but it’s going to whip some asses!"

Via Techdows

Cat Ellis

Cat is the editor of TechRadar's sister site Advnture. She’s a UK Athletics qualified run leader, and in her spare time enjoys nothing more than lacing up her shoes and hitting the roads and trails (the muddier, the better)