Winamp
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersBrussels, Belgium
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Winamp does
Winamp Group SA is a Brussels-headquartered music-technology company that has pivoted from its 1997 origins as the dominant MP3 player for Windows to a multi-product SaaS platform for independent artists. Its primary product, Winamp for Creators (launched April 2025), consolidates music distribution to 450+ digital service providers, YouTube Content ID monetization, copyright royalty collection via subsidiary Bridger, direct-to-fan subscriptions (Fanzone), merchandising, sync licensing, and Ethereum-based NFT music collectibles into a single self-serve dashboard. The company operates three operating subsidiaries — Jamendo (distribution, licensing, and Content ID), Bridger (a CISAC-accredited rights management entity collecting mechanical and performance royalties globally), and Hotmix Radio (curated stations distributed on connected-audio devices).
Winamp firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Winamp
- Legal name
- Winamp Group SA
- Website
- https://winamp.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Winamp industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Music Technology Platform
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132), Music Publishers (512230), Record Production and Distribution (51225), Music Publishers (51223)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sync Rights Representation (Pitching, Clearance, Negotiation) (MPAIABAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sync Royalty Administration & Reporting (Cue Sheets, Claims, Audits) (MPAIALAL), Micro-Licensing & Direct Licensing Platforms (UGC, SMB venues, online uses) (MPAIAKAJ), Sync Marketplaces & Licensing Platforms (MPAIALAG), Performance Rights Administration (PRO Affiliation, Cue Sheet/Setlist Processing) (MPAIABAE)
Keywords
Where Winamp is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brussels
- HQ country
- Belgium
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Winamp business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Subscription Plans: Winamp for Creators offers tiered subscription model: Essential (Free), Ultra (€12.99/month or €155.88/year), and custom Labels plan. Free tier provides basic distribution and copyright services; Ultra adds Website Builder, Fanzone, and advanced features.
- Music Distribution: Distribution revenue through revenue share on streaming royalties. Free distribution available; commission taken on royalties collected. Artists keep 80% revenue share on distribution.
- Copyright Royalties: Copyright collection service through Bridger partnership. Revenue share model where artists receive 88%-92% depending on subscription tier. Service is free to sign up; commission only taken when earning.
- YouTube Content ID: YouTube monetization through Content ID fingerprinting. Revenue share: 75%-85% to artists depending on plan. Passive ongoing revenue from unauthorized use of music on YouTube.
- NFT Collectibles: NFT music collectibles with 95% revenue share on primary sales and 12.5% perpetual royalties on secondary sales. Artists earn in cryptocurrency. Platform takes minimal share.
- Merchandising: Physical merchandise ecosystem including apparel, CDs, vinyl records. Platform manages entire value chain: payments, inventory, logistics, fulfillment, sales tracking. Flexible models from print-on-demand to fully customized collections.
- Sync Licensing: Music licensing service for sync use in movies, ads, TV, games. Revenue share of 50% for artists on licensing deals.
- Jamendo Licensing: Music licensing, marketing, and rights management through Jamendo subsidiary. Jamendo files lawsuits against AI companies (Nvidia, Suno) for unauthorized use of music for AI training, representing ongoing legal action for copyright protection.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free tier with basic essential features for artists starting out |
| Subscription | Monthly | €12.99/month comprehensive platform with all features plus Website Builder, Fanzone, CRM, Training Sessions |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Custom enterprise solution for record labels with multiple artist profiles |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Winamp product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Winamp provides a dual-product portfolio: the Winamp Player, an ultra-customizable audio player for desktop and mobile, and Winamp for Creators, a SaaS platform that distributes independent artists' music to 450+ streaming platforms, collects copyright and YouTube Content ID royalties, manages direct-to-fan subscriptions, merchandising, NFT collectibles, and provides website-building, social media, and analytics tools. Subsidiaries Jamendo (licensing), Bridger (copyright collection), and Hotmix (curated radio) extend the offering into rights management and curated streaming.
Product overview
Winamp is a music technology company offering a dual-product portfolio: (1) Winamp Player - an ultra-customizable audio player for listening to locally stored music on desktop and mobile; (2) Winamp for Creators - a comprehensive all-in-one artist platform providing music distribution to 450+ platforms, marketing tools (website builder, social media manager, ads), and multiple revenue streams including royalties (copyright via Bridger, Content ID, sync licensing), merchandise, NFT collectibles (Ethereum blockchain), Fanzone fan subscriptions, and analytics. Key sub-brands include Jamendo (distribution, licensing, and legal action against AI companies), Bridger (copyright collection), and Hotmix Radio (curated stations). The company targets independent artists seeking to own their audience and diversify revenue streams beyond traditional streaming.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Winamp for Creators Comprehensive SaaS platform providing music distribution to 450+ platforms, royalty collection, marketing tools (website builder, social media manager, ads), and multiple revenue streams for independent artists.
- Winamp Player Ultra-customizable audio player for listening to locally stored music across desktop and mobile, supporting multiple playback modes and skin customization.
- Winamp Legacy Player Open-source version of the historic Winamp desktop player for Windows with community-driven development.
- Winamp Fanzone Direct-to-fan subscription platform enabling artists to create free and paid fan communities with exclusive content, unreleased music, and behind-the-scenes access.
- Winamp Merchandising End-to-end merchandise service enabling artists to sell physical products including apparel, CDs, and vinyl records with payments, inventory, logistics, fulfillment, and sales tracking managed by the platform.
- Winamp Collectibles (NFT) Music NFT creation service authenticating original uncompressed master files on the Ethereum blockchain, with 95% primary sale share and 12.5% perpetual secondary resale royalties.
- Winamp Content ID YouTube Content ID service that automatically detects and claims ad revenue from unauthorized use of an artist's music on YouTube, with 75-85% revenue share to artists.
- Winamp Copyright (Bridger) Copyright royalty collection service for songwriters, composers, and lyricists, collecting mechanical and performance royalties globally with 88-92% revenue share.
- Winamp Licensing Sync licensing service enabling artists to license their music for use in movies, advertisements, television, and games with 50% revenue share.
- Jamendo Wholly-owned subsidiary offering music distribution, marketing, licensing, and rights management for independent artists, including AI-powered search for music discovery and active copyright litigation against AI companies.
- Bridger Wholly-owned Independent Management Entity collecting performance and mechanical royalties globally for songwriters, composers, and lyricists; confirmed as a CISAC RME client.
- Hotmix Radio Curated music radio service offering 70 music stations on connected devices including Eversolo and WiiM, and on the Kinomap indoor training platform.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 35,000 artists from more than 130 countries joined platform since April 2025 launch
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Winamp
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Winamp technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration21 records
AI capability3 records
Feature5 records
Winamp partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Hotmix RadiominorHotmix Radio partnered with Winamp to deliver curated music stations. Hotmix Radio now available on Eversolo devices (May 2025) delivering 70 curated music stations to HiFi enthusiasts worldwide, and on WiiM devices bringing 69 stations to WiiM users.
- KinomapminorHotmix Radio partnered with interactive indoor training app Kinomap, making Hotmix Radio stations available on the Kinomap platform for workout experiences.
- Typh BarrowminorBelgian singer Typh Barrow partnered with Winamp for Creators for a full digital services collaboration, testing and adopting new tools including Website Builder, Fanzone, and Merchandising services.
- BridgercoreJamendo and Bridger signed strategic agreement to enhance music rights management. Bridger is Winamp's partner for copyright royalty collection, collecting mechanical and performance royalties for songwriters, composers, and lyricists globally.
- BMIminorBridger partnered with BMI to expand royalty collection in the U.S., enabling Bridger to collect and distribute BMI royalties to international creators.
- AudiamminorBridger signed strategic partnership with Audiam to expand and strengthen royalties collection, enhancing global copyright management capabilities.
- Kanjian MusicminorJamendo announced strategic partnership with Kanjian Music, expanding music distribution and licensing reach in Asian markets.
- SonosuiteminorWinamp received its first revenues from music distribution service following agreement with Spanish company Sonosuite, enabling revenue generation through music distribution.
- Mint Digital ServicesminorBridger signed agreement with Mint Digital Services, expanding music rights management and royalty collection capabilities.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Winamp competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- DistroKid: Leading indie music distributor offering unlimited releases to major DSPs at low annual fees. Most direct competitor to Winamp Distribution with a similar artist self-serve model.
- TuneCore: Major indie distribution platform distributing to 150+ DSPs with artist-friendly revenue share. Direct competitor in distribution plus publishing administration services overlapping with Bridger.
- UnitedMasters: Distribution + brand partnership platform for independent artists, offering deals with major brands. Closely comparable to Winamp for Creators' distribution-plus-monetization thesis.
- AWAL: Artist services platform combining distribution, marketing, and rights administration for independent artists; competes head-to-head with Winamp for Creators across multiple modules.
- Amuse: Mobile-first indie distribution offering free and pro tiers. Competes on price-sensitive end of the same distribution market Winamp addresses.
- CD Baby: Long-established indie distributor offering release to major DSPs plus publishing admin and sync. Direct overlap with Winamp Distribution and Bridger/Copyright services.
- Songtrust: Global music publishing administrator collecting performance and mechanical royalties for songwriters. Directly overlaps with Bridger's core value proposition.
- Bandcamp (Songtradr): Direct-to-fan platform enabling artists to sell music and merch with high revenue share. Closely comparable to Winamp's Fanzone and Merchandising modules.
Broad incumbents
- Kobalt Music Group: Major independent music publisher and rights administrator offering technology-driven royalty collection at scale. Adjacent incumbent competing with Bridger in global publishing admin.
- SoundCloud (Next Pro): Creator platform offering distribution, monetization, and audience tools to independent artists. Broader incumbent competing across multiple Winamp for Creators modules.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Winamp social profiles
Digital presenceWinamp financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Winamp leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Winamp subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Winamp funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Winamp M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Winamp
What does Winamp do?
Winamp provides a dual-product portfolio: the Winamp Player, an ultra-customizable audio player for desktop and mobile, and Winamp for Creators, a SaaS platform that distributes independent artists' music to 450+ streaming platforms, collects copyright and YouTube Content ID royalties, manages direct-to-fan subscriptions, merchandising, NFT collectibles, and provides website-building, social media, and analytics tools. Subsidiaries Jamendo (licensing), Bridger (copyright collection), and Hotmix (curated radio) extend the offering into rights management and curated streaming.
Is Winamp a public or private company?
Winamp is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Winamp founded?
Winamp was founded in 1997. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Winamp based?
Winamp is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, in the Europe region.
How does Winamp make money?
Eight revenue lines are on record. Subscription Plans are the primary driver. The others are music Distribution, copyright Royalties, youTube Content ID, NFT Collectibles, merchandising, sync Licensing and jamendo Licensing.
Who are Winamp's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are DistroKid, TuneCore, UnitedMasters, AWAL, Amuse, CD Baby, Songtrust and Bandcamp (Songtradr). Broad incumbents are Kobalt Music Group and SoundCloud (Next Pro).
Does Winamp have an API?
No public API is recorded for Winamp.
What industry is Winamp in?
Winamp's product category is Music Technology Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIABAF, Sync Rights Representation (Pitching, Clearance, Negotiation), with a secondary code of MPAIALAL, Sync Royalty Administration & Reporting (Cue Sheets, Claims, Audits). Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7372.