Winamp is back and wants a piece of Spotify’s business

At the end of the 20th century, as digital music was first becoming a thing, Winamp was must-have software for many people. The audio player, which famously featured a llama mascot and sounds of a bleating llama when you started it up, has never completely gone away, but it has long since been overshadowed by embedded media players from Microsoft, Apple, and other companies. Now, Winamp is looking to reclaim some of its former relevance, announcing a partnership with Paris-based Deezer to relaunch as a subscription-based streaming service in the first half of next year. The company says it hopes the move will reinvent and reinvigorate the brand. It’s a notable change for Winamp, which peaked in relevance in the era of MP3s and other downloadable digital music files. While you can still buy those from sites like Apple Music and Amazon, a significantly larger audience now opts for streaming services, which offer vast catalogs of music for the price of roughly eight songs. As Winamp pivots, it will use Deezer’s white-label streaming technology and music catalog under the better-known Winamp name. Company officials say they also plan to offer options beyond music, including internet r…