O.G. Audio App Winamp Adds Ethereum and Polygon Music NFT Support

In its latest update, the classic Windows media player Winamp has integrated music NFTs into its platform. Winamp’s new feature will allow users to play audio files embedded in their non-fungible tokens, calling it a Web3 desktop upgrade.

We are proud to announce a new version (5.9.1) for our Desktop player. This new version reduces Winamp’s memory footprint and upgrades security among many other improvements, it also allows you to play your music NFTs. New version available now.

— Winamp (@winamp) December 6, 2022

Launched in 1997, Winamp’s latest version lets music fans link their Metamask wallet via Brave, Chrome, or Firefox browsers to Winamp. Winamp supports ERC-721 and ERC-1155 audio and video files and is compatible with Ethereum and Polygon.

NFTs prove digital ownership and provide a tamperproof record of transactions involving a digital asset. In recent years, NFT enthusiasts have also begun exploring applications linking NFTs to other digital media like movies, music, tv shows, and real-world assets.

“The genesis of Winamp has always been about accessibility and innovation, and today we are proud to launch the very first standalone player reading audio NFTs, as well as any other existing formats,” said Winamp CEO Alexandre Saboundjian in a statement. “This new version of Winamp allows people to listen to any file they want, using a player they already love.”

Winamp says its NFT support will be coupled with other updates to make Winamp a universal and advanced listening platform that will include a cross-platform creator service that will launch in early 2023.

“Winamp was a key part of the first digital music innovation, when mp3s changed the way we listen and enjoy music,” Saboundjian said. “Now we’re supporting the leading edge of the next one, as more and more artists explore web3 and its potential.”

Earlier today, Warner Music Group announced that it would release music NFTs through LGND, a Polygon-based marketplace.

Last month, musician, entrepreneur, and music NFT enthusiast Justin “3LAU” Blau launched the Royal NFT marketplace. According to Royal, when a collector invests in songs or albums on the platform, they get a token representing a percentage of the music’s streaming rights and more.

“You earn royalties alongside the artist and get paid when they do,” the Royal website says.