Whenever older computer enthusiasts (for good or bad, like myself) hear the name Winamp, we can’t help but smile nostalgically. It takes us back over twenty years to the early days of the Internet when Winamp was the go-to app for listening to music files.
The app’s initial version in 1997 revolutionized the industry, quickly winning the crown for best music player. But nothing lasts forever. As technology advanced and numerous alternatives appeared, its popularity dwindled. Today, it is often mentioned more as a piece of history than a tool people still use.
That’s why the news we brought you in mid-May got us very excited – it looked like the company behind Winamp would try to revive the software’s lost glory by opening its source code to the public. Well, as of today, that’s a fact (Winamp GitHub repo), but don’t be too quick to rejoice. Here’s why.
The core concept behind releasing Winamp’s source code is straightforward – it allows any developer to contribute to upcoming versions of the app, helping it come out of obscurity. As mentioned in a post on Winamp’s official X social network account:
“Developers & retro lovers, it’s your chance to shape the iconic player’s future. Explore, modify, and build on the classic you know and love.”
So far, so good. But the bad stuff starts from here. The license under which the source code is published is Winamp Collaborative License (WCL) Version 1.0, where point 5 Restrictions, clearly and explicitly states:
No Distribution of Modified Versions: You may not distribute modified versions of the software, whether in source or binary form.
No Forking: You may not create, maintain, or distribute a forked version of the software.
Official Distribution: Only the maintainers of the official repository are allowed to distribute the software and its modifications.
The fourth point, Contributions, makes things even “more tempting:”
Assignment of Rights: By submitting contributions, you agree that all intellectual property rights, including copyright, in your contributions are assigned to Winamp. You hereby grant Winamp a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, copy, modify, and distribute your contributions as part of the software, without any compensation to you.
Now, let me tell you my opinion on this—it’s bizarre, to say the least. In other words, Winamp wants to benefit from the free labor donated by the developer community to pursue its profit goals, giving access to the code but forbidding it from being redistributed in any way. Winamp, are you serious?!
To me, that’s like saying I’m opening my private weed-ridden and unusable soccer field to everyone, calling all the neighborhood kids to help me weed it, mow it, and draw the markings, but telling them they can’t play on it. It’s a pretty strange approach, don’t you think?
The company may have found something enticing in the idea of taking the best of the Open Source philosophy and combining it with the purely financial goals it’s chasing, but dear Winamp, in 2024, things just don’t work that way, and such an approach is unlikely to succeed.
Playing to the developers’ nostalgic feelings may seem like a good move, but it’s hardly going to be enough.
Moreover, drama is looming regarding the apparent contradiction between Winamp’s WCL license and the GitHub ToS (Terms of Service), which Winamp apparently didn’t bother to read before releasing their code publicly and implementing their “brilliant” idea. More on this here.
One thing is clear: Although it has made its source code publicly available to all, Winamp is not open-source software, and it has no plans to be. The other clear thing is that the company’s approach and attempt to pursue its financial goals raise many moral questions.
As always, we’ll monitor the situation closely and promptly inform you of any updates.
