I've wanted to do this for years. I always said when i made my money that's what I'd build - I tried fiddling with stuff like icecast years ago but it never worked out.

I also tried to read stuff, but it was too much of a mess, often confusing and anything I tried to run just got too hairy and I wasn't well-read enough in server admin.

So has anyone actually done this? Or know someone who has and consequently have some idea about what the best methods are?

Also, what the hell is the reality about licensing - I mean what tunes can I play and what can't I play? It's all very new and fuzzy to me and I'm really keen to make the best **** music station in the world - I've always said I'd go and set it up from the caribbean one day - and just enjoy the sun, play my music to the world and set a good example (eg to hamas and kadima), showing people to just love each other and enjoy the tunes and have a sip to drink, maybe bite into a steak sandwich and hell, maybe, if it's a really nice evening and I'm in really nice company, we could even toke up something a little dutch/jamaican, if you know what i mean.

So help me. Help me execute my plan (anyone know the quote). I'll bring anyone in on it who has good taste. That's the only prerequisite! This is a long project and I won't take risks on my product-selling server so I'll actually get server hosting separately for this - thus I'd be interested in working with companies who do that sort of third party work as a specialist job - and would thus be trustworthy.

So... is this gonna be another of those questions nobody has a clue about how to answer, or are we gonna make some music, man?

Also, what the hell is the reality about licensing - I mean what tunes can I play and what can't I play? It's all very new and fuzzy to me and I'm really keen to make the best **** music station in the world - I've always said I'd go and set it up from the caribbean one day - and just enjoy the sun, play my music to the world and set a good example (eg to hamas and kadima), showing people to just love each other and enjoy the tunes and have a sip to drink, maybe bite into a steak sandwich and hell, maybe, if it's a really nice evening and I'm in really nice company, we could even toke up something a little dutch/jamaican, if you know what i mean.

Sounds great, but before you get started, I would give the RIAA a call and see what they have to say about the licensing part...But at least your taking cautious steps before starting it. Otherwise, if you get sued, be prepared to being sued in the millions of dollars, so if you don't already have millions ( with an S ) then don't do it without fully researching. Anyone can fork out a few hundred or even a thousand on setting up a site, but keeping it alive is a whole other story. Oh yeah, also be on the look out for solo musicians as they get can a big chunk from you as well.

Just my 2¢

Sounds like you want to set up a shoutcast server? Have you heard of that alternative? Try looking into it.

Website and Server Administration Forum is the hardest part of the front page to find


Yeah. I messed around with shoutcast. My problem is just that I have no second server to go live on, and I can't risk messing up my main server. I have a mac with unix but it has no outbound internet "broadcasting" (i forget the technical terms, it doesn't really matter).

I was wondering if there are a lot of companies who host stations specifically - the bandwidth and consumption is gigantic. You need the expertise of a devoted ISP - specifically set up for that trade. I could make such a company, perhaps. Maybe that would go even further...

Then i need to go back to a music forum and investigate how licensing works.

But maybe quite soon I'd like to get a colocation deal going with a music-dedicated ISP - I think I HAVE seen something like that around, and that was years ago. By now a lot of money could be going there. Radio stations are in abundance on my itunes, and out on windows media there's looooooooods.

I suppose I'll be brave and just get a second server hosted and put shoutcast on it and do it all myself and eventually get it working. The cost of hosting on a specialist company's space is bound to be huge. But that leaves me with having to worry about bandwidth myself, still - it's not like they won't charge me. I'oll obviously get it cheaper if I host it all myself. I better just aim to create server 2... what a splendid plan. just gimme my servers... they can't take that away from me.

After all, I have a lot of linux skill, I could set up a fantastic station myself, if I devote a whole gigantic server to the cause. and you NEED one - all that music.

Originally Posted by Brian07002

Sounds great, but before you get started, I would give the RIAA a call and see what they have to say about the licensing part...But at least your taking cautious steps before starting it. Otherwise, if you get sued, be prepared to being sued in the millions of dollars, so if you don't already have millions ( with an S ) then don't do it without fully researching. Anyone can fork out a few hundred or even a thousand on setting up a site, but keeping it alive is a whole other story. Oh yeah, also be on the look out for solo musicians as they get can a big chunk from you as well.

Just my 2¢

cheers. i checked it.

Offering a jukebox on the Internet. Interactive services do not qualify for a statutory license. Instead, such operators must obtain performance licenses from individual copyright owners, just like other webcasting services. Interactive services include those that permit a listener to choose a particular song and those that create a personalized program for the listener. If copies were being made into the computer server, operators would need to negotiate reproduction rights also. See the Webcasting FAQ for more information.

To offer digital downloads. If you want to offer digital downloads of music (whether they are for sale or not), you need a license. Those licenses are granted by individual copyright owners.

So I also have to call up all kinds of people and write to people and pay people and get licenses, by the looks of it. Ah the overheads.

But radio stations do exist. You can't stop them existing. It's not illegal to have a radio station! I think right wing america has scared too many people for too long about too much stuff! Radio stations are legal. You get em everywhere. And on itunes and windowsmedia, radio stations which Steve Jobs and Bill Gates allow their companies to recommend to you by giving it you by default in their music players cannot possibly by working in an illicit field!

I'm talking about a business, not a pirate station. Plus I know more and more independent artists personally, really amazing musicians of our times, in london, who perform in varied musical genres. There's a LOT of musical growth going on in this town and probably looooods of places


Just my £100k

You've got two big hurdles ahead of you, music licensing and internet server.

The licensing has two parts. First, composer/publisher licensing involves ASCAP/BMI/SESAC. I believe they cover the UK as long as the music you play is written/published by members of those organizations. The second part is licensing of the actual recording. Here in the U.S that's handled by Sound Exhange on behalf of the RIAA. (http://soundexchange.com) But as you're in the U.K. you'll have to deal with the licensing agent over there. SoundExchange won't cover your station if it originates outside the U.S.

The server part is fairly easy, if expensive. Google "Shoutcast hosting" and you'll have plenty to chose from. A few I've seen, but don't use, are http://www.shoutstreams.com/ , http://myshoutserver.com/index.php and
http://www.viastreaming.com/index.htm . The prices are all over the map.

I personally have a "hobby" station and use Live365 which covers all the licensing requirements. But they don't cover licensing for stations that originate the broadcast outside the U.S.