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SHOUTcast Radio Support

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SHOUTcast Radio's runaway success as a product comes only as a result of the hardworking efforts of providers and DeeJays taking the time to understand and work with the product. To that end, we humbly submit for you some menial documentation on the SHOUTcast Radio products.
  • SHOUTcast Radio: Overview
  • 1. What is SHOUTcast Radio?
  • SHOUTcast Radio is a free-of-charge audio homesteading solution. It permits anyone on the internet to broadcast audio from their PC to listeners across the Internet or any other IP-based network (Office LANs, college campuses, etc.).
  • SHOUTcast Radio's underlying technology for audio delivery is MPEG Layer 3, also known as MP3 technology and AAC+. The SHOUTcast Radio system can deliver audio in a live situation, or can deliver audio on-demand for archived broadcasts.
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  • 2. How it works.
  • The SHOUTcast audio homesteading system is comprised of three simple components. They are explained in detail below:
  • LISTENING
  • Listeners tune in to SHOUTcast Radio broadcasts by using a player compatible with streaming MP3 audio. Users can visit the SHOUTcast Radio directory to locate a stream they'd like to listen to. Recommended players are listed below:
    1. Windows users should use Winamp.
    2. Mac users should use iTunes.
    3. Linux/X Windows users should use XMMS.
  • BROADCASTING
  • Persons wanting to broadcast will need to run their own server, as per the instructions here, or find someone willing to run one for them. Once a server's located, broadcasters use Winamp and a plug-in called the SHOUTcast Radio DSP Plugin for Winamp to send audio from Winamp to the SHOUTcast Radio server. The tools are available here, and there's an entire section of the documentation dedicated to the plug-in.
  • RUNNING A SERVER
  • The magic of the SHOUTcast Radio system happens inside the SHOUTcast Radio Distributed Network Audio Software (DNAS). This software runs on a server attached to your IP network with lots of bandwidth, and is responsible for receiving audio from a broadcast source, updating the SHOUTcast Radio directory with information about what the broadcaster is sending, and sending the broadcast feed to listeners. More information is in the server section of the documentation.
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  • 3. What Platforms are Supported?
  • Users can listen to SHOUTcast Radio on a variety of platforms. Recommended players are as follows:
    1. Windows users should use Winamp.
    2. Mac users should use iTunes.
    3. Linux/X Windows users should use XMMS.
  • Broadcasters need to use Winamp and the SHOUTcast DSP Plugin for Winamp. There is no current solution for broadcasting from Unix or Macintosh.
  • The SHOUTcast Radio DNAS software is available for the following platforms as of the writing of this documentation. There may be more recent information on the server download section of this site.
    1. Windows - All versions
    2. Linux glibc (intel)
    3. FreeBSD 3.x (intel)
    4. FreeBSD 4.x (intel)
    5. BSDi (intel)
    6. Solaris 7 (ULTRASPARC)
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  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • 1. What is the SHOUTcast Radio Directory?
  • The SHOUTcast Radio Directory features over 30,000 online radio stations across 23 genres and over 300 sub-genres from around the world. A consumer can search for online radio stations by genre such as Rock, Jazz, Bollywood, Latin and Talk, or by language such as French, German, Swahili and Portuguese. Each station is programmed by either professional, community, or hobbyist broadcasters.
  • The radio stations listed in the SHOUTcast Radio Directory can be heard via the SHOUTcast web site using the SHOUTcast pop-up player, or a user’s existing media player like Winamp, iTunes, Windows Media, etc… SHOUTcast has also a robust API partner program that allows third parties to extend the SHOUTcast experience to different consumer facing platforms & devices.
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  • 2. How do I find stations to listen to on the SHOUTcast Radio Directory?
  • SHOUTcast Radio stations are categorized into genres, with the top 3 stations from each genre listed on the front page of the directory. If you wish to see all stations in a specific genre, click on the "See All Stations" link on the bottom right of each Genre View.
  • You can also search for an artist or the type of music you would like to listen to in the search bar. For example, you could search for a broad range of genres such as Rock, Pop, Jazz, House, Latin and Talk, or languages such as French, German, Swahili and Portuguese, and define a search term like "Top 100".
  • Lastly, you can browse stations by genres or keywords listed on the right of the stations list. Simply click on a keyword to see all stations for that keyword.
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  • 3. How do I add my station to the SHOUTcast Radio Directory?
  • To get your station set-up and listed in the SHOUTcast Radio directory on SHOUTcast.com, it is necessary to run your station with the SHOUTcast Broadcaster Tools. Based on your level of technical expertise you may wish to either setup your own server, or find a hosting solution from a third party. Here are your options.
  • Option #1: Set-Up A Station
  • Basic station set-up:
    ================
  • If you wish to use a third-party hosting solution, you can broadcast your station using Winamp and the SHOUTcast DSP plugin. Using the plugin will let you program your station using the Winamp media player. You can find out more information, including download links to Winamp and the DSP plugin here: http://shoutcast.com/download#1
  • Advanced station set-up:
    ===================
  • You can choose to run your own SHOUTcast Radio server using your own bandwidth. If you choose this option, you will need lots of bandwidth and a stable connection to the Internet. This method of broadcasting is recommended for advanced users that wish to run their own broadcasting server. You can find out more information on how to setup your own broadcasting server and get your station running using our broadcasting tools, which can be downloaded here: http://shoutcast.com/download
  • Option #2: Already have a station and would like it to be listed in SHOUTcast.
  • If you are an existing broadcaster (who already has an on-line station set-up) and want to be listed in the SHOUTcast Radio directory while still using your existing streaming server architecture, you’ll need to set up the SHOUTcast Radio software and use that to list your station in the directory. In this case, the SHOUTcast Broadcaster Software will act as a relay to list your station in the directory. The relay can be set up in one of the ways listed above, with the audio input being your existing streaming server. To download the SHOUTcast Radio software you will need to agree to this license agreement: http://shoutcast.com/license before proceeding to the download page.
  • If you need additional information and/or help in getting your broadcast up and running, we invite you to check out the SHOUTcast forums: http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=140There you will find members of the broadcaster community that have been running their stations for a number of years and are extremely helpful in getting others up and running.
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  • 10. How do I get technical help to help me set up my radio station?
  • You can reach the SHOUTcast team by using the “Send Feedback” link on the top-right of the SHOUTcast.com website. Additionally, you can reach out to the SHOUTcast developer and broadcaster community through the SHOUTcast forums. There you will find answers to all your technical questions from the SHOUTcast development team or from the SHOUTcast community.
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  • 11. What is a SHOUTcast Radio partner?
  • SHOUTcast.com is not the only place where you can browse and listen to SHOUTcast Radio stations. The SHOUTcast Radio directory is available on many third-party applications like the Sony MYLO and PSP, Chumby Internet Device, Radio Bee mobile applications and many more. Click here for a full list of our partners.
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  • SHOUTcast Radio DSP Plugin for Winamp
  • 1. What is the SHOUTcast Source Plug-in for Winamp?
  • Nullsoft SHOUTcast Radio Source Plug-in for Winamp (also known as the DSP Plug-in) is a Winamp DSP plug-in that enables Winamp to interface with the SHOUTcast Radio Server software(DNAS). At this time, the plug-in is available only on the x86/Win32 platform, and runs under any version of Windows 95, 98, NT, or Windows 2000 (Intel Platform). The SHOUTcast Radio server, unlike the interface plug-in, is far less platform dependent and has builds for many operating systems. To communicate with any of those Servers, regardless of platform, you need three things: Nullsoft Winamp media player, The SHOUTcast Radio DSP Plug-in for Winamp, and an MP3 codec for Windows. To get the latest version of the SHOUTcast Radio DSP plug-in, click here.
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  • SHOUTcast Radio DNA Application
  • 1. What is the SHOUTcast Radio DNAS Software?
  • The SHOUTcast Radio Distributed Network Audio Software (DNAS) is a software application that runs on your server attached to the Internet or an IP network and is responsible for receiving audio from a broadcaster such as your Win amp media player running the SHOUTcast Radio DSP plug-in. The SHOUTcast DNAS will then broadcast the source stream to listeners of your broadcast. More information is in the server section of the documentation that comes with the installer package. You will need to provide an Internet accessible host to run the software and an audio stream for this to work.
  • Nullsoft SHOUTcast DNS Software is an application that runs as an application on supported operating system such as Windows 95, 98, NT, FreeBSD, etc. The SHOUTcast DNS Software will accept connections via SHOUTcast Radio DSP Plug-in in order to have a SOURCE Stream to broadcast. Once a stream has begun, the SHOUTcast DNS Software will only accept connections from other copies of Winamp in order to broadcast that source stream to each listener. In effect, having a micro-broadcast system to allow people to be able to broadcast any content in any of the formats that Wianmp supports. Through the use of specialized SHOUTcast Radio broadcasting plug-ins, audio from a microphone as well as any device attached to the Line-In port on the broadcasters soundcard can be streamed via SHOUTcast Radio Server. The SHOUTcast DNS Software is the key to connecting many poeple to one another via Winamp.
  • The SHOUTcast Radio Server configuration file contains several options that can be changed. Here is a basic explanation of what each option does.
  • PortBase: The port SHOUTcast Radio should use to send your audio. The default is 8000. Unix users should be aware that they cannot use a port below 1024 unless they run the server as root.
  • MaxUser: The maximum allowable listeners at any one time. Make sure you set this to a realistic number depending on your bandwidth and operating system. Maximum bandwidth used for serving is equal to the bitrate you are serving at multiplied by MaxUser x 1.1.
  • Password: The password to use for streaming content and administration. This needs to precisely match the password in the SHOUTcast Radio dsp plug-in in order for source providers to send content with your server.
  • Logfile: The file to use to store the console log. Use /dev/null or leave empty to disable file-based logging.
  • SrcIP: The IP interface to bind the source listener to. Only important on machines with more than one IP interface or ethernet card. Default is to listen to all IP addresses, when set to ANY.
  • DestIP: The IP interface to listen for clients on. Only important on machines with more than one IP interface or ethernet card. Default is to listen to all ip addresses, when set to ANY.
  • RelayServer: [Optional] If defined, the SHOUTcast Radio server will not accept source connections, and instead attempt to connect to the server name defined here for transmission.
  • RelayPort: [Optional] The port that the relay server is sending audio on.
  • RelayPublic: [Optional] When running a relay server, use "always" to make the server always public (regardless of whether the source server is public) or "never" to make the server never public. Anything else makes the server the same as the source server.
  • RealTime: [Console systems only] This flag determines whether or not the server displays a real-time status indicator with listner count.
  • ScreenLog: [Console systems only] If this flag is set to 1, the server will display all diagnostic data on screen in addition to writing it to the logfile.
  • HistoryLog: [Optional] If set to anything other than 'none', the server will append to the file named here information on listener count, timestamp, and metadata at a provided interval.
  • HistoryLogTime: [Optional] The value, in seconds, of how often the server should update the HistoryLogFile.
  • Yport: [Optional] If you're located behind a web cache, you can tell the SHOUTcast Radio server to use a different inbound port to send directory data to. The only values that work are 80 and 800. The default is 80.
  • NameLookups: [Optional] If set to 1, the server will attempt to resolve all IP addresses into their FQDN (i.e. 207.48.52.225 becomes www.winamp.com)
  • AutoDumpUsers: [Optional] If set to 1, the server will disconnect listeners whenever the source becomes inactive. Otherwise, listeners are left connected and either get dead air or the BackupFile (see below).
  • IntroFile: [Optional] If defined, the server will send this file as-is to the listener before joining them with the content stream. CAUTION: This file MUST be in MP3 format, and of the *PRECISE* same bitrate, samplerate, and mono/stereo setting as your stream!!! If the file differs from the stream, the user gets an earful of nastiness or dead air.
  • BackupFile: [Optional] If defined, the server will send this file as-is to the listener whenever the server loses contact with the source stream or the source stream idles for 30s or more. CAUTION: This file MUST be in MP3 format, and of the *PRECISE* same bitrate, samplerate, and mono/stereo setting as your stream!!! If the file differs from the stream, the user gets an earful of nastiness or dead air.
  • TitleFormat: [Optional] When defined, this string will repurpose how metadata appears to the player. If the flag %s is included in the parameter, then the title data from the source is included at that point in the string. For example, if your TitleFormat is 'Fobar Radio: %s', and the source plug-in's title is 'Billy plays the blues', then the net title is 'Foobar Radio: Billy plays the blues'. Note: only works on non-relay servers. The default is no format string. URLFormat: [Optional] This behaves just like TitleFormat, except it applies to the minibrowser URL. Only useful when you want to do redirections and keep track of 'em.
  • CurrentLog: [Optional] CurrentLog provides a mechanism for regular updates to a file located on the same server as the SHOUTcast Radio server. CurrentLog itself as a parameter does not exist, but rather is a family of parameters. They are as follows:
  • CurrentLogIn is the filename of an HTML template file.
  • CurrentLogOut is the filename the server should output the file to.
  • CurrentLogTime is the number of seconds the server should wait between updates to the output file.
  • The HTML template file is best explained with an example. Consider this file, stored on the same server and pointed to as CurrentLogIn:
  • <HTML><HEAD>
    <TITLE>My Current Stats</TITLE>
    <HEAD><BODY>
    My SHOUTcast Radio server is currently playing
    You get see more information about it at.
    </BODY></HTML>
  • As you can see, the server inserts parameters where it finds comment fields with appropriate parameters. The parameters it recognizes are LISTENERS, MAXLISTENERS, LISTENERTABLE, GENRE, DESCRIPTION, URL, HITS, and CURRENTSONG. More information on these parameters can be found in the sc_serv.conf or sc_serv.ini file's comments.
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  • Troubleshooting and Advanced Topics
  • 1. ADVANCED TOPICS (FAQ)
  • OVERVIEW
    ==========
  • O1. Where do I get the IP address I need to use?
  • Answer: Nullsoft/AOL don't presently provide free bandwidth or servers to broadcast from. You need to talk to your ISP or someone with a big fat internet connection and convince them to run the server for you so you can broadcast from it.
  • O2. Who is my system administrator?
  • Answer: The system administrator is the person responsible for computers on your network. If you aren't on a network, then you are your own system administrator. SHOUTcast Radio broadcasting can be a fairly complex process, so bring someone along who's familiar with things like IP networking if you feel less than comfortable with computers.
  • DNAS
    =====
  • D1. How do I use the on-demand content features of the DNAS?
  • Answer: The DNAS installs with a folder called content/. Place any MP3 files inside this directory, and they're ready to be streamed on-demand. The server will even automatically generate a playlist for any individual item of content so you can have browsers automatically pass the content off to a player without having to make playlists yourself.
  • Example: Your server has a file called song.mp3 in the content/ folder. Your SHOUTcast Radio DNAS is running on port 8000 at my.host.com.
  • You can listen to my song <A HREF= "http://my.host.com:8000/content/song.pls">here</A>
  • NOTE: The file song.pls DOES NOT EXIST in your content directory! If a file with the same name exists with the .mp3 extension, the DNAS will automatically generate the .pls file.
  • NOTE: Subdirectories DO NOT work for the content section, to help prevent malicious users from tramping around your filesystem.
  • D2. Why does the SHOUTcast Radio directory think I'm at a different IP than I really am?
  • Answer: The SHOUTcast Radio directory used to run on the honor system. That was, it took you at your word on what IP you were broadcasting at. Since about twenty billion people abused that to send people to porn sites, now the directory forces the listed IP to the same IP that sends it the info. Since many ISPs now use content caching on port 80 (the same port that directory data comes from), a different IP address can sometimes appear in the directory. There isn't any solution for this at the moment, save having your ISP disable forced proxying of your address.
  • D3. I'm behind a firewall/proxy. Can I still use the DNAS to broadcast?
  • Answer: Tricky question. Users behind proxies cannot. Users behind NAT devices can, *provided* the same port the SHOUTcast Radio server runs on is set up to forward from the NAT device to the SHOUTcast Radio server. Users behind firewalls can also get a hole punched so listeners can penetrate. If broadcasters also need to get in from the outside world, you should open the hole for PortBase + 1 (i.e. id SHOUTcast Radio runs on 8000, 8001 should be open for broadcasters to get through as well.)
  • SOURCE PLUG-IN
    ===============
  • S1. How do I use advanced mode?
  • Answer: Read the README that comes with the plug-in. It explains how to make things like crossfading, cd-audio, and voiceovers work. Also, there's a ScreenCam guide which will show exactly what to do
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  • 2. Troubleshooting (listening, broadcasting)
  • PROBLEMS LISTENING
    ====================
  • L1. Help! I get audio skipping when I listen!
  • Answer: Your connection to the Internet is too slow to handle the amount of data that particular SHOUTcast Radio station is sending. Try looking through the SHOUTcast Radio directory for stations with a lower value in the bitrate column. You can also select your connection type on the SHOUTcast Radio directory (modem, DSL, etc.) and the directory will present stations most likely to work on your type of connection.
  • L2. I'm having problems tuning in with RealPlayer
  • Answer: RealPlayer does not support the full gamut of SHOUTcast Radio stations. For optimal listening, download and install the Winamp audio player for Windows (http://www.winamp.com) or one of the other recommended players listed in the shoutcast.com online documentation.
  • L3. I've installed Winamp but RealPlayer keeps stealing SHOUTcast Radio. How do I get Winamp to play SHOUTcast Radio tracks?
  • Answer: RealPlayer is more aggressive at positioning itself than Winamp for control of streaming media. The problem is RealPlayer performs poorly at tuning in SHOUTcast Radio stations. The solution is to disable Real's SmartCenter by right-clicking on the real icon in your system tray (bottom right hand corner of the Windows screen) and select Disable Smartcenter. Install the latest version of Winamp once you've done this, and Winamp will have control of the stations again.
  • PROBLEMS BROADCASTING
    =========================
  • B1. When I try to broadcast I get an error message saying "Error opening ACM stream" -- what's wrong?
  • Answer: Your Windows machine doesn't have the Fraunhofer MP3 codec. Visit the "I wanna be a DJ" section of SHOUTcast.com to find out how to download the necessary file. Don't forget to install it after you download :)
  • B2. I don't know what IP I should enter. What should I enter?
  • Answer: You need someone to run the SHOUTcast Radio server for you. Nullsoft does not provide SHOUTcast Radio servers, only the software and the directory of broadcasts.
  • B3. I don't know what a system administrator is. Where do I find one?
  • Answer: A system administrator is the person responsible for running your network. If you don't know who yours is, chances are you'll encounter great difficulty running the SHOUTcast Radio server software. Try to find a friend who's familiar with IP networking and computers and see if they can assist you in setting up a SHOUTcast Radio broadcast.
  • B4. I'm trying to broadcast from a computer that doesn't run Windows. What do I need?
  • Answer: Windows, unfortunately. There presently aren't any stable solutions for broadcasting frame-accurate constant bitrate MP3 audio on platforms other than Windows. We're working on some solutions here.
  • B5. I can't broadcast at more than 56kbps, but I see people doing 128kbps and above. How can I do that?
  • Answer: You need the professional version of the Fraunhofer MP3 codec. We can't give away the codec for free, but you can buy it by emailing Fraunhofer (http://www.fhg.com)
  • B6. IS SHOUTcast Radio FREE? (YES IT IS)
  • Answer: We made SHOUTcast Radio free many many months ago. I'm looking for references to people having to pay and slowly stamping them out.
  • B7. Listeners are complaining that my mic is always on, what do I do?
  • Answer: You're using advanced recording mode. Turn it off by going to Winamp Prefs -> DSP plug-ins -> SHOUTcast Radio Source -> Configure button.
  • PROBLEMS SERVING WITH SHOUTcast RADIO DNAS SERVER
    ================================================
  • S1. When I try to listen I get "ICY 404 Service Unavailable" -- What does this mean?
  • Answer: You need to provide SHOUTcast Radio with a stream to broadcast. This is done by setting up Winamp with a playlist, playing audio, and using the SHOUTcast Radio Source Plug-in for Winamp to send a stream to a SHOUTcast Radio DNAS.
  • S2. How do I make a link off a webpage for people to listen to my server?
  • Answer: SHOUTcast Radio 1.1 and above supports a direct link off the SHOUTcast Radio server to reference itself via the URL:

    http://your.server.ip.here:yourport/listen.pls.

    For example, if your server's IP address was 192.168.1.10 and running on port 8000 you would use http://192.168.1.10:8000/listen.pls, or as a web link:

    Listen to my server (click <A HREF ="http://192.168.1.10:8000/listen.pls">here</a>)
  • S3. My server gets this error: "[yp_add] yp.shoutcast.com gave error (nak)" -- What's wrong with my server?
  • Answer: The SHOUTcast Radio directory has refused to publish your directory entry for one of a number of reasons. Your server should have an extended error message as well which might correspond with one of the following:
  • NOTE: If the extended-error message is accompanied by an IP address, check to make sure it's the same IP address and port you're running the SHOUTcast Radio server from. If it's different, then something is changing your IP address before it gets to us. This is usually because of internet sharing devices or software. DSL routers and cable modems typically are the culprit, as are corporate firewalls, NAT devices, or web caches. We are working on a solution for the web caches, but if any of the other devices are changing your IP, you will *have* to follow the instructions under Connection refused: below to solve your problem. Listeners on the internet will not be able to listen to your server until you fix the problem.
  • Connection refused: This typically means your server is not visible from the Internet. The usual cause is that you're located behind a firewall or NAT device (this includes internet sharing programs like Sygate, Wingate, etc.). These devices block incoming connections to your network. You need to configure these devices to map port 8000 on the device to port 8000 on the computer running the SHOUTcast Radio server. If you have changed the SHOUTcast Radio DNAS configuration to have different values for the ports, you should map that port instead. The important detail is that the SAME PORT YOU BROADCAST ON MUST BE THE PORT MAPPED FROM THE OUTSIDE. That is, you can't map port 99 to port 8000 and expect it to work. It won't.
  • Connection timed out: This means the SHOUTcast Radio directory attempted to contact your server, but never reached it. This is usually due to ISPs or corporate networks blocking incoming traffic. Occasionally this is because the Internet is tweaked and the directory can't find a route to your server. Reasons for this can be as various as ISPs around the world disagreeing on route tables, overburdened connections between your ISP and the backbone, or just general net flakiness. If it doesn't clear up after a day or so, ask your network provider if they block incoming traffic.
  • 404: This typically means you're running software that isn't a SHOUTcast Radio DNAS server. The only supported software for listings in the SHOUTcast Radio directory is the SHOUTcast Radio DNAS. Occasionally this will show up on servers with very very slow Internet connections as well. It should clear itself up with time.
  • 5 (yer banned booger): Your network has been linked to exploits of the SHOUTcast Radio directory in the past and is restricted from adding entries to the SHOUTcast Radio directory.
  • 2: Your server is promoting specific technology. The SHOUTcast Radio directory is a place to promote stations, not technologies.
  • 3: Your server sent incomplete or inappropriate data. Check your station information for invalid characters (numbers, letters and spaces are the only accepted values for most entries) and reconnect the Source plug-in to try again.
  • 6: Something's screwed up on our end. Please see http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?forumid=140
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For issues not covered here, please check the SHOUTcast.com community-moderated forums.

Free Internet Radio Stations by Genre

Be a DJ - Setup your own Internet Radio Station

Setting up your very own internet radio station & making your voice heard as a DJ on SHOUTcast Radio is a simple 2 step process.
1. Download SHOUTcast Radio Broadcasting Tools
2. Setup your SHOUTcast Radio DNAS Application  
Support and frequently asked questions for SHOUTcast Radio
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