Do you want to stream audio on your website? In this article we give you the most common free methods of streaming.
Before you start make sure you have the following:
1. Audio Editor such as the free open source software Audacity
2. Notepad or another software that you can type simple txt or html
RAM - Real Audio Media
This was really popular a few years back, but flash players and the rise of high speed internet mean that its possible to stream full quality MP3 files.
To stream a real audio simply save your music into a .rm file using your audio editor. Upload your .rm file to your web server. Once you have done this take note of the website address of the .rm file and using notepad, type this URL into it.
Save the notepad file, but change the prefix at the end from .txt to .ram. Upload the .ram file to your web server and take note of the web address of this file. On your website, create a link to the .ram file so that your music will stream on clicking it.
Unfortunately this kind of steaming may require the user to have Real Media Player. The problem is that not everyone has it.
M3U - Moving Picture Experts Group Audio Layer 3 Uniform Resource Locator
Originally created for use in WinAmp, this method is done in a similar way to .ram files, but is instead used for streaming MP3 and WMA files.
To stream using this method follow the same instructions as the .ram files, but instead save your music to .mp3 or .wma. When saving the notepad file, save it with the prefix .m3u. Also, you can actually add more than one audio file to .m3u files.
Flash Players
There are many flash players around and some of them are free. However, some of them require you to copy and paste code that links back to their website. This can make your website look a tad unprofessional. But if this is the way you want to go down you can try using the flash player at myflashfetish.com.
You can also purchase flash software that will have player templates for you to use. Or, you can create your own player using the software if you are that advanced in flash designing.
If you want one that doesn't require a link back to a website and requires no flash design software, then i suggest using the WordPress audio player. Don't worry, you don't need WordPress to use it. Just follow the instructions on www.macloo.com/examples/audio_player/ and you will have a decent player without having to splash the cash. Be sure to donate to the makers of the software if you continue to use it.
These methods are not they only methods of steaming audio, but they are the most popular. Long gone are the days of trying to embed Windows Media Player or Real Audio Player into a web page as a lot of people found that these caused compatibility problems.
Who knows, maybe there will be another way of streaming audio in the future that will require no extra software to play the files.
Barry Walker is a dance music producer and webmaster of BDWRekordings.com - Dance Music NetLabel
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