Overview

Web radio s equivalent of a radio mast is the computer. Anyone with a phone connection can set one up to send their radio programmes out to the online world. There are many specialist sites on the Web which tell you how to go about doing this (several are suggested at the end of this chapter as Further reading ), but for those approaching web radio for the first time there are a number of important basic principles to be aware of before diving in.

Perhaps the first point to emphasize is just what a vast resource the Internet is in its own right. Not only are there the websites of companies who provide the software for streaming stacked with as much technical detail as you can absorb there is also an entire international community of radio people out there who collectively have amassed a vast amount of experience with streaming in a short space of time. And if they re streaming successfully they re likely to be up to date in the extraordinarily fast moving world of Internet technology. Most of them have email addresses displayed on their websites, so find a station that s doing something similar to what you re thinking of (see Chapter 7) and see if their webmaster has any tips or recommendations about streaming. Of course, some won t reply, but many will: that s the spirit of the Internet.

So, this chapter gives an essential introductory guide for the uninitiated or the curious and points to a range...