Cloud Servers?

[undercover]

Does anyone know if cloud servers for Internet radio would be cheaper then to go through a regular server provider?

 

Or does it come out the same?

[Brutish Sailor]

Negative, you will screw yourself in the long run with a cloud server.

 

Cloudservers would be good if you are multitasking and running a webpage,all your PHP scripts, AND you launch scripts under one roof.

 

HOWEVER, internet radio uses ONE big resource over anything. Bandwidth.

 

Get a cloud server through a host with bad pairing, and your results are HORRIBLE.

 

I would recommend SC host until you start popping over 200 listeners, then get a budget server from a host, a host thats good.

 

Ask them who they are getting their bandwidth through. If they dont know, or dont say, walk away.

[Brutish Sailor]

Actually, just thinking about it, you dont know what the other people are doing on that cloud server. Get someone shelling in to upload on the peek of your radio time sucking you bandwidth dry, and all your listeners get dropped, and I guarantee you will reconsider this option

[undercover]

Ok, well thanks for the info. I wasn't going to get a cloud server it was just brought to my attention that it could save me money, but I am still learning about servers.

 

What do you mean by SC? The server company I plan on going through is

http://www.kwdservices.com They seem good.

 

I appreciate your input.

[BWorld]

SC Host is SHOUTcast Host just for your info.

 

Visit http://www.broadcastingworld.net/reviews/hosts/

 

All of those are pretty reputable hosts and you can see the vast possibilities to pick on for you!

[Brutish Sailor]

agreed.

 

and while your at it, I would start small. For me starting over, thats the secret I overlooked.

 

 

 

Getting started with web radio, the brutish (I have had many failures to learn from) version aimed at internet radio hobbiest that would like to not get burned in this adventure.

 

This will be easy to digest for all you gear heads out there.

 

1) Understand the rules of cost: quality and DIY.

 

Your station is like a car. To build it, You can do a DIY job.

 

However like your car, you do-it-yourself and if you dont have the understanding of what your doing you can mess stuff up, or hinder performance.

 

You can also pay to have someone host it. However, do your research. You can always find out the real scoop of gripes on any host with enough goggling. Getting a host is like having someone work on your car. Cheaper is nice. BUT, You get what you pay for. Pay cheap prices for a host that buys cheap bandwidth, and prepare for your stream to get dropped every few days, and beware of hackers. Pay for host that oversells your bandwidth, and prepare for hidden fees that materialize out of no where.

 

Just like a car.

 

Performance. Why would you soup up a radio server that isn't ready for big performance, thats like souping up a car you would never race on the tracks?

 

Build a couple of shows. Listen to them. Put them in your winamp in playlist order and ask yourself ,"would I listen to this?"

 

Your shows are all music? Why wouldn't your listening audience turn to pandora? Why dont you ask one of your fans? If he doesnt have an answer, its because he likes you, and he turns on your stream, turns down the volume, and continues to listen to pandora.

 

While your at it, record your sweepers and jingles. Your first set to start. If you dig them, have them professionally done. If you can hear it, but you cant figure out how to make it a production, get it professionally done.

 

If you like what you made, stick with it, it makes you happy. Sweepers and jingles is your paint job, pin stripes, and fin tails of this machine that people will associate with your show. Some people have their marc echo buddies do it. Some take it into the shop(go pro) and get something killer.

 

Dont let your eyes get too big for your audience stomach.

 

At one point I was ALWAYS near the 15-20 ears mark during my live shows. Then I started to swap servers, trying to upgrade. lost my audience there.

 

Then I was Trying to make a better automation. Lost more of my audience. Then I was building a better website, lost more of my audience.

 

Before you know it, I had EVERYTHING I needed for a full scale campaign of music, to play for my ghost town of no listeners.

 

Dont BE A DUMMY LIKE ME.

 

Get a good website to launch from. write Launch scripts. This will make the IP as interchangeable as the aircaps on your tires.

 

Instead of people going to IP address 22.33.12.2

 

They go to http://www.yoursite.com/playme.pls

 

This tells the listeners player where the IP is, even if you change it.

 

 

 

///More to follow///

[undercover]

Well I believe people will listen this is my second time doing this due to having a bad business partner that screwed me, but everything happens for a reason.

 

I think people will listen because when I had the station going in 2006/2007 it was on Live365 (which I won't use again) and iTunes.

 

I had 75,000 streams to 20,000 streams a month. I had 20,000 or so a month and I wasn't even operating the station anymore due to some hard time I just let it run out.

 

So with those numbers I think it could be successful and hopefully generate revenue with using shoutcast and other networks besides iTunes Radio.

 

I have a niche genre of Latin urban music that I cater too as well.

 

What do you think Sailor?

[Brutish Sailor]

 

I'll be honest.

 

If you had that many streams out, and was not getting free hosting from 365 (which would have hosted and dropped commercials free btw) Im guessing you were prior the investor guy in all of this last project.

 

Go Loudcity, Brandon and John are "the man" so to speak.

 

But if that was your server count, (which I have no reason to doubt you) pretty impressive.

 

[undercover]

Well I was a professional broadcaster, so I didn't get anything free from Live365.

 

They told me they were going to do some profit sharing at one point, but I shut my station down and I don't don't know if the ever put that in place for pro broadcasters.

 

Yes, I was the one investing my money in it. Are you saying that Loud City is good?

 

I was thinking of doing it independ this time so, I don't have to pay a company like Live365.

 

What do you think?

[Brutish Sailor]

I hear that. I personally wouldn't roll without some form of licencing host if I was breaking 3-4 digits of ears listening.

 

But then again, I would never bump ugly's without a condom either.

 

If your talking about doing independent underground Latino urban, move to South Cali, put up a sign, and people will drop tracks at your doorstep.

[undercover]

Lol your funny man. lol

 

I am going to use SWcast. What do you think of them.

 

 

Well I am planning on operating the Internet radio station and website independent.

 

I been doing my homework on servers and licensing for a while now.

 

Do you know if you pick up a good amount of listeners from ShoutCast?

[Brutish Sailor]

This will be the third time I am typing in this block. The VERY SHORT version of what I said.

 

1) Network and research if you are going independent.

2) Find a listener base you communicate to, and listen to them

3) Running a remote dedicated server SUCKS big time if you got a lot to learn/dont know your coding. unless you go WHM as an OS (and that sucks sometimes), stick to slot hosting easier that way.

4) No shame in asking a question you dont know the answer to.

5) If you dont understand the building blocks of Streaming, its gonna be a pain.

 

 

yadda yadda yadda, something like that.

 

OH!

6) Im a Shmuck, and I did all right because I was obsessed with streaming/got lucky with networking. Actually, Im probably still a shmuck...

[kjkoning]

Lol your funny man. lol

Do you know if you pick up a good amount of listeners from ShoutCast?

 

Because there are so many stations already on Shoutcast, it's very difficult to have a new station get more than 10-20 listeners from Shoutcast.com, although the larger you are, the higher up the list your station is, so the more listeners you get from them. At a minimum you want to submit your station to every station directory you can find (and there are a lot), and do a ton of promotion in groups and forums of your target demographic. No spamming though

[jamesdean]

Getting listed on iTunes boosts your listeners. 70%+ of total listeners will be using iTunes.

[Brutish Sailor]

Ok, on the licensing thing too.

 

One thing I would like to point out. Live365 now is a pretty sweet deal. SWcast, is getting better. I have, and will, always be a member of loudcity.

 

Their is this guy that took over, Brandon. Apparently, from what I got from people, is that Loudcity used to treat their customers like business people. I will tell you the truth, Brandon is totally awesome as a JLA host. He will get on his forums and talk. he will talk to us, the small hobby broadcaster and ask us what we think of things. He will take our opinions, no matter how ignorant they are (and some very dumb, ignorant, stuff has come out my voicebox) He actually cares about the community. He doesn't lock us into contracts because he wants us to enjoy this experience. He wants us to not feel ripped or like we HAVE to do this. He one of those guys that surrounded himself with good people in this community.

 

So to the point of this, I'm not going to tell you what licensing host to go with, I'm too ignorant. What I will say is that they have a very good community to share with. They listen, They talk. Brandon is a warrior of the small hobby broadcaster in Washington, He will fight for us, he will probably never tell us of the struggles hes gone through to keep US small webcasting legal, to make this dream a reality. Thats because he wants you to enjoy what your doing.

 

People that offer a good service and care about clients? All the tea in china, all the oil in Iraq, wouldn't get me to budge from my current JLA host.