Are you a budding DJ who loves sharing your homegrown playlists with the world? Or are you a singer eager to share his music with netizens all over the world? Whatever your purpose, if you want your voice to be heard by millions, your best option is to opt for a Shoutcast hosting service. Even just a couple of weeks ago, Shoutcast users felt the news of the Tiger Woods scandal and the temporary interruption of his career for millions of listeners around the world. Can you imagine the benefits of such a service? The possibilities are endless.
A Shoutcast hosting service will provide you with some storage space on a dedicated Shoutcast server, where you can upload the audio files you want to share via FTP client software. Files must be in MP3 or HE-AAC file format. However, the bitrate at which the file was encoded is not an issue. Once those files are uploaded, you can configure settings to stream those files for specific time periods. Any user connected to the Internet can listen to these audio streams with the help of Real Media Player, Musicmatch Jukebox, Windows Media Player, Apple QuickTime Player, WinAmp or other similar software programs.
Shoutcast hosting services are available with various service plans. Service providers offer plans to keep their Shoutcast server online around the clock, so users listening at any time can access their audio stream. Alternatively, you can opt for plans that keep your server online for only a specific amount of time each day. You can set the time interval and the provider will stream the music only during that time period. Obviously, the fees are lower if you opt for short-term audio streaming services.
Most Shoutcast hosting service providers will give you access to an easy-to-use configuration interface, through which you can customize the streaming settings to suit your needs. The interfaces are usually very easy to understand, even for users with little technical knowledge. You can customize the times you want the stream to start, the length of the stream, and the audio files to be streamed. Service providers can also configure the settings for you, in case you are not sure about doing it yourself.
Shoutcast is no longer just about streaming audio. Many service providers now include the option to stream video files in their service plans. You can stream Shoutcast videos or NSV videos, just like audio files, to people all over the world who tune in.
If you want excellent Shoutcast hosting services, go for a reliable service provider with a good reputation. 24Shells.net is one of the best providers out there, with state-of-the-art service at reasonable rates. Get in touch with them and make the world dance with your music.
