How To Start An Online Radio Station

Setting Up Online Radio

Any need to know how to setup an online radio station.  I saw radio lagos online, and it wasnt bad, but when I tried to locate their radio-server, I couldn't get to the root.

If you have developed any,  or have the idea, paying [commercial] or free let me know please.

I have made google search but need some recommendations.

I have little experience with this, so I'm calling on online radio station owners who have advertised previously on this forum to share their experience, please!

 - http://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-2847.0.html

if its an online station, you can set one up through http://www.live365.com. I used to run one (online only) for 5 years at http://www.listentosoul.co.uk/ using live365.com

Better to start with the basic package, the P100 and upgrade as your audience increases. I enjoyed doing it but it was an expensive hobby as the money coming in wasn't covering the costs. When i started off Live365 used to run it for free until record companies started making a lot of noise about copyright infringement.

There are a few Nigerian stations (not based in Nigeria) like Radio Abeokuta http://www.live365.com/cgi-bin/directory.cgi?searchdesc=abeokuta

you can also try shoutcast http://www.shoutcast.com/

if its online then its not really pirate radio. There's no law against broadcasting online. Its what you broadcast that will determine if its legal or illegal (depending on the country). If you're broadcasting your own content then its ok but if you're broadcasting music you require the copyright holder's permission. (This is all set out in the DCMA - Digital Millenium Copyright Act for those in the US, the UK has a similar one)
Using sites like Live365 means you don't have to bother with such issues as they handle all the legal issues for you.

I'm sure you meant royalties  Yeah it is expensive to use live365 thats why i eventually shut down the station i was running after 5 years, even though i was making some money from it, it wasn't enough to cover the cost of running it.
If you stream music on the net and you don't have any legal cover (i.e paid royalties etc) then you run the risk of a heavy fine. Your ISP will provide your full details the minute they get any aggro from the BPI - The British Phonographic Industry (in the UK) or its equivalent in the states

I think i'd have to plan for the live365. though the site is going to be ran by a nigerian radio station which am going to develop for.

i also surfed that shoutcast i think its less expensive. well while i still research more on it ,  any suggest is welcome.

I don't really know what agreements they have in place, its still a bit of a grey area, if they are playing only Nigerian music its possible the copyright holders are not aware of their rights.
If any of these stations is operating out of the US or Europe and they don't have any legal agreements in place (as par royalties payment) then they run the risk of a heavy fine if the copyright holders find out and then decide to enforce their legal rights.

Are you into Linux?

If so, icecast is your answer.  Icecast is available under GPL license, i.e., free to use and distribute.
More info at http://www.icecast.org/.

Overview,

Make sure your soundcard works on your linux machine.
Install the icecast server.
Install libogg, libvorbis, libxml2, libshout 2.  These are needed before the next install below.
Install the icecast source client.

Nothing special about these installs.  You simply download the file:
# wget http://filelocation/filename.tgz

Untar file:
# tar -zxvpf filename.tar.gz

Enter new directory:
# cd filename

Configure:
# ./configure

Then make the executable:
# make

Very easy.

Next, you configure the source client to read audio data from the soundcard.  The sound card on linux is /dev/dsp, just as the floppy drive is /dev/fd0.

The audio data input on your soundcard can be anything: CD player (line-in), microphone (mic), pre-recorded audio, etc.

The source client reads from your soundcard, converts it to a format the icecast server expects.  You can also tell it to resample/downmix the soundcard data, depending on the bandwidth of your listeners.  For example, a 16kbps stream is small enough for anybody on dialup to enjoy without being choppy. On the other hand, a 512kbps stream is only possible for listeners on broadband connection.

The processed data is then sent to the icecast server for streaming.

Your listeners can connect to http://yourip:port/mounpointyouspecified.m3u.  E.g. http://81.28.154.10:8000/mystream.ogg.m3u

Here is a clearer picture:

microphone-->soundcard-->source client-->icecast server-->internet radio listener.

Note: The source client, and icecast server can be on the same machine, or on different machines.

This stuff is easy to set up, and you can do it without spending a penny other than the cost of your hardware, and of course, the cost of internet connection.

Let me know if this works for you.

There are other interesting stuff I've done in the area of media streaming. 
See http://www.oarsoflove.com/african.music.php
And read: Setup your own Online Radio Station at http://ffa.oarsoflove.com/

If you want an online jukebox:
http://www.ampache.org/

gbengaijot, I'll let somebody else offer advice in the ms windows area.

I believe icecast is offered in Windos version too.  But don't hold me to it.

You can also look into Realserver, Windows media server, etc.  Windows stuff will cost you lots of $$ though.

IF you already have a windows server, a public IP address and  enough bandwidth you can actually host the station yourself and it can be streamed realtime as against uploading the   file to an ftp server. See http://www.kendall-online.com/blog/2006/01/setting-up-online-tv-or-radio-station.html for a detailed description.

Try going to www.themulcher.com

Live 365 is great and it works in that it allows you to buy only what you need to use. I am not sure if you are looking to running a full radio station as in 24 hours but it could get expensive in time. But I have myself thought of the idea and think it really cool as I do listen to online radio most everyday at work myself.