What is ShoutcastConcierge?

[Carol Haynes]

Spent some time looking yesterday but I couldn't get a clear idea of what this program does.

[allen]

You plug in the URL's for shoutcast audio streams -- it monitors them so you can quickly and easily see what's playing on them all without having to go to each of the different websites. . . A program I'd overlooked until you posted asking.  Now, I'm using it . . .

[Carol Haynes]

What is a "shoutcast audio stream"?

[allen]

Internet radio, basically -- but instead of frequency/amplitude based stations, you just plug the web address of the "stream" into your audio player and listen that way.  Whatever you use to listen to music, there's a good chance it can play them -- if not, you can always give VU Player a spin.

You can find shoutcast streams for every taste in music here.

The advantage to Shoutcast Concierge is that you can have a list of favorite stations and see what song is currently playing in each of them - so if you don't like what's on one, you'll know what's playing on the rest -- switch to one you like.

[Carol Haynes]

Thanks that makes sense.

[brotherS]

You obviously weren't listening to music streams that often, right?

I love it, I virtually stopped listening to mp3 files completely!

[Carol Haynes]

I almost never listen to streaming music mainly because there is so little I like, esp. the lack of classical music streams. The ones that do exist are 'popular' classics (which basically means stuff you've heard in TV ads or in film music).

Just a shame there are no serious classical streams (at least that I can find).

I don't listen to music radio much either for the same reasons. BBC Radio 3 used to come close but they have 'dumbed down' in recent years to try and compete with Virgin and ClassicFM's offerings.

I like lots of other kinds of music but I don't like to listen to what's on just for the sake of it.

Shoutcast Concierge comes close to solving some of the problems because I can at least have a pile of streams and look to see if there is anything I fancy listening to without having the stuff I don't want to listen to pootling along in the background. Having said that I am amazed that www.shoutcast.com don't have a 'my favourite streams' feature which would have saved the need for extra software!

[brotherS]

I almost never listen to streaming music mainly because there is so little I like, esp. the lack of classical music streams. The ones that do exist are 'popular' classics (which basically means stuff you've heard in TV ads or in film music).

Just a shame there are no serious classical streams (at least that I can find).

-Carol Haynes (April 12, 2006, 04:25 AM)

Yeah, you have to search more to find rare stuff... but Shoutcast and Google are able to help

Shoutcast Concierge comes close to solving some of the problems because I can at least have a pile of streams and look to see if there is anything I fancy listening to without having the stuff I don't want to listen to pootling along in the background. Having said that I am amazed that www.shoutcast.com don't have a 'my favourite streams' feature which would have saved the need for extra software!

I'm afraid I can't follow... how could such thing work if Shoutcast (which seems to have problems right now) doesn't even list all the streams you are listening to? I also prefer an "extra software" solution because those tend to be updated more often - and are available without a browser, so you could just have it sitting in a corner of your screen. Features like tray icon alerts are also only possible with an external solution.

[allen]

Shoutcast.com has changed little over the years -- they provide streaming and some relatively rudimentary sorting and searching -- but it's no frills.  For the same reasons as brotherS, I prefer the third party approach.

That said, streaming audio hasn't replaced my mp3 usage yet -- simply because more often than not I'm in the mood for something specific.  Several years back, though, there was a stream I listened to almost non-stop.  Don't laugh.  24/7 Alphaville

[KynloStephen66515]

Any idea if this supports viewing of multiple streams hosted from a singular server, including customized information about current DJ, Set, and Styles and possibly URL (Set by the Hosting Software such as SAM)?