How do you create a web audio playlist?

Question

Hi. I'm researching ways to create a web radio station of sorts. It will have streaming MP3 audio from TV programs for users to listen to. They should have the option of just listening to the stream or pick the shows they'd like to hear and add them to their playlist.

It needs to be usable by folks on mobile devices, so Flash is out for that reason. Also, the admin folks should be able to add programs to the player and maintain the list of available programs.

Are there any existing tools for such an app? We work in a Unix, PHP, Java environment with MySQL and Oracle db. We'll even take a solution that's in ASP.NET! Your assistance is much appreciated. Thanks.

Answer 1

As a server, you might consider using SHOUTcast, by the same folks who've made Winamp. SHOUTcast can stream audio in a number of formats. Or, you can write a web application that dishes content over HTTP with the proper MIME type set.

SHOUTcast - download info @ classic.shoutcast.com

To reference content on clients, you should consider using .M3U format for delivery. This allows you to specify a playlist that is application-agnostic.

M3U format @ Wikipedia