SHOUTcast Blog

Welcome to the All-New SHOUTcast 2.0! This is not just a facelift of the web site but a complete end-to-end upgrade of the SHOUTcast platform. Read on to find out what we have been cooking up for you for the past few months:

What's new for listeners?

All-New Station Directory:
We heard you loud and clear. You wanted easier navigation to find the stations you wanted to hear. You wanted better and faster search. You wanted more options to listen to your favorite SHOUTcast Radio stations. You also wanted the site to look pretty. We're giving you all that, and a lot more! Presenting the brand new SHOUTcast 2.0 Station Directory featuring:

• Improved search: Find music and audio content playing on SHOUTcast 2.0 stations in real time
• Multiple sorting options including station name, genre, number of listeners, bitrate and type
• New genre list makes it easier to find stations
• New bottom bar player lets you listen to music while you browse SHOUTcast stations at the same time or pop it our for more flexibility.
• New Popup player that is also embeddable on your website
• Get station recommendations with the new "Featured Stations" section
• 'Coming Soon' search results searches against what's coming up next on SHOUTcast 2.0 stations*

What's new for Broadcasters and Developers?

We overhauled the engine to go with the shiny new paint. The completely re-written SHOUTcast 2.0 directory platform (aka YP2) and broadcaster tools are a significant leap forward in the evolution of SHOUTcast. Some highlights include:

• All-new SHOUTcast YP2 protocol
• Real-Time 'Now Playing' and 'Coming Soon' meta data updates
• Streaming from port 80*
• Stream multiple stations from a single SHOUTcast server instance*
• In-Stream metadata in standardized XML*
• UTF-8 and international character support*
• Support for multiple file-types including MP3, AAC+, FLAC, WAV and Ogg*
• Improved server and stream security*
• New Wiki for broadcasters

*ATTENTION... In order for your stations to benefit from the new functionality noted above you must upgrade to the new 2.0 broadcaster tools.

Click here to download the 2.0 tools and upgrade now!

SHOUTcast Radio is the ultimate directory of online radio stations. With over 35,000 music, talk, sports and community radio stations from the US and around the world, SHOUTcast is unparalleled in its ability to help you find what you want to listen to -- no matter where you are -- at the press of a button.

Find Music from Around the World

You can browse the SHOUTcast directory for music spanning all kinds of genres from around the world, including dance hits from Lady Gaga or the most obscure techno from the Czech Republic. Sports fans will be pleased to know that SHOUTcast carries all of the ESPN affiliates, as well as local and international channels. And when you want the real story, you can search one of the hundreds of news stations to gain every perspective.




Online Web Music Player

Our web player is easy to use and lets you listen while simultaneously exploring other stations in the directory. You can even pop-it out embed it on your favorite website. The real time search function allows you to find your favorite songs and artists playing at any moment, and our categories will make sure you won't have to spend time shuffling through music you don't want to hear. And for those lazy days when you don't feel like searching, enjoy our station recommendations with "SHOUTcast Featured Stations," where you can sort your favorites by station name, genre or popularity.

Comedy, classic rock, foreign news, reggae straight from Jamaica, black metal from Sweden, 'This American Life' on NPR or your favorite team's game, no matter what you're looking for, we guarantee you'll be able to find it on SHOUTcast. But why take our word for it? Check it out for yourself.

A couple weeks ago, Filipina singer Charice shared her 10 favorite songs with AOL Radio. And while she does mention Lady GaGa, Beyonce, and Lara Fabian among her choices, we were a bit dismayed to find Justin Bieber on her list. She also lists a couple of her own songs, including her new original track, 'Pyramid,' featuring Virgin Isles singer Iyaz. You can check out her full list here, and watch the video for the album version of 'Pyramid' after the jump.

As we reported, Beyonce is in Brazil to shoot a video with Alicia Keys for their duet 'Put It In a Love Song,' which coincidentally fell nicely into her South American tour schedule. The tour that kicked off on February 4th, landed Beyonce in Salvador for a performance on Wednesday night (Feb. 10). But while the concert went off without a hitch, details of what happened afterwards are still being investigated.

According to the Daily Star, as fans were exiting the 30,000-capacity stadium, a gang of teenagers began firing at concert attendees waiting on a taxi line. Those in the area were forced to run for cover in the midst of a shootout that ensued between cops and the gang. Despite the dangers, no one was believed to have been injured.

It should be noted that the country of Brazil has made an active effort to minimize it's history of violence, as the country hopes to draw in international events like the World Cup in the future.

If you've been following the career of Fever Ray--the alter ego of Karin Dreijer Andersson--as well as her band with brother Olaf, The Knife, you are aware she doesn't like to show her face very often. In fact, much of her character depends on the secrecy and mystery the shadowy figure of Fever Ray exudes. She always looks different in videos, photo shoots and during live performances, which is why it came as no surprise to see her walk to the podium at the P3 Gold in Gothenberg to accept the award for best dance album sporting a hood covering her face. The surprise came when she revealed herself. See what she looks like after the jump.

The father/son duo of Bebo and Chucho Valdés have taken home the 2010 Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album. Bebo Valdés is a Cuban pianist, bandleader, composer and arranger. Alone, he has won five Grammys as a central figure in the golden age of Cuban Music. Bebo's son, Chucho, has won three Grammys before sharing this one with his father. The Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Chucho Valdés is revered as one of Cuba's greatest jazz pianists.

Best Latin Jazz Album Nominees:

'Things I Wanted To Do,' Chembo Corniel

'Áurea,' Geoffrey Keezer

'Brazilliance X 4,' Claudio Roditi

'Juntos Para Siempre,' Bebo Valdés And Chucho Valdés -- WINNER!

'Esta Plena,' Miguel Zenón

This year's Grammy for the best large jazz ensembles, including big band sounds and albums that must contain at least 51 percent instrumental tracks went to the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra for their 'Book One' album. The ensemble led by Irvin Mayfield has become an integral part of New Orleans' cultural landscape, including a performance at the Higher Ground Hurricane Relief Benefit Concert.

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album Nominees:

'Legendary,' Bob Florence Limited Edition

'Eternal Interlude,' John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble

'Fun Time,' Sammy Nestico And The SWR Big Band

'Book One,' New Orleans Jazz Orchestra -- WINNER!

'Lab 2009,' University Of North Texas One O'Clock Lab Band