How to Listen to Webcasts

Many folk radio stations are now broadcasting on the net. Other webcasters don't even bother with the radio part. It's easy to use and in a few minutes you can be listening to folk shows from around the world 24/7.

Difficulty Level: easy     Time Required: 5-20 min

1. If you don't have the latest version of RealPlayer, you can download it free. Nearly every site that offers sound samples offers a link to Real.com.
2. Find a radio station or site where you can connect to a streaming audio source. There's a good list of folk sources on my Radio Netlinks page. I've also created a weekly schedule that will help you listen to a folk show 24/7. Besides streaming webcasts, some stations archive their shows for access anytime.
3. Find the button that leads to the audio stream. Most will specify that they use Real Audio, a lo-fi but reliable format. Streaming MP3 is rarer, but the new RealPlayer can play it.
4. At the webcast site, follow the "listen" links and click on the indicated button. This should automatically launch the Real Player application on your hard drive.
5. It may take several seconds for the stream to start. The player creates a buffer so that you can unspool it off your harddrive if there is congestion or the stream is interrupted.
   

Note:

1. It's a copyright infringement to link directly to a stream from your website. You should link to the page where the stream is offered. That way the user sees the info for the source station.
   

Hugh Blumenfeld, Editor
hugh@balladtree.com