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Forum: Music discussion

Topic: Broadcasting Site Services: Breakdown of Two Most Popular in Virtual Worlds
My Background: DJ'ing in virtual world's such as IMVU and Second Life is mostly for fun, a hobby, and my way of relaxing. I have made a little money off of my endeavor, nothing major or to talk about, ....but that's not why I do it. I have a different regular daytime job and responsibilities, so again, this is my hobby, a fun goal and dream. Even though I have a background as a professional musician, I'm relatively new at DJ'ing, and I'm still learning a lot of stuff. Even still, I'm a quick learner. Here's yet another thing I learned about.

DJ's use a variety of different online broadcast sites to host content that their listeners tune into, ...listeners can go directly to the site, or use an app on their phone or even alternately an app or widget on their desktop.

Virtual DJ also gives their users some options to be able to stream and/or record sets to their profile on the Virtual DJ site via the software, as well as lists of tunes performed in those sets. That's fine and well, ...and it's free. For those who have a VDJ Pro license, we get the option to stream a live broadcast to an alternative online hosting site. There are plenty of those out there for sure.

Of course, most of us already know that VDJ streams live audio/video content directly to Twitch, Facebook, YouTube.... probably one of VDJ's biggest features.

There is even an option I just recently learned about, http://www.virtualdjradio.com , ...a radio station made-up of Virtual DJ Pro users who schedule and DJ directly to that station collectively (and to which I also just signed up on their site as a member). It seems like a pretty large group and a great program for DJ's who want to broadcast to an already established radio station with a lot of users/listeners and get some exposure. VirtualDJRadio even offers an app in GooglePlay and Apple Store for listeners to use to tune in and listen.

Then you have the rest of us who have a need to have our own broadcast site or station. I DJ primarily in a virtual world called IMVU, and help to run a virtual club chain and some of my own clubs, where people and friends can come into a virtual club and dance, socialize, and party their butt off, just like if they were in a real one. Sometimes it can get crazy.

...but it's funny. Only a few of the DJ's that I know of in IMVU use "Virtual DJ Pro", which is very strange, because I think VDJ Pro is WAY more featured than the other two I'm going to mention: MIXXX and SAM. MIXXX is what many use because it's an open-source project software and it's free. The other alternative is the very stable SAM Broadcaster for $300. I've used both but I prefer VDJ Pro hands-down, because there is so many things you can do with it as a DJ, ...that the other two can't. VDJ is made for DJ's, especially those who actively mix or who want to put on a show.

Most of us online broadcast DJ's on IMVU or Second Life like to have our very own DJ radio site or page that we stream to, and although there are many to choose from, it seems like most end up using one of these two radio station platforms, Caster.fm or Zeno.fm. Although there are other platforms, the majority of DJ's are looking for an easy & quick way to get a radio station page up and running that looks slightly "impressive".


I started out using Caster, and I still have it as my back-up. Caster.fm is probably the most popular and widely used platform used by DJ's in IMVU and Second Life, and for good reason. It is free and it is relatively simple to set up. It only requires that you set up your stream (from VDJ Pro) to the standard 128k MP3 bit-rate and enter some station connection information into some fields in VDJ's "options/broadcasting" for the connection.

PROS: ...you can customize your own Caster radio page with a background color, custom "banner" picture at the top, and wording to welcome people and tell them about your station. Beyond that, the page actually does make a neat radio webpage in that they offer the "ability" (if you so choose to set it up) to link to your Facebook page, YouTube channel, Flickr Pics, Soundcloud & Mixcloud pages, and Spotify playlists, and show content directly on your Caster page, as well as contact information (phone, e-mail, Skype). The controls buttons are a little crude, but it works. The other big things they offer is a way for people to leave "comments" on your page for all to see (using their Facebook account ID), a way to "vote" for your page and "like it", which puts you in stats for rankings amongst other Caster stations, a box for submitting "requests" to the DJ, and even a real-time chat everyone can see while you are on the air. From what I've seen, I would say that around 75% of DJ's in IMVU use Caster.

CONS: ....would be the limitation of 128k bit MP3 (max) sound-quality streaming to your listeners (but this is usually "good enough" for most), as well as having to manually turn "on and off" your radio server online everytime you DJ. There is no Caster "app" for free accounts which means all of your listeners will have to connect using a browser to get to your page, and ...it can only play music when you are live on the air (unless you turn on the "podcast" feature that can record and playback the last few prior broadcasts for you). There are things you can upgrade and "pay" for on Caster, such as their "unchained bundle" for free accounts ($29.00 mo.), but you are still basically limited, unless you want to pay $80.00 mo. or higher for their Pro services/accounts.


Zeno.fm used to be "free" for music, but as of May 2021, they have instituted a $9.99 monthly "music licensing and royalties" fee per radio station for music streaming (very smart idea). In my book it's still well worth it, ...and for good reason. You're probably wondering why I made Zeno my primary station....

It really depends on what you want and are looking for as a DJ. After using Caster, I have come to find out that most people come to your station to "hear the music", and are not really interested in all the "bells and whistles" a web page has to offer. A friend of mine named Stuart (DJ Gizmo) from the UK turned me onto Zeno.

I'll start out with the CONS: The station page is not as intricate as what Caster offers with its social media integration displays and layout, nor is there a voting/ranking feature, nor are there "comments", "request" box, real time "chat", etc.

What Zeno "does" offer is where MUSIC is concerned (and that's "my" primary concern). Zeno is like, ...the hidden gem that know one seems to know about. First of all, Zeno lets you host "multiple" stations under one (1) account. My friend DJ Gizmo has 4 stations for his MOGWAI RADIO account: Mogwai Radio Rock, Mogwai Radio Metal, Mogwai Radio 80's, and Mogwai Radio 90's. Ok, so where's the advantage to that? Let me tell you....

The #1 feature of Zeno, ....is that it let's you upload content directly into your station page (MP3's, FLAC & AAC files, ...of either individual songs, DJ drops and effects, or even your prior-recorded broadcasts), in any order you want, up to 500 files per station. What this means is that your station will play music around the clock, 24 hours a day, whether you are live on the air, or not. People can go to your station, click the play button, and hear MUSIC or YOUR BROADCASTS at any time. The process is even automated, so that when you broadcast live, it fades-out the uploaded content, and when you stop your live broadcast, the uploaded content fades back in, playing where it left off prior. All listeners hear the same content at the same exact time, whether its live or an upload.

So now, ...having "multiple" radio stations for different genres that are all playing music "all the time" 24x7 ...makes sense! You don't even have to actively DJ or even "be" an actual DJ to do this. You can just upload content and run your own radio station(s) without ever DJ'ing.

The #2 feature of Zeno is that they offer the Zeno app on GooglePlay and Apple Store. Many visitors to a club in IMVU or Second Life are on their phones or maybe an iPad. Instead of clicking links (which is usually "discouraged" anyway), you can direct listeners to quickly install the app and then search for your station with "one word". In my case, that one word is "Starseed". Once they get there, they can "favorite" (save) your station, and it is always there on their list whenever they launch the app.

The other good points about Zeno is that #3) you can elect to stream to your listeners at a higher quality audio (bit-rate) than 128k MP3. VDJ Pro supports up to 320K MP3 outbound stream. You can set it up to stream at 192k to 320k MP3, or even in 256k AAC format if your using Apple software, ....as long as you have the station set to outbbound stream to the listeners at the same exact setting. Also...any high quality files you upload directly to Zeno (320k MP3, 256k AAC or FLAC) can stream at the set outbound setting. That's just audio. Zeno also allows you to upload and/or stream video content, including podcasts, which also stream to their app.

The other features #4) is that your station page can have a primary picture (logo), a "background" picture, a picture and link to whatever website you choose (such as a "real" dedicated DJ or Radio Info website for yourself), links displayed to your Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and YouTube channel, a nice sophisticated listener "analytics" section, and two more things Caster doesn't have....

....#5) an "announcements" section for setting up and displaying multiple announcements as needed quickly "on the fly", and also #6) the ability to set up and display "donation" monetization for your station via Paypal, Stripe, or Cash App.

Yes, Zeno is now $9.99 a month because of the newly instituted licensing/royalties fee (so it's not free), but they are offering a bunch of features that usually come with and cost a hundred dollars or more with Caster "Pro" accounts.

....that being said, Caster Free is still the best bet for those who absolutely want a nice completely free option for a station, stream audio only, don't need their music playing around the clock continuously, or don't plan on DJ'ing that much, and are not too concerned about overall sound quality.

That's just my input on what I know. I don't claim to be an expert or anything, just someone who uses these services. I just started the topic. I would love to hear everyone else's input on broadcast hosting sites as well.
 

geposted Tue 07 Sep 21 @ 10:02 pm
If you would like to see examples of these platforms (and everything I've covered above), you can visit my online radio station pages at:

STARSEED RADIO: https://jessieleestarseed.caster.fm/ (Caster.FM)

STARSEED ROCK RADIO: https://zeno.fm/starseedradio/ (Zeno.FM)

....and below is a good example of multiple radio stations under one account on Zeno. The station below is one I set up recently under my account, ...for my best friend who lives in Ireland (UK):

ANA STARSEED RADIO: https://zeno.fm/anastarseed/ (Zeno.FM)

Caster.FM main page: https://www.caster.fm
Zeno.FM main page: https://zeno.fm
 

geposted Tue 14 Sep 21 @ 1:21 pm