Setting up an internet radio station
Create a stream, broadcast from a DJ app, and add AutoDJ for 24/7 playback.
An internet radio station is an audio encoder feeding a streaming server that many listeners connect to. Here is the full path.
The pieces
Source — the audio being played (your microphone, a music library, or both).
Encoder — software that compresses the audio into a stream (often Butt, Liquidsoap, or your DJ software).
Streaming server — Icecast (open source) or Shoutcast, which accepts your stream and serves it to listeners.
Listeners — anyone playing the stream URL in a browser, app, or media player.
1. Create the stream in the panel
In /panel/radio, create a mount (the stream path, e.g. /live). Note:
Host and port
Mount point (the path)
Source username and password (for the encoder)
Listener limit
2. Configure your encoder
In Butt (the simplest reliable tool): set the server type to Icecast, enter host, port, mount and password, pick a bitrate and format (MP3 or AAC), then connect. The panel shows the stream as live once it is receiving audio.
3. Listen
Your stream URL looks like https://radio.example.com/live. Open it in a browser, VLC, or a mobile radio app. Share that link — it is what listeners need.
4. Add AutoDJ for 24/7
A live-only station goes silent when nobody is broadcasting. AutoDJ fills the gaps:
Upload tracks to the media library.
Build playlists (or a rotation).
AutoDJ picks up when the live source disconnects and hands back when it returns.
See Radio AutoDJ and playlists.
5. Metadata and now-playing
Send song titles from your encoder so listeners see what is playing. Most streamers accept ICY metadata; our panel reads it for the now-playing display and history log.
6. Make it reachable and findable
Point a domain or subdomain at the radio host and secure it with TLS.
Publish a public stream page so people can listen without a player.
Consider listing in radio directories to reach new listeners.
Cost reality: bandwidth
Audio is small compared to video, but listener count multiplies it: 128 kbps × 100 listeners = 12.8 Mbit/s sustained. See Radio bitrates and bandwidth before you commit to a listener cap.
Related reading