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Broadcaster Frequently Asked Questions

Questions overview
General Questions

Broadcaster account questions

Station and radio station profile

Stream questions

Other questions

General Questions
  • What is Radio Shaker?
    Radio Shaker is a fun and different way to share your broadcast with listeners from all over the world. Now available on all devices with our new and improved player.
  • How can I get more listeners with Radio Shaker?
    Connect with old and new listeners from all over the world. They can share, like, review and add your station as their favorite and share your station with friends.
    Even more promotion methods and other tools will be added in the future.
  • What is the difference between Radio Shaker and other radio websites?
    Radio Shaker is a radio portal, with a radio collection created for you, by you; the listener and the broadcaster. With the unique option of shaking more than 20.000 radio stations, Radio Shaker brings you in contact with listeners and stations from all over the globe. Stations that you probably wouldn't have clicked on at a regular Radio website. So hit the shaker and discover the world's greatest radio stations. Naturally we also have a normal name search option available :-).
  • Is Radio Shaker available in multiple languages?
    At the moment Radio Shaker is only available in English, we will add more languages in the future. Radio Shaker is visited by people from 196 different counties. If you really want to view Radio Shaker in your own language, please use the Google Translate option in your browser.
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Broadcaster account questions
  • Why would I as a broadcaster sign up?
    You control and update your station information, logo image, social links and you can keep your streams updated at all times. Connect with old and new listeners from all over the world. Listeners can add your station as their favorite, connect, share, like and review. We'll be adding even more features and tools in the future.
  • How do I create a broadcaster account?
    Joining Radio Shaker is free and easy, click here to sign up.
  • How much do I have to pay for a broadcaster account?
    Nothing, creating an account is absolutely FREE.
  • I forgot my password, what do I do?
    Don't worry, it happens to the best of us. Click here to reset your password.
  • Why did I not receive any emails about my account?
    If you did not receive an email about your broadcaster account, the email might be trapped in your spam box. Make sure you check your Spam box.
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Station and radio station profile
  • What is the difference between adding and claiming my radio station?
    If your station is already in the Radio Shaker portal you need to claim your station.
    If the station is not in the Radio Shaker portal yet, you will have to add a new station.
  • How do I add or claim my station?
    First log in to your broadcaster account, if you do not have an account, sign up here.
    Once you are logged in, you can press the "Claim or add a station" button on the main page.
    You can search for your station name as it is listed in the Radio Shaker portal.
    Claiming a station
    Step 1)  If your station already exists in our database, press the "Claim your station" button and wait for approval.
    Step 2) You will receive an email when your station claim is approved.
    Step 3) Once your claim for the radio station is approved you can update and double check all the necessary information, make sure you double check and add as many streams as possible.
    Step 4) When you are done press the "Submit for approval".
    Step 5) You will receive an email when your station is approved.

    Adding a new station
    Step 1)  If your station is not yet listed in the Radio Shaker portal, click the "Add your station" link and add as much information as possible.
    Step 2) When you are done press the "Submit for approval".
    Step 3) You will receive an email when your station is approved.
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  • Why did I not receive any emails from Radio Shaker?
    If you did not receive an email for the approval of a claim or adding a new station, the email might be trapped in your spam box. Make sure you check your spam box.

    Or perhaps you did not fill in your email address correctly. Please double check the email address you entered in "my account".
  • How long does it take for my radio station to be approved?
    Usually 1 - 5 working days, depending on the volume of requests.

    If you did not receive an email after 10 working days.
    Please check the status of your radio station in the 'manage your stations' list.
    If the status was set to 'online' the approval email was probably stuck in a spam filter.

    If the status is set to 'Broadcaster is preparing station' then recheck all of the information of your radio station, make sure the streams are playing and press the 'Submit for approval' button at the top of the page.
  • How long does it take before my station is shown?
    After approval, your station will be instantly available.
  • How do I update my radio station profile and streams?
    When your station is approved and you are logged into your broadcaster account you will see your radio station in the "Manage your stations" list. There you can click on your radio station name to view, update or recheck your station information, logo and if the streams are working.
  • How often do I need to update?
    Whenever you have new changes to your radio station it is recommended that you update the information in your stations profile. You can update your station as much as you like. Updates are shown the instant you make your changes and save them.
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  • What kind of image can I upload for my station logo?
    Best is to upload a square image in PNG or JPG format.
    Any image you upload will be resized to a square image.
    Minimum size of: 100 x 100 pixels.
    Maxumum size of: 800 x 800 pixels.
    The image file size cannot be larger then 1MB.
  • How do I change my logo?
    You can change your radio station logo any time you like. Log in to your broadcaster account, click on the station that you would like to update. At the "Radio station image" section, click on "Choose file" and upload your new logo there.
  • I do not have a logo, what do I do?
    There are many free logo makers out on the web, if you Google "free logo maker" you will find many websites where you can create your own logo. If you still do not have a logo, we will show the standard "no logo" image.  
  • Can I add different multiple stations?
    Yes, if you have multiple stations and you are the owner you can add or claim each station individually.
  • Can I add the same station more than once?
    No, it clutters the database and we like to keep it clean. If you have multiple streams for your radio station you can simply add them in the "streams" section at the bottom on your station information page.
    Double entries of the same station profile will be removed. If this happens on purpose multiple times it can result in your account and stations being removed.
  • Can I add all my stations with a spreadsheet?
    No, we do not offer this feature at this time. Please add or claim each station individually.
  • How can I remove my station?
    If your station stopped broadcasting, or if you want your station removed for any other reason. You can remove your station when you log in to your broadcaster account and press the "delete" button behind your station.
    Warning: Once deleted the radio station is completely gone from our system!
    If you do not have a broadcaster account yet you can contact us with proof of ownership and the radio station will be removed within 7 business days.
  • Someone else is managing my station, but I am the owner, what do I do?
    Please contact us through the feedback form with your broadcaster account. And inform us of the station name, country, website address and stream URL.
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Stream questions
  • How do I update my streams?
    Log in to your broadcaster account, click on the station in the overview to add new streams. Browse to the bottom of the page, there you will see the "streams" section. If your streams are properly configured you should also see a player, that instantly plays one of your streams. If you do not see a player, make sure you add working streams.
  • How do I add a stream?
    Step 1)  Press the "+ Add another stream" button.
    Step 2) Fill in your full stream URL, make sure to add the https:// part.
    Step 3) The stream tool will automatically attempt to extract the information from the stream. If the stream tool does not fill in the other fields automatically, proceed to step 4 and enter the information manually.
    Step 4) Choose your stream provider.
    Step 5) Choose the content type, what type of stream is it? (examples mpeg, ogg, aac).
    Step 6) Fill in the Bitrate field.
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  • What streams can I add?
    You can add streams with URLs directly to the radio sources.
    To ensure your radio is playing well on all platforms, add at least one MPEG type stream (like m3u, mp3). You can also add streams with various bit rates.
  • What streaming formats and methods work best on Radio Shaker?
    Best and preferred streaming formats:
    MP3  The most common and most compatible format for all devices. We recommend that you add at least add at least one MPEG type stream (like m3u, mp3).
    WMA The second most compatible streaming format. However, it has been known to have issues on BlackBerry devices. WMA streams usually start with mms://
    AAC A high quality streaming format that works very well with mobile devices. Some AAC streams might not play in certain browsers.

    Other streaming formats have a limited usability or compatibility.
    OGG Compatible with the web player and mobile devices.
    RealMedia (.ram) Not supported.

    Not supported:
    Flash (rtmp://) Due to security issues with the flash player we've chosen not to support flash.
    HTML HTML pages (.html .php) are not compatible with the player and are not supported.
    QuickTime  (rtsp://) Is not supported.
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  • What playlist stream types does Radio Shaker prefer?
    m3u, pls and asx are the accepted Playlist Stream types. These stream types are most commonly used for Radio Shaker and are most compatible across all browsers and mobile devices.
  • Do you support Shoutcast streams?
    Yes we do! Be sure to try different versions. When the correct version is implemented the stream should play right away. Make sure you add your stream like one of the following examples:
    https://s8.radio.com:8000/listen.pls
    https://s8.radio.com:8000/;
    https://s8.radio.com:8000/
    https://s8.radio.com:8000/listen.pls?sid=1
  • Why is my stream not playing in your stream tool?
    Tip: Before you add your stream to the Radio Shaker stream tool, you can check if the bitrate and format are valid. Test the stream URL in a player like WinAmp or VLC. In most cases if it plays those programs, then the stream you are trying to submit is valid.

    If you are still experiencing problems, please check the following:
    -  The stream needs to be secure SSL and starting with https.
    -  The stream URL or link is incorrectly written or is missing characters like https://
    - The stream is not working or inactive. You stream must be active in order for the tool to work. Make sure you test if your stream is active before adding it to the tool.
    - The URL you added was a direct link to an online web player or website. Please contact your stream provider if you are unsure about your raw streaming URL. Also inform them you plan to use this stream for the Radio Shaker portal.
    - The stream requires a login to access it.
    - The stream needs a token to play and the token has expired.
    - The stream was not compatible with the player. If possible add another stream.
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  • Can I add my Live365 stream?
    No, unfortunately Live365 prohibits the use of their streams outside of their service. We do not support Live365 streams at this time.
  • Can I add my Ustream / Livestream / Listen2myradio / Caster.fm stream?
    No, unfortunately Ustream, Livestream, Listen2myradio and Caster.fm prohibit the use of their streams outside of their service. We do not support these at this time.
  • Do you support Flash, HTML pop-ups or RMTP streams?
    No, we do not support RMTP, flash or html pop-ups due to security issues. You can add these streams but they will not show up and will not play. To ensure your radio station is playing well on all platforms, add at least one MPEG type stream (like m3u, mp3).
  • Do you allow podcasts?
    No, we do not support podcasts at this time.
  • I still need help with my station or streams, what do I do?
    Log in to your broadcaster account, click the feedback button and tell us what you need help with. If you have a problem with a specific station then inform us of the station name. If you are having problems with certain streams, also inform us of the URL's of the streams.
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Other questions
  • I have another question.
    If you still have a question please send in our contact form or give us feedback.
  • Where can I send other feedback?
    Whether it's a suggestion, bug report, compliment, complaint, or you just want to send us some virtual hugs, we'd love to hear it. You can contact us by filling out the form on the Radio Shaker homepage or filling in the feedback form when you log into your broadcaster account.
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