How do I acquire content for my station?
Modified on: Wed, Oct 27, 2021 at 9:42 AM
This article covers where you can obtain music files/content to upload to your Live365 library.
Live365 model works through our customers supplying the media to program their station(s) on the Live365 network. Our broadcasters can source their audio content from multiple places, and we’ll cover some of those in this article. The only media that Live365 provides is advertising and occasional PSA’s.
Note: You must have purchased a copy of the audio material that you intend to use. You cannot use bootleg copies, as per the DMCA agreements. The licensing we provide fully covers listening for the US, UK, and Canada .
Note: You cannot use music from digital streaming services such as Spotify, Tidal, YouTube or Apple Music due to their terms of service. Since you do not own these files, airing them on your Live365 station is not possible.
Physically owned content
You can create MP3 copies of CDs or vinyl records you own by using programs such as iTunes or File Explorer. We created a quick guide on how to convert CDs to MP3 files: How do I convert my music to MP3s?
Digitally owned content
You can use MP3 files that you’ve purchased off of digital marketplaces such as Bandcamp, SoundCloud, Amazon Music, etc. These only need to be converted to 128kbps Constant Bit Rate and 44.1 kHz sample rate as described in this article: How to convert batches of MP3 files
Self-provisioned content
You can also use audio recordings that you’ve created yourself, whether they are music or just talking. There are endless possibilities of content that you can create, but all tracks must be in MP3 or M4A formats if you intend to use them with Live365.
Independent artists
If you want to use music from independent artists that are not covered by Performance Rights Organizations or Sound Exchange, you will need to obtain written permission from the artists directly. These MP3 files will also need to have accurate metadata inserted so that the Artist Name and Song Title are displayed.
Please ensure that all of your uploaded tracks have accurate metadata. You can read about how to do that here.
