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 Frequently Asked Questions What is Backbone Radio? What does the product consist of? How does Backbone Radio compare to other streaming offerings? I downloaded your demo from the site but it will not run. Why the MPEG-4 format? Which version of Backbone Radio is right for me? Can I upgrade to the next version when the time is right? Can both PC and Macintosh users listen to me? Are the players free? What equipment do I need to start a station? Why do I need a Macintosh, and what do they cost? Besides streaming (like a transmitter) what does the backboneServer do? Can I host my own server? Who can host it for me? Can Backbone Networks host my station? What should I expect to pay for hosting? And how do I make a profit? How easy is it to set up the station? What is the interface? How do I manipulate the playlist? Can I mix formats and rates in the same playlist? How do I make a schedule? Can I change the current playlist while on the air? Can I have more than one control computer doing different tasks? How can I go live right now? What if I lose electrical power during a show? How can I do a live remote with commercial inserts? Can I use my iTunes Library as a way to quickly build a database of content? Can I change the annotation listeners see after a song is loaded? How do I stream images along with the radio broadcast? How can I automatically generate a rules compliant playlist? If I change my playlist will the rules compliance go away? Which versions of Backbone Radio include automatic logging, and what information do I gather? What if the CARP/DMCA logging/record keeping requirements change? Can Backbone Radio Standard be used to automate regular (AM/FM) radio broadcasts How can I automatically publish my current playlist on my web site? Can I record directly to disk while I am broadcasting live? Can my listeners download and save my music? How do I create clickable URLs for songs? For live? What happens if my client and server are not set to the same time? What is Backbone Radio?
(back to top) How does Backbone Radio compare to other streaming offerings? Most other Internet radio applications focus on only one of the components of professional broadcasting, either the automation of the playlist or the transmission of the stream. Backbone Radio, in all three versions, Backbone Radio Standard, Pro and Hosting Suite, is an integrated professional radio station automation software package for internet radio stations. As such it compares to traditional, terrestrial professional broadcast automation systems. This integration gives you full control. You generate your own playlists, either manually or automatically from a database of stored clips and go LIVE at any time by clicking the an on screen button. Backbone Radio is the only internet radio application that allows you to keep complete control of your content. An additional difference is the full logging and record keeping of your listening audience. Not just statistical, but hard logged data that tells you who listened to what, when and for how long. This vital task means lower operating costs in running your station and more accurate reporting of your royalty and advertising requirements.(back to top) I downloaded your demo from the site but it will not run. First of all, this software only runs on a Macintosh. The system requirements are a Macintosh with 1GB of memory running OS X 10.4.8 or later and Quicktime 7.0 or later. If this is already the case, be sure of the following:
(back to top) Why the MPEG-4 format? Backbone Radio uses MPEG-4 as its primary streaming format. The new worldwide standard delivers dramatically higher audio quality coupled with significantly faster compression speed. Backbone Radio builds upon Apple's QuickTime which provides MPEG-4 compatibility. Defined by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG), MPEG-4 is the new worldwide standard for next-generation multimedia, including streaming for audio and video. With the free QuickTime Player, browser plug-in, or iTunes listeners can listen to any MPEG-4 compliant streams, including Backbone Radio streams. MPEG-4 also enables listeners to view text annotation information describing currently playing clips, auto-generated HTML-based program schedules and JPEG images that may be provided as part of your webcast. (back to top) Which version of Backbone Radio is right for me?
Can I upgrade to the next version when the time is right? Yes. You can start with the Backbone Radio Standard, and go right up the line from there. We only charge for the difference in price between the products plus ten percent. Also, when you buy any version of our products, you get upgrades for one-year free. (back to top) Can both Windows and Macintosh PC users listen to me? Are the players free? Yes. All they need are the FREE iTunes or QuickTime players from Apple. Both iTunes and QuickTime for Mac or Windows are available for free download, and that means virtually everyone can listen to your station. (back to top) What equipment do I need to start a station? We do not supply your studio hardware, but we can guide you in getting your own. What you will need is a low cost Apple Macintosh computer, such as a G4, G5 or new Intel Macintosh, to serve as your OnAirStudio and OnAirDisplay, controlling the broadcast. With Backbone Radio Standard your Macintosh client machine will also serve as your broadcast server.To reach a wide audience you will want Backbone Radio Pro which requires the same studio hardware as Backbone Radio Standard but moves your server (transmitter) to a separate machine. The server machine can be an Apple Xserve or an Intel based Linux machine. For the Intel based Linux machine we recommend a 700MHz or better CPU with at least 512MB of memory. For programming content you will need disk space. As a rough estimate, when streaming at 42Kbps, you will need about 1GB of disk space for each day of programming. If you are running your server yourself you will need sufficient bandwidth to support your listener audience. Contact your ISP for additional information. Using the Backbone Radio Hosting Suite you require the same studio hardware as Backbone Radio Standard and we supply the Server and all the Bandwidth you need to stream 30,000 stereo listener hours at 42Kbps. In your studio, you will need sufficient upstream bandwidth to support the requirement to broadcast with each product. For Backbone Radio Standard you will need sufficient bandwidth to support your listener audience. For Backbone Radio Pro and Backbone Radio Hosting Suite you will need a fixed Internet Protocol (IP) address and sufficient bandwidth to the server to upload your programming and for one live stream. That is satisfied by a 128Kbps DSL connection. (back to top) Why do I need a Macintosh, and what do they cost? Backbone Radio client software operates only on Apple Macintosh computers. Apple's OS X with iTunes and QuickTime was the first to adopt the powerful advanced feature of the MPEG-4 standard such as interleaving live and recorded content. Consider that as your station grows and your automation needs progress you will want to dedicate a computer to your broadcast. Backbone Radio running on an Apple Macintosh is really price competitive with hardware based radio station automation systems such as those from Scott Systems. A standard configuration 24-inch Intel based Macintosh provides you with all the screen real estate to run your station for less the $2,000. If you are just starting out, Apple's entry level Macintosh is quite capable of running Backbone Radio software for less than $1,000.As your needs grow you will want to run your server separate from your OnAirStudio and OnAirDisplay station. Your server is similar to your transmitter only your transmissions costs are dramatically less than the cost of terrestrial transmission because we supply the server, bandwidth and power required for broadcast. A sufficiently configured x86 based Linux system will cost you less than $1000. All you need to do is add bandwidth and your Internet radio station is ready to stream. (back to top) Besides streaming (like a transmitter) what does the backboneServer do? The backboneServer is the repository for all your music clips, text annotation and images. After building your playlist your station can be run automatically using standard rotation rules. The backboneServer, as your transmitter, also stores all the administrative information about your station such as audience size, when they were listening, where they were listening from and other critical information for your advertisers. Further, if provides the reports for you to file to the streaming authorities such as SoundExchange, BMI, ASCAP and Sesac. (back to top) Can I host my own server? Yes. You can host your own server, and all you need to have is the following:
Can Backbone Networks host my station? Yes. The Backbone Radio Hosting Suite is our solution for customers who would like a hosted solution. We will set up and load your server for you and are available for server support if you ever need it. You are still be responsible for your own record keeping and reporting, but that is generated for you by the Backbone Radio software. (back to top) What should I expect to pay for hosting? And how do I make a profit? Calculating your monthly hosting costs are a function of (1) your fixed server cost, and (2) how much data you stream out. Ask yourself: how many listeners do I plan to reach, and how many hours a week will each of these loyal listeners tune in? What data rate do I plan to stream at? Our Backbone Radio Hosting Suite assumes that you will average 40 simultaneous listeners a month, that is almost 30,000 listener hours per month. Streaming at 42 kbps, a better quality rate for music and voice than FM stereo you will be using approximately 500 GB a month. The Backbone Radio Hosting Suite costs $500/month prepaid quarterly. Your streaming cost is $0.017 per listener hour. Now, if you can sell your 30-second commercials at $0.01 per listener, and you run only 20 commercials (10 minutes) per hour, your return is $0.17 per listener hour. The more listeners, the better your return. (back to top) How easy is it to set up the station? Naturally, Backbone Radio Standard, the one-piece Mac only products, is extremely easy to set up. So is the Macintosh client in the Backbone Radio Pro versions. Installing the Linux server requires some experience with RedHat Linux, and the unix command line. Installation requires verifying that the postgres relational database is installed on the server machine, and then installing a RedHat package (RPM) from the command line. Fortunately, Backbone support can help you with the installation, and even perform it for you if you request. (back to top) What is the interface? The Backbone Radio interface is a Cocoa-based graphical user interface application that runs under Mac OS X. It controls all the features of the backboneServer from anywhere there is a network connection back to the server machine.The interface allows the station operator to quickly create playlists of content encoded for streaming to the Internet through a simple drag and drop interface. (back to top) How do I manipulate the playlist? The playlist is manipulated through the Backbone Radio OnAirDisplay application. OnAirStudio allows the station operator to create compressed clips to a playlist from source material, add pre compressed clips, change the play order of clips in a playlist, start playlists with new content, talk live, and many other useful functions, all with a simple drag and drop interface. (back to top) Can I mix formats and rates in the same playlist? Yes. The backboneServer automatically streams content compressed in different formats or different data rates without any restrictions. This means that playlists can be made up of mp3s, mp4s, and other content formats, and the listener will just hear the content play seamlessly. (back to top) How do I make a schedule? Schedules are made by adding playlists in the OnAirStudio application. This can be done either as a playlist is created, or after. The OnAirStudio application automatically sequences playlists according to their start time, and repeats that schedule until it is changed by the station operator. (back to top) Can I change the current playlist while on the air? Yes. The order of tracks can be changed by simply dragging and dropping while the playlist is on the air. New tracks can be added to a playlist, or tracks can be deleted in a similar manner. To keep the changed order of the playlist, save it. Otherwise, the playlist will revert to its original order when it starts the next time. Once populated with new material, another playlist can be started at any time by pressing the play button on the interface. It can be set to take over from the current playlist when the current track stops, or the current playlist can be interrupted, and the new playlist put on air immediately. (back to top) Can I have more than one control computer doing different tasks? Yes with the Backbone Radio Pro or Backbone Radio Hosting Suite. The backboneServer supports up to 20 different control stations.
From within the OnAirDisplay application, simply press the "Live" button. This switches the station into live mode without waiting for the current item to stop playing. (back to top) What if I lose electrical power during a show? If you are running Backbone Radio Standard and Backbone Radio Pro all of your equipment and your connection to the internet must maintain power and function. Our Backbone Hosting Suite provides better than 99.9% uptime. If your OnAirStudio or OnAirDisplay station take an electrical hit your automated programming will continue uninterrupted. In the rare case where the power is interrupted, on restart, the backboneServer will automatically restart and continue programming from where it was scheduled.The OnAirDisplay client is only required to run if you want to change the programming of your station or talk live. If the power is out at your studio site, but not at the server's location, the server will continue to run your automated program without interruption. (back to top) Can I do a live remote with commercial inserts? Yes with Backbone Radio Pro and the Backbone Radio Hosting Suite. This feature is one of the critical differences between our solutions and other solutions available on the market. A live remote with commercial inserts is done in the following way:
Can I use my iTunes library to quickly build a database of content? Yes. With release 4.2 and later of Backbone Radio precompressed mp3 or mp4 files created with iTunes and stored in your iTunes Library can be dragged and dropped into an OnAirStudio playlist. The OnAirStudio application will query the iTunes Store using the mp3 and mp4 tags to fetch album art, additional clip information and associated links to that clip in the iTunes Store for click-through purchase. (back to top) Can I change the annotation listeners see after a song is loaded? Yes. By double clicking on a playlist item in the OnAirStudio or OnAirDisplay application the annotation and embedded URL can be changed after the item has been created. The annotation change is automatically saved to the media file for that item in the database. (back to top) How do I stream images with the radio broadcast? Images, such as album covers or mug shots, are streamed using a web based facility included with Backbone Radio Pro and the Backbone Radio Hosting Suite. These images are accessed by embedding a link to a particular web location (e.g., a .jpeg image) on the backboneServer into a web page. This link is updated on the fly with the image or images appropriate for each audio clip. Also, images can be sequenced to appear at specific times during the clip through the OnAirStudio application. (back to top) How can I automatically generate a rules compliant playlist? A rules compliant playlist is created from any playlist window by inserting rotation or template items into the playlist. This may be done by clicking the ROTATION button, which permits you to select the additional item as a music, commercial or station ID item. The backboneServer automatically chooses an appropriate item conforming to the pre-selected rules and inserts it into the selected location in the playlist. Each time the playlist is generated, a new set of items take the place of these rotation items. When the playlist goes live to air, it will be automatically updated to comply with broadcast rules based on what has been broadcast previously. Existing playlist items can be converted into rotation items by checking the rotation check box to the left of that item on the playlist. (back to top) If I change my playlist will the rules compliance go away? No. Playlists which contain template items will automatically be updated to comply with broadcast rules when the playlist goes to air. This means that your playlists will adapt to broadcast changes without having to regenerate your entire schedule.The default rule set provided is the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) Sound Recording Performance Complement. For more information on the RIAA Sound Recording Performance Complement see: http://www.riaa.com/issues/licensing/webcasting_faq.asp#conditions (back to top) Which versions of Backbone Radio include automatic logging, and what information can I gather? All versions of Backbone Radio include this logging feature. For more information about what information is logged, see http://www.backbone.com/DMCA_Fields.html. (back to top) What if the CARP/DMCA logging/record keeping requirements change? Backbone Radio is based on a relational database. The stored data on listeners, programming and media content can be analyzed and formatted in new and different ways as required. Thus, any special or changed requirements for reporting can be met by generating a new query for the database. (back to top) Can Backbone Radio Standard be to automate regular (AM/FM) radio broadcasts? Yes, you can use Backbone Radio Standard to automate a conventional radio station, such as a low power FM station. You would set the OnAirStudio application to compress your source material at 128Kbps MPEG-4 lossless audio in order to get a true highest fidelity stream from your client to your Transmitter. You would connect your FM transmitter to the audio-out connection on your Macintosh and then play audio directly out of the Macintosh into your FM transmitter. (back to top) How can I automatically publish my current playlist on my web site? This is a feature of Backbone Radio Pro and the Backbone Radio Hosting Suite. This feature allows you to record live content as you are broadcasting, saving you from having to use complicated offline audio programs. In the OnAirStudio application Click the Record Live button. When you go out of Live a new playlist with that item compressed will appear.You can rename the recorded clip and enter other information about the clip in the playlist item dialog box. Then you can save it to the server, where it will be hinted for streaming and stored for future use. (back to top) Can my listeners download and save my music? The beauty of QuickTime as a platform, besides its incredible clarity, is that the QuickTime player does not permit the saving of streaming songs or other streaming audio. This protects artists' content and allows you to remain in compliance with the streaming laws. However, if your listener is interested in a particular song and your clips have URLs to the iTunes Store they can click through to purchase the song or other audio for immediate download. back to top) How do I create clickable URLs for songs? For live? Along with visual text information regarding the artist, song, album and copyright information, you can send one or more displayed images, such as the album cover or artist's mug shot. Both the text and image include a clickable URL that will take the listener to a web page of that artist, his e-commerce site, or wherever. The radio program keeps playing while the listener makes this journey. You fill in the URL field in the playlist item dialog when loading the songs or items into the server. When in live mode, the annotation and associated URL revert to the station information initially set up in the Station preference dialog. (back to top) #### |
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