Table Of Content
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live365.com
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What is Live365?
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Overcoming the dark patch
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Well-timed acquisition
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History
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Why should you stream on Live365?
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Music Royalty Coverage
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Uncompromised Sound Quality
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Customizable Players and Station
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Distribution and Statistics
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Design
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Header
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Hero Section
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Body
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Footer
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Inner Pages
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Content
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Desktop/Mobile experience
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Plans & Pricing
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Suggestions I have for Live365
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Conclusion
live365.com
Live365 is an online broadcasting and listening network that has been around for many years. It allows creators to start their own online stations, as well as its own radio streaming service which allows users to listen to thousands of curated stations built by other users from around the globe.
What makes Live365 unique is that it is a network that has been created and managed by listeners like you and me. From radio enthusiasts to hobbyists and professional broadcasters, you will find everyone on this network.
What is Live365?
Live365 is a well-known internet radio site that provides its own streaming service and allows its users to simulcast their own stations through the distribution network. Live365 has covered many artists, including Johnny Cash, Pat Metheny, David Byrne, Frank Zappa and Jethro Tull in the past. In 20 years of its existence, it has achieved many milestones and records. Live365 is one of the few longest running internet radio websites which cater to both listeners and broadcasters.
Overcoming the dark patch
Live365 after its 10-year contract ended in 2016 found itself in trouble. The pending expiration of the royalty rate for small broadcasters led investors to hold up their hands. Thus, Live365 ceased its operation and vacated its office, as it did not have any fuel left. With just a few employees remaining, Live365 operated from home for over a year until it made a comeback.
Well-timed acquisition
In July 2016, EmpireStreaming, the owner of Live365, acquired the website. In 2017, an article appeared on the official account suggesting that registrations were opened for former broadcasters to start their stations on the website.
History
In the early years, Live365 worked as a community radio project that used Shoutcast technology to build this company. Andy Volk was the man behind Live365 - he shared the idea with Peter Rothman - CTO at Nanocosm. Peter who was convinced by Andy's idea began the original network. Later, Brian Lomeland modified the network and that led to its establishment.
Why should you stream on Live365?
If you're interested in starting your own online radio station, you can begin with a seven-day free trial. There are different broadcasting packages which you can use to unlock certain features and capabilities. A well-structured plan allows you to start your station for free and monetize based on the number of users visiting the station.
Music Royalty Coverage
Independent radio streaming service providers have a hard time overcoming the royalty issue. They have to cease production and put an end to their journey or pay royalty fees to keep their services going. When you work with Live365, you no longer have to worry about royalty as it is covered by Live365. All you have to do is be creative and find new ways to attract listeners.
Uncompromised Sound Quality
Starting your channel at 128kbps offers the same level of quality as many of the radio streaming services out there, while also giving you more flexibility in customizing your experience. Whether you are starting with basic broadcasting or seeking to be an advanced broadcaster, having the liberty to choose the quality level is a major advantage.
Customizable Players and Station
A thematic option is a great way to make your station stand out. You can customize your player and make your station look different from all the other stations out there. Most of the broadcasters look for this type of option when they want their channel to be unique. Besides the customizable player, you also get access to mobile and desktop apps which makes it easier for you to reach out to your audience in a more personalized way.
Distribution and Statistics
With Live365, you can easily distribute your station to multiple platforms, including iTunes Radio. You have full control over the analytics so you can see detailed information about your station's performance on each platform. The user-friendly dashboard lets you manage everything from the content library and storage to visitors and songs played. Thanks to Live365, you're always in control of your station's performance.
Design
The design of Live365 is very premium. A lot of credit has to be given to the developers for their standout design. The minimal no-nonsense approach stands out as the white and dark blue gradient stands out along with orange accents. I'm not claiming that it's the best radio streaming website, but it is a strong competitor.
Header
Live365 has a simple reader with a logo on the left. A transparent search bar at the center and three options on the right. The first option is "Start Your Station", which takes you to a page where you can start broadcasting your music. The second option is "User Icon (Sign up and Login Panel)", which takes you to a page where you can create an account and login, or sign up if you already have an account. The third option is an ellipsis icon, which has a drop-down menu with five options - ?Start Your Station?, ?Listen to Radio?, ?Broadcaster Resources?, ?Support? and ?Blog?.
Hero Section
The white text on the tiles reads: ?The World?s Audio?.
Live365's hero section extends all the way until you see the "Discover More" button. With "The World's Audio" as the main text on the hero section, accompanied by genres and album arts is rectangular and square tiles. There are four genre options - Christmas, Jazz, Gospel, and Classical along with two dozen radio station thumbnails. The white text on the tiles reads: "The World's Audio."
Body
The body section on the homepage is light in color and has a black background. It has three sections - Audience, Licensing and Monetization. If you want to learn more, you can click on any of these features, or you can scroll down to find the app plug for Android and iOS platforms.
Footer
I enjoy the footer as it follows a simple design that is in line with the body section. It has two rows of options on the left, each with different options. The first row features Podcast Hosting, Christmas Music, Where to Listen and Broadcaster Resources. The second row has About Us, Blog, Careers, Support options. On the right, you can find social media icons - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn if you wish to share your platform with your friends and family.
Inner Pages
Though the inner pages follow the same blurred and gradient layout, what stands out is the media player. With the name of the station on top, genres in the middle and a sleek player underneath, I like the aesthetics of this section. The grey transparent box also features the track name, artist name, and album art. If you scroll down, you'll find recently played tracks and detail about the station on the right side.
Content
From searching the Google website to visiting the site in question, you can see very easily what the Live365 platform is all about. When you search for Live365, you will find six crucial metadata - Listen, Start Your Station, Pricing, About Us, Live365 Broadcaster and Get Internet Radio.
Upon landing on the website, one realizes the vast content depth Live365 has to offer. There are genres for everyone, ranging from Rock, Jazz, Electronic, Gospel, Country, Classical, Reggae, Hip-Hop/R&B, Oldies and Talk shows.
Desktop/Mobile experience
However, I found that the interface was a little clunky and confusing to use.
I enjoyed streaming on Live365. As mentioned before, I loved the small music player on the inner page. The sleek design and overall functionality ensured that I kept returning to the website for more streaming experience. As for hosting my own broadcasting station, I tried a $59/month package for 6 months and found it to be enjoyable. I had access to 1,500 license channels and had unlimited bandwidth. However, I found that the interface was clunky and confusing to use.
Plans & Pricing
There are four subscription plans - Free, Broadcast 1, Broadcast 2, and Broadcast 3. The first plan costs $59/month whereas the 2 and 3 plan costs $99/month and $199/month respectively. A major difference between the three premium plans is the amount of storage provided (25GB with 1500 TLH for the Free plan, 100GB with 7,000 TLH for the Broadcast 1 plan, and 250GB with 15,000 TLH for the Broadcast 2 plan) as well as licenses available (1500 for the Free plan, 100 for Broadcast 1, 7500 for Broadcast 2, and 15000 for Broadcast 3).
Suggestions I have for Live365
I did not find any significant holes in the overall service of Live365. I would just like the developers to work on improving the streaming quality and fixing the inner page layout on the desktop. I understand that they have done it in keeping with their goal of keeping mobile responsiveness in mind, but on desktop, it looks quite ridiculous.
Conclusion
Whether you're a listener or broadcaster, Live365 is a platform that you need to check out. The well-designed interface and a wide range of plans allow you to start your own journey as a broadcaster. For listeners, if you're interested in hearing songs and podcasts from independent artists, this has to be one of the finest platforms.
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