Mp3 streaming

[wildplum]

If this is a foolish question, please excuse me while I show my ignorance about streaming MP3s…


I would like to add some streaming Mp3s to my web site (a musician web site). I understand how to do this using an m3u file pointing to a Mp3 file (are there other ways?).

My question is this: can someone "catch" this file as it streams? That is, is there some sneaky way someone can store this file (either as it is streamed or by directly accessing it on my web site) on their machine and/or burn it on a CDr? Or is streaming (listening) the only thing they can do with this file?

[jalal]

Any file that is listened to by a user can be stored on the computer or burned to a CD. It makes no difference whether it is mp3, ogg or RealAudio, they can all be stored locally.

When you use an .m3u file for a playlist of mp3's, it is just a simple text file with the names of the mp3's to play. You can open the m3u file in a text editor, read where the mp3's are stored and download them individually if you want.

[wildplum]

Thanks for the reply Jalal. Now I have another "beginner's" question. Is there a way (or ways) to "hide" where the mp3 files are stored?

[wildjokerdesign]

I don't think there is an easy way to protect your music files. I think it will take some type of script or program running on your site that will mask the location of the files. That will still would not keep the folks from copying the files I think. The thing is in order to hear these files they have to be sent to the persons compter once there they have control so to speak. Now there may be software that can encode your MP3s but still if it plays through thier speakers then they can record it. What if they hook thier speaker output up to a tape machine. Granted it may not be the same quality but I bet someone could get a pretty good sound out of even that. :)

Most sites that give samples of thier music seem to do it in small bits of each piece of music. Just enough to give them a tast but now the whole song. Maybe that is a way to go for you.