This guide walks you through creating a Shoutcast or Icecast radio on CloudRadio. You’ll get a managed streaming server with monitoring, statistics, and an embeddable web player.
Prerequisites
- A CloudRadio account. Register here if needed.
- A billing address and payment method. If either is missing, the creation page will prompt you to add them inline before continuing.
Open the creation page
Go to Stations in the main sidebar, click Create Station, then scroll to the bottom and click the “Looking for classic Shoutcast/Icecast hosting? Start here” link.
Choose a plan
You’ll see listener slot tiers:
| Tier | Listener slots |
|---|---|
| Starter | 25 |
| Standard | 100 |
| Pro | 500 |
| Custom | 10 to 1,000 (you choose) |
Select the tier that fits your expected audience. You can upgrade later if your needs change.
Fill in radio details
After selecting a tier, the order form appears with these fields:
- Station Name: The name of your radio. This appears in your dashboard, players, and stream directories.
- Description (optional): A brief note for your own reference.
- Server Region: Pick the datacenter closest to your studio for the lowest latency when broadcasting. If you plan to add AutoDJ later, pick the region closest to most of your listeners instead.
- Server Type: Choose between:
- Icecast (recommended). Supports multiple mount points, Ogg Vorbis and MP3, and relay mode.
- Shoutcast v2. Supports multiple stream IDs and is compatible with Shoutcast directories.
The order summary shows your monthly cost based on the selected tier. Your first invoice is generated on the 1st of next month.
Create the radio
Click Create Radio Station. Provisioning takes a few seconds. You’ll see a progress indicator.
When it completes, you’re redirected to your radio’s overview dashboard with a confirmation message.
What happens next
Your radio is provisioned with:
- A primary mount point (Icecast) or stream ID (Shoutcast) ready for connections
- DJ and admin passwords generated automatically
- Monitoring active to track uptime and stream health
- An embeddable web player you can customize
The radio is online but not broadcasting yet. You need to connect broadcasting software to start streaming.
Connect your broadcasting software
Go to Streams in the left sidebar to find your connection details:
- Server hostname and port
- Mount point path (Icecast) or Stream ID (Shoutcast)
- DJ password for encoder connections
- Admin password for server administration
Enter these details into your broadcasting software. See our guides for popular options:
- Windows Broadcasting Software
- Mac Broadcasting Software
- Broadcasting Live for a general walkthrough
Optional: Add AutoDJ
If you want automated music playback when you’re not live, you can add the AutoDJ Addon ($8/month) to your radio. This gives you a media library, playlists, and scheduling that connect directly to your radio’s mount point.
You’ll see an Add AutoDJ card in your radio’s sidebar. Click it to get started.
Related
- Start Here for an overview of CloudRadio products
- Dashboard Overview to learn the interface
- Broadcasting Live to connect and start streaming