HTTP Streams are served like html or image files: there is no special server-side software required, which makes inexpensive web hosting a viable option for those who wish to serve audio files on their sites. In order to compare the leading HTTP-streamable audio file types, I have posted 12 different encodings each of two of my favorite songs, "Town and Country," from the Trolleyvox's soon-to-be released Leap of Folly (4:24), and "Your Submarine Gown," from emma's Garden City 44 (4:31). These encodings cover the Internet's four most common audio formats: RealAudio, mp3, Ogg Vorbis, and Windows Media. Each format has its strengths and weaknesses; the examples and accompanying text are intended to help you make an informed decision.
While listening for audio quality, which should be the primary determinant in selecting a protocol or protocols, it is also important to take storage and bandwidth into consideration. Storage refers to the amount of space you have in which to store files on your web server's hard drive. For example, if you have 100 .html files that average 10 Kilobytes (K) each, you have used 1 Megabyte (MB): 1,000K is equal to 1MB. Bandwidth refers to the amount of times you are allowed to have visitors access the files on your web servers's hard drive; what actually happens when visitors access these files is they are being transferred from your web server's hard drive to the visitor's hard drive over the Internet. For example, if you have a 4MB mp3 file that visitors access 1,000 times, you have transferred 4 Gigabytes (GB) of data: 1,000MB is equal to 1GB.
I have used my hosting plan for reference: VerveHosting's $7.50/month Webmaster Lite provides 100MB of storage and 7GB/month of data transfer. I am going to reserve 10MB for the non-audio files that make up my site, though that is probably overly cautious; I have also assumed that I will need 1GB of data tranfer per month for serving non-audio files, though that number likely should be considerably lower as well. The numbers next to the audio files indicate how many of these files could be stored in the 90MB left on the server and how many times they could be downloaded in the remaining 6GB allowance. The Summary section of this site should simplify side-by-side comparisons of file size.
Another consideration in choosing a format is the time and effort it takes to prepare files for HTTP streaming. No one encoding protocol strikes me as significantly easier than any of the others, but please review the Preparing Files section of this site before making a firm commitment. It also may assist in you in checking my work: it is likely that I made decisions you would have made differently.
If you expect high traffic and either have more to spend or know how to run your own server, you might consider server-side software (like Icecast, SHOUTcast, or Netjuke). For more information on these more robust solutions, and on the software and websites I have used in creating the audio files on this site, see the Resources section.
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Contact Brett, should you have any questions.