Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 11:21:39 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jack Moffitt <jack@icecast.org>
To: editor@lwn.net
Subject: icecast 1.3.0 released

We worked long and hard for this one...   :)

jack.

---

Icecast 1.3 Released
http://www.icecast.org/press-19990713.html
 
The Icecast development team has today released Icecast 1.3, the
next-generation audio streaming server.  The team is pleased to present this
release to the Open Source community under the GPL license, as it has done
in the past.  The new release is fully platform independent and will run
immediately on Linux, Solaris, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, and
FreeBSD.  It is expected to appear on even more platforms shortly after
release.

Icecast version 1.3 introduces many new features to the audio streaming
community.  One of the most asked-for features is the ability to support
multiple streams from a single server.  This feature is unique among 
MP3 streaming servers.  Icecast 1.3 also includes unprecedented
administration tools for complete control of the Icecast environment.
Without restarting the server, an administrator can change data,
set up access privileges, control routing of mount points, create
aliases, proxies, and relays, save outgoing shows for archival purposes, 
and easily track listener statistics.
 
Icecast 1.3 also introduces meta-data streaming, an emerging standard
developed in cooperation with the makers of the Sonique, K-Jofol, FreeAmp,
MacAmp and XMMS MP3 players.  Meta-data streaming is a new, robust method 
for displaying information about a stream without corrupting or
interfering with the actual music data.  Current track information,
links to web pages, and e-commerce information can be sent directly to
the players from the server.  This extensible data channel will soon be
supported by most MP3 players.

Along with new functionality, Icecast 1.3 offers rock-solid performance that
is non-intensive on server resources.  Icecast 1.3 can support thousands of
simultaneous connections with very little memory usage, and for the heaviest
loads multiple Icecast servers can be linked to form a larger network.  This
scalability is required by the large online broadcasters. "We are very 
excited about the release of Icecast 1.3.," said Peter Rothman, CTO for 
Nanocosm, Inc. (creators of Live365.com) "Live365.com supports open source 
initiatives as part of our service package and we utilize open source 
products whenever we can".

The MP3 software community has embraced Icecast and is working to fully
support the new features in Icecast 1.3.  Andrew McCann, co-founder of 
MediaScience, creator of Sonique, has positive words for Icecast.  "The 
Icecast team has been great to work with as we help improve the 
listener's experience with audio streaming.  We have had difficulty 
working with other closed audio streaming systems, but Icecast provides 
an open, innovative system that works for us as well as the entire 
community of listeners".  Gilles Boccon-Gibod, Vice President of MpegTV,
has also pledged support.  "To enable Xaudio's customers to take 
full advantage of the new useful additions to the Icecast server 
software, we will provide built-in support for the Icecast 1.3 protocol 
in an upcoming release of the new MP3 SDK". 

Icecast is created by an international team of developers, testers, and
users. The core Icecast team works together to implement features requested
by the community into a quality open source product.  One of the
Icecast project's benefactors has been the Green Witch Internet Radio, which
has partially financed development on the Icecast project. Programmer Barath
Raghavan, a core project member, has recently joined Jack Moffitt at The Green
Witch Internet Radio.  Barath says, "We're lucky to have found such a
fertile working environment, where we are appreciatively paid to develop
open source software which anyone can use, for the benefit of the entire
online music industry".  Other companies who contribute time and 
resources to the project include MediaScience, GameSpy Industries, and 
Wired Planet.

Icecast is available for download and is free of charge for all users.  For
more information about Icecast Open Source Technology for Streaming Audio,
please visit http://www.icecast.org. For more information about The Green
Witch Internet Radio, please visit http://www.greenwitch.com/press/.

Press Contact:
Jack Moffitt
Project Leader
(415) 642-1485
team@icecast.org