FAQ

Website queries

What can I do in this beta release?
A beta release is a "work in progress" version prior to the full launch of a site. It's more advanced than an alpha, but some features may be missing and bugs may still need to be ironed out. As such, on this beta release of Playlouder you can sign up for a broadband line, create a personalised profile, read, create and comment on news and reviews, search, stream, and download music, collect music and articles in a personalised "stash" area, make and share playlists, chat with other people, and customise your view of Playlouder by stalking people whose tastes you value. Additionally, Playlouder broadband subscribers can download all the music in their stash as well as fileshare licensed music using the P2P programme of their choice, all of which is included in their monthly broadband fee.
What is the stash?
The stash is your own private area for collecting music (and in the future, articles, people, gigs, photos, and loads more!). You can add music into your stash by clicking Stash next to a music track or a release. You can play the music in your stash by using the controls in the music player underneath, delete tracks by clicking the "_" icons to the right of a track, or click on any release or track in your stash to reveal a more detailed view.
How do I download music?
You can download a music track or release directly by clicking Download next to its listing on the site or from within your stash. If you are a Playlouder subscriber you'll need to be connected to the internet via your Playlouder broadband in order to download your music, but you can add music to your stash to download later no matter where you are.
How do I write an article?
Click on the "Content" tab and then choose "Create New" at the top of the page. Fill in What's It About, write your title and article body, and add some appropriate tags below. Choose the "Publish now" button to show it to the world, or choose "Save To Drafts" button if you're not ready for it to go public yet. You can also start writing about anything on the site by clicking Write next to it, which will start a new piece of content with that object already attached.
What is stalking?
Stalking is a way to easily customise your view of Playlouder based on people you choose to follow, or stalk. You can add or remove someone from your stalked users list by clicking Stalking-off. When you're stalking someone the icon will turn orange, like Stalking-on. Stalking others allows you to follow the content and music by people you choose, and ignore content and music by others. You can see who you're stalking as well as who's stalking you from your own profile page (click your username at the top-left to quickly access your profile).
How do I start a chat?
You can start a chat with any person (or about anything on the site) by clicking Chat next to them. You can also start a new chat by clicking on the "Chat" tab and choosing "Create New".
How do I make a playlist?
First, stash all the music you'd like to have in the playlist. Then click on the Music tab and scroll down to the Playlists section and choose "Create New". In your stash, click on the track or release you'd like to add, and wherever you see Stash inside your stash, click and drag it onto the dropzone in the playlist creator. Your new tracks will be added to the end of the playlist, but you can drag the tracks in the playlist around to change the order or delete them using the minus sign to the right of each track. When you're finished, give your Playlist a title and then choose "Save Playlist".
What are tags?
Tags are short words or phrases that describe an article, a piece of music, a person, or an object. They're a great way for other people to find your content, so be sure to include as many as possible whenever creating something on the site. You can see other objects on the site similar to what you're viewing by clicking on a tag itself. For instance, if you'd like to read everything tagged "review" or "news" you can either search for those tags at the top of the Content page, or click on any tag in the adjacent cloud. If you see something you think is mislabeled, click on Plusicon to add more accurate tags to it. You can also tag an article with a link to another site, simply paste the URL into the tag field.
How can I quickly bring a website I'm looking at into Playlouder?
Bookmark this link, or drag it to your browser toolbar. It's a javascript bookmarklet (for those in the know), and clicking on it will instantly bring any webpage you're looking at into Playlouder so that you may tag, write or chat about it:
 Share on Playlouder 
How do I make my own radio stream?
Whilst not yet integrated with the site, we provide the framework for all Playlouder members to both broadcast their own icecast stream and listen to others' streams. If you're on Windows you'll need Oddcast alongside Winamp or Foobar in order to broadcast your own stream. Mac users will need Nicecast alongside iTunes. In order to start your broadcast, start up either Oddcast or Nicecast and enter in the following details:
  • Server: icecast2.playlouder.com
  • Login: (Your playlouder.com username and password)
  • Mountpoint: /[username] (eg: "/thomas865")
  • Port: 8000
Click Start Broadcast and then open up your music player of choice and start playing some music. You should see the levels on your broadcast software moving accordingly with the music. If you'd like people to listen to your stream, tell them to open up the stream http://icecast.playlouder.com:8000/[username].m3u in their music player of choice (making sure to substitute "[username]" with your Playlouder.com username!).
My download didn't finish completely - how do I download it again?
You can download a music track or release again by clicking Download next to its listing on the site or from within your stash. If you did not stash the affected track, you can search for the Artist, Release, or Track using the search box at the top of the "Music" tab. If you are a Playlouder subscriber you'll need to be connected to the internet via your Playlouder broadband in order to download your music.
Why do I get an error when I click on the forgotten password link in my email?
The forgotten password links expire at midnight the day they've been sent, so you'll need to use the "Forgotten your password?" link on the front page to receive a fresh link by email.
What quality are the downloads?
The downloads from Playlouder.com are mp3 format at a high variable bitrate (VBR), created with the LAME encoder in "alt preset extreme" mode (--ape). These downloads are virtually indistinguishable from CD-quality audio - much better than most music files on the internet.
What are the system requirements for this music service?
This service works on Windows, Mac and Linux.
PC requirements: Windows 98 or above.
Mac requirements: Mac OS9 or OSX
PC users will require a software player capable of playing mp3s. Mac users will need iTunes 4 or above.
Will these downloads work with my iPod?
Yes - we use the mp3 format which is compatible with the iPod as well as a wide range of other portable devices such as those made by Rio, Creative, Sony, Microsoft and Archos.
Is downloading this music legal?
Yes. All tracks downloaded through Playlouder.com's broadband service are 100% legal and have all been licensed by the relevant rights holders for downloading via this site.
Why can't I download music from Artist X here?
We are in the process of adding much more music to Playlouder.com, but unfortunately not everything that has been recorded is available on our system - some artists and record companies have not made their music available for downloading. If you would like to see your favourite artist here, please use the email link on the artist's official website and tell them you'd like to download their songs on Playlouder. The more requests they receive, the more likely they'll be to give you fans what you want!

Broadband queries

How do I sign up for a Playlouder broadband account?
If you've got an account on the beta, you can sign up to Playlouder broadband by clicking "Manage Account" in the top-left, choosing "Sign up for a new ISP line", and following the instructions from there. Currently we are only able to accept Visa and Mastercard, but more cards will be added shortly.
I have a testing account but I'm having problems connecting to the internet!

First of all, thank you for taking part in our early development trials and for being patient with this beta release.

If this is your first time using broadband or you have previously used cable broadband (Telewest, Blueyonder, etc), you may need to purchase an ADSL modem before you begin. If you are switching from another ADSL provider, you will probably only need to change a few settings on your router, which can be accessed by any web browser (the address differs for manufacturers, but it is often http://192.168.0.1, http://192.168.1.1, or http://192.168.100.1 ).

You will need to change the login and password on your modem to the one given to you when you signed up for your Playlouder broadband account. The modem login will end with "_ply@dslconnect.co.uk" and the password will be the same as your playlouder.com account. If you do not have your login details, please view your broadband contracts, then click on "Manage billing and user details" then "Connection Help" to view your exact login and password.

Please refer to the instruction manual for specific instructions relating to your model of ADSL modem. You may find the following settings useful, though the terminology may differ between manufacturers.

Other Important Settings:

  • Choose 'PPPoA'
  • Multiplexing: LLC-Based
  • Get Internet IP Address from ISP (DHCP)
  • Get DNS Address from ISP (DHCP)

Additionally, each computer in your home network should be set up to "Obtain an IP address automatically" and "Obtain DNS server address automatically". You will only need to change this if you are having problems. In Windows XP, this can be checked by in Control Panel's Network Connections pane, and in Mac OSX, by going into System Preferences and clicking the Network pane and choosing "Using DHCP".

How can I send email from my Playlouder account?
All email systems use two servers: one for collecting your mail, and one for sending it. You can generally collect your mail from anywhere, but nearly all ISPs restrict the sending of mail through their servers to just the people connected to their network. When you're a Playlouder subscriber, however, you can use mail.playlouder.com to send your mail no matter where you are in the world by setting up your mail program to use your login and password in the secure section of your Outgoing Mail settings (and use port 25).
What additional services will be included in the Playlouder subscription?
Over time we will be adding a number of innovative music services which will be included within the Playlouder subscription. Subscribers will be able to download and share music at no extra cost and will get access to a range of online community applications to enable them to program their own internet radio stations, manage personal, group and public calendars, share playlists, add mobile services and take advantage of a plethora of music related shopping opportunities.
Is access to music be free or cost extra? Is the access to music limited?
There is no extra charge for downloading music above the monthly subscription fee. Once you have paid for access to the network you have unlimited access to music, and there is no limit for example on the amount of music you can stream or download in a month.
How can I add my family's or housemate's logins to my broadband line?
On your broadband contracts page, click on "Manage billing and user details" for the line in question. Under "Users of this line", you can add an existing Playlouder member to your line, or use the bottom form to invite a new person to Playlouder (and once they've accepted your invite you can then add them to your line). Once someone is a user of your line they can take advantage of all the benefits of being a Playlouder subscriber, but they'll need to be connected via a Playlouder broadband connection in order to download music from the site.
How do I change the bill payer?
On your broadband contracts page, click on "Manage billing and user details" for the line you'd like to change. Under "Users of this line", choose "Nominate this person to take over billing" if they are already a user of your line, or use the form to add an existing Playlouder member to your line or invite a new person to be a user of your line. A person must be a user of your line before you can nominate them to take over the billing details, and they must accept the nomination before you are removed as the contract holder.
My contract expires soon - how do I renew it?
On your broadband contracts page, click on "Manage billing and user details" for the line you'd like to renew. Under Contract and Billing Details, click on "extend this contract".
How do I bring my broadband with me when I move house?
Please contact customer support.
I'm moving to a yurt in Mongolia to herd sheep and live off the land - how do I terminate my contract?
On your broadband contracts page, click on "Manage billing and user details" for the line you'd like to terminate. Click "view order history" and under Submit A New Order On This Line, choose "Cease this line" if you don't want any broadband service whatsoever, or choose "Request a migration away" if you would like to move to a different broadband supplier.

Business queries

How are royalties calculated and ultimately paid to the music rights holders?
A set proportion of the revenues are set aside as a pool and split between the various music rights owners. Of this pool a percentage is paid to the record companies and a percentage to the music publishers (via the collection agency MCPS-PRS). The proportion paid to an individual record company is calculated on a pro rata basis according to the usage within the Playlouder network of that record company's music.
How does the "fingerprint" technology on the digital music files work?
All music supplied through the Playlouder is given its own unique 'fingerprint', a short digital code that enables a computer file and any copies to be identified. The fingerprint is used to provide a definitive set of information, for instance artist and track names, and serves as the key to a universe of relevant up to date music and events information only available to Playlouder subscribers.
How do labels and artists sign-up to have their music included in the service?
Labels and artists who wish to have their music in the system should first ensure that their catalogue information is correct and up to date, and they have an ISRC (the industry standard identifier) for each sound recording. They should then send a licensing request via Contact Us and we will respond with a template agreement and details of how to supply music. Playlouder is an 'open' system, open to independent labels and artists on equal terms with the majors.
Can other ISPs provide the MSP services to their customers?
Any ISP that is interested in offering the MSP services to its customers should contact us.
What about media brand owners who want to offer the MSP services to their customers under their own brand?
Again, any media brand owner interested in offering MSP services under their own brand should contact us.
To whom should press enquiries be addressed?
Please direct all press enquiries via Contact Us