How to Play a Shoutcast in iTunes

Shoutcast is an online streaming radio system created by Nullsoft, the makers of the Winamp audio player. Shoutcast distributes audio using the .PLS file format -- the standard format for an MP3 audio playlist. Therefore, you can listen to Shoutcast radio in nearly any audio player that supports the .PLS format -- including iTunes. You can configure iTunes as your default player for .PLS files in Windows to listen to a Shoutcast radio stream in iTunes.

Instructions

1. Open the "Start" menu on your computer and click "Control Panel."

2. Open the pull-down menu in the upper-right corner of the Control Panel window and select "Small icons."

3. Double-click "Default Programs."

4. Click "Associate a file type or protocol with a program."

5. Scroll down and find the extension ".pls" in the "Extensions" column and double-click it.

6. Click "iTunes" under "Recommended Programs" and then click "OK."

7. Click the "Close" button.

8. Open a Web browser and navigate to shoutcast.com.

9. Hover the mouse over the "Help" link at the top of the page and click "Settings."

10. Click the radio button next to "Play SHOUTcast stations in default media player (eg: Winamp / iTunes / Windows Media Player)."

11. Click the "Save Settings" button.

12. Click the "Play" button next to a Shoutcast stream you want to hear. If the browser displays a file download window instead of triggering iTunes to open, save the .PLS file to the Desktop.

13. Double-click the .PLS file to listen to the Shoutcast stream in iTunes.

References

• Shoutcast Radio Directory: Shoutcast Radio FAQ
• Cybernet News: CyberNotes - Add Shoutcast Radio Streams to iTunes