In order to broadcast audio using Winamp, you'll need to have a SHOUTcast server for Winamp to connect to. The purpose of the SHOUTcast server is that it allows people using Winamp connect to it and begin downloading content being streamed live off the Internet, and the content is live, and up to the minute. This server software allows many people to connect, assuming you have enough bandwidth, memory, and CPU. Your broadcasters use Winamp and the SHOUTcast Source Plug-in for Winamp to send data to your server, and the server then relays the data back to your listeners. The person running the SHOUTcast server has the ability to administer the server itself via HTML and a simple configuration file.

Features include:

• ListenerTimer config item will force-disconnect listeners active for the number of minutes specified
• AllowRelay config item will permit or deny other servers from relaying
• AllowPublicRelay config item allows relaying, but forces relays to treat server as non-public
• Ban / Reserve IP lists now available to add on-the-fly
• Initial stream back positioning set at 32k (faster sync-up for listeners with faster connections)
• Taillog via HTML admin now available regardless of disk logging setting
• Windows version now packaged via NSIS installer for easy install/uninstall

New features

• sc_serv now recognizes content-types other than Audio/MPEG. We've been sending it all sorts of things. Rudimentary, DNAS 3.x will be the real launch vehicle for different media types.
• Development support for authentication servers. Using auth will preclude you being able to use the SHOUTcast directory, since listeners need authorization to listen to your server. Ask in the mailing list for information on testing this new undocumented featureset.
• Since bugtraq apparently feels unix admins aren't capable of demonstrating enough self-control to mark their logfiles as private, the server no longer logs the correct password alongside the submitted password on a failed broadcaster connect.
• All the performance enhancements and stability changes we have applied to our production networks, which stream more bandwidth than any other streaming complex in the world. We stream well over 4 Gbps at peak concurrency now on about 10 hosts. If you're keeping score, we send over 27,000 gigabytes of audio broadcasts to people every day. how do we afford it? easy. VOLUME.