To my knowledge .Zipped .mp3 files cannot be streamed. Your Server web site should have a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section where it hopefully would address Streaming .mp3 files and how to do it. Most likely you will have to set up a separate directory to store the .mp3 files only you will most likely store them with the suffix .m3u = streaming file. Another thing you have to consider is the Streaming .mp3 files will have to be "tailored down" to no more than 96kbps (bit rate) and most likely you will want to sample them with no more than a 11,025Hz (sample rate). The reason for that is you want people with "dial up" connections to be able to hear your .m3u files without the sound "breaking up" when listening to them through Winamp, etc. If you encode the files with too high of a bit rate, say, 192kbps and @ 44,100 Hz sample rate people with dial up connections won't be able to listen to your songs without it constantly cutting out every few seconds or so to re-buffer the file. Broadband users would have no problem listening to higher bit and sample rate files but most people still use a dial up connection to access the internet.

So what I am saying Deaton is you are probably better off just .zipping your .mp3 files onto your Web Server site and providing a link to the file and posting that link for the group to click on and download. Unless of course you don't mind the rigmarole, ie., (hassle) of setting up your files as Streaming files on your Web Server and also in re-sampling and reducing the bit rate of your .mp3 files, etc. If you don't mind that then Streaming would be fine. But especially for the sake of "dial up" users you may just want to .zip 'em and let him or her simply download the .zip file. That way the person would also be able to listen to your file again and again because he or she would have easy access to it since they would be on his or her Hard Drive. If your files are Streamed the link would have to be brought up again if the person wanted to listen to one of your songs again. Streaming is very convenient though because almost as soon as you click the link the file begins to play. It's up to you Deaton. Your Web Server site should have info on how to setup an .mp3 as a Streaming file on their Server if you choose to do so though.

Best regards,
Mike

[This message has been edited by keybplayer (edited 12-16-2003).]