It uses the stream URL you already have
Web Radio Players does not replace Icecast or SHOUTcast. It sits in front of them. You paste the same mount-point URL your host gave you — or the one inside AzuraCast, Centova Cast, MediaCP, EverestCast, or Radio.co — and the player pulls audio and now-playing metadata from that stream.
If the stream speaks Icecast or SHOUTcast, the player will play it. That includes most panels and hosts stations already pay for. You do not migrate listeners or change the encoder.
What the player actually does
The bundled widget from a host is usually a play button and a volume slider. Stations lose listeners when the player does not show the current track, does not match the site, or gets hotlinked onto someone else’s page.
- Now playing, artist, and album art from the stream metadata.
- Colour and layout so the player matches your site — sticky bar, compact widget, or a fuller panel.
- Weekly schedule and recent-track history inside the player.
- Multi-stream switching (high/low bitrate or a fallback mount).
- Domain lock so the embed only loads on sites you approve.
Change the player without touching the site again
The first paste is the last time you need a developer. Stream URL, logo, theme, social links, and schedule live in the dashboard. Save, and every live embed updates. You do not generate a new shortcode.
Every plan includes a 30-day free trial. A card is required at signup; nothing is charged until the trial ends. Cancel in the dashboard before day 30 and you are not billed.
Stop other sites stealing the stream
If the player can be copied onto any page, you pay for bandwidth you do not own and you can breach a territorial licence. Domain lock restricts the embed to hostnames you list. Pair that with country allow-lists or block-lists when a licence does not cover the whole world.
That is a player feature, not a streaming-host feature. Your Icecast or SHOUTcast server can stay exactly where it is.
No website? Use a hosted listen page
If you do not have a site to paste into, launch a hosted public page instead. It includes the same player, plus schedule, contact, and sponsor banners. Banners are on the public page only — they are not claimed as a feature inside the embeddable player.