Alexa

[dlw0125]

Does anyone know what is involved to have my streaming station able to be played on Alexa or other similar devices? Would like to find out the details. Thanks.

[DJ Kazy Kevin]

I have my station on TuneIn which is on Alexa. Just add your stream to TuneIn and add TuneIn Live to Alexa.

[djken]

I have my station on TuneIn which is on Alexa. Just add your stream to TuneIn and add TuneIn Live to Alexa.

I dont think Tunein are taking any new stations,

[bill]

You can actually build your own Alexa skill. I created one for Dan River Gospel, but the Alexa store has yet to accept it. For now I  can only share it. EDIT: I need to mention this is all free for now.  Amazon may change that at some point

If you already have an Echo Dot etc. You should have the Alexa phone app. You will see a  blueprints listing in the menu on top left of of main page. However building the skill is easier on PC browser. Sign up as Developer to actually accomplish your Alexa skill    -   https://developer.amazon.com/alexa


A good place to start is https://blueprints.amazon.com/
I'll use what I did for an example....
I used "Spiritual Talks" blueprint to build my skill.

1 You have a place to enter either a RSS feed if you have a podcast or in our case a live radio stream.  This needs to be SSL. https://url
2 Fill in text box what you want Alexa to say when someone initiates it. "Welcome to Dan River Gospel preaching from Southside Virginia etc.etc."
3 Give it a three word call command "Dan River Gospel"    so it's called by "Alexa play Dan River Gospel"

Then you will need to Name your Skill



I have personally shared the skill with folks in several Churches and everyone loves being able access the radio with Alexa. I hope that the Alexa store will be accepted soon, but works well.

If you want a small audience personally sharing the skill works just as good

[shawncochran]

I built an Alexa Skill for Pirate Radio America https://www.amazon.com/Pirate-Radio-America/dp/B08BBYG9BT/ and got it certified - if you are interested I followed these instructions: https://andymoore.info/stream-your-radio-station-on-alexa and I sent Andy a gratuity for his excellent instructions.

Station photos up here: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10223031412316256

[packzap]

That's great! Smart speakers -- the wave of the future.

[RFU]

If you don't have a broadcasting license or permit Alexa won't accept your application

[shawncochran]

If you don't have a broadcasting license or permit Alexa won't accept your application

I must've slipped through the cracks! 

[RFU]

I must've slipped through the cracks! 

I don't know how? It asks for your license number during registration and you can't leave the field blank

[shawncochran]

I don't know how? It asks for your license number during registration and you can't leave the field blank

All I know is I followed the directions Andy wrote and I posted on here and it worked perfectly for me. Maybe it's because I have a website? Or maybe it's because I AM A PIRATE!!!

[RFU]

All I know is I followed the directions Andy wrote and I posted on here and it worked perfectly for me. Maybe it's because I have a website? Or maybe it's because I AM A PIRATE!!!

Andy closed his website

[Jhonny]

What for? 

[AndyMoore]

Am I being talked about? How exciting!

I followed these instructions: https://andymoore.info/stream-your-radio-station-on-alexa and I sent Andy a gratuity for his excellent instructions.[/url]

Thanks Shawn, much appreciated.

All I know is I followed the directions Andy wrote and I posted on here and it worked perfectly for me. Maybe it's because I have a website? Or maybe it's because I AM A PIRATE!!!

How did you slip through that net? They've always knocked back my demo stream by saying it's either not licensed, or is too small a niche for any interest.

I need to get my Pirate flag out from the shed and start flying it.

Andy closed his website

It's open again now and is powered by a new radio friendly persistent playing website generator I wrote.

If you go to my site, press the play button and navigate around you'll hear it still plays, even between page views.

It's not voodoo, it's PJAX but I explain the magick behind it on the site.

What for? 

I had a small burn out. People were taking it for granted and not showing any appreciation, unlike @shawncochran who was kind enough to contribute to the running of my servers.

My Alexa code generator has been used by Kisses, Virgins, National and State Broadcasters, some BIG FM groups and loads of DAB stations, when I know the folks have the budget to chip in, but don't, I get understandably angry about it.

Dumping the site took a load of support requests from cheapskate freeloaders off my shoulders, I've since made some changes to the page, to the way the whole system works and am now much happier with the reduced support, and quiet frankly I now tell people, in a pretty damn rude manner, they should pay up in the email when they get their code.

Being nice didn't get many donations, since upping the attitude to serious a--hole levels donations have increased. Funny that eh?

It's back online now, it's not the first burn out I've had, the first one was after writing some Mobile Device Detection software which had about 100,000 users, and a Mobile plugin for WordPress which had similar user levels: that simply all got too much for my head to deal with.

Was at the top of that game at the time. Couldn't handle the stress of it all.

I had such a spectacular blow out I later found out a Psychology Professor somewhere like Harvard or Yale had found my site, read my burnout notice, which went "so long, farewell, thanks for all the clicks but f*** you very much" and decided to pose questions about it to their students.

When you have shrink students talking about your mind, without even involving you, you know your burn out was bright!

--

Nobody talks about mental health, especially not us blokes, we should more often, we're all mad in our own way, even more so when you think we're happy to sit in a padded room talking to ourselves between songs!

--

Just wanted to pop along and say thanks for the support, much appreciated, and to let you know the site is generating code for folks again.

All the best

A

[RFU]

I guess I need to buy an Alexa 

[AndyMoore]

I guess I need to buy an Alexa 

Nobody needs that junk in their home.

You can run a station through Alexa without the hardware: save yourself the $50 and keep what (very) little privacy you have left. You can do it all in the developer console.

Mine isn't plugged in, I don't trust it, saying that, I don't do, or trust, smart phones either.

All far too intrusive for my liking!