Listening to Mushroom FM: some changes we're making
Introduction
Mushroom FM has moved to a new server for broadcasting to you. This is a bit like a terrestrial radio station changing frequency. We are transmitting on both the old and new virtual frequencies at the moment, but soon the old one will stop working, so it's important to read this post to see whether you need to do anything, most people will not. This post starts with the most common scenarios and gets more technical as we move to less common ones, but we believe we've covered all the ways you listen.
Why are you messing with the forces of the Internet?
It's all good. We believe this new server will improve reliability, give us opportunity to expand in some exciting new ways, and we have increased capacity significantly. You will have noticed that on occasion during Mosen At Large, people have been receiving "server full" messages. Also, this new stream is a little louder and a little clearer.
How do I know if I'm tuned into the new server?
During this transition period, we've made it easy to tell whether you're all good to go with our new server or not. You'll know that you're tuned into the new stream because when you first connect, you will hear a short Mushroom FM jingle before the stream starts. This isn't a permanent thing, but it does help you know you're connected to the right place.
How long will the old stream remain active?
Now that all major directories have migrated to our new stream, we anticipate decommissioning the old streams sometime on Friday, 5 March.
For a while, I've had trouble sometimes listening with Amazon Alexa
Amazon Alexa-enabled devices are now a very popular way to hear Mushroom FM. This is a good opportunity for us to mention that listeners have made us aware of a bug that often happens when Alexa-compatible devices are grouped together . Sometimes, when you ask Alexa to play Mushroom FM, Alexa responds that Mushroom FM is currently unavailable on TuneIn. Unfortunately, this is a bug with Alexa over which we have no control. You can verify this is you have a Google Home. Ask Google to do the same thing, and you find it works flawlessly.
Also, due to legal action in the UK, UK listeners are now prohibited from listening to radio stations through TuneIn that don't originate in their country.
If either of these scenarios affect you, there is another easy, reliable way to listen to Mushroom FM on Amazon Alexa devices. Simply enable the My Tuner Radio skill by saying, "Alexa, enable My Tuner Radio". Then say, "alexa, ask My Tuner Radio to play Mushroom FM". You'll find this works much more reliably, and it works everywhere including the UK.
Mushroom FM and radio directories
Many devices and apps draw from radio directories to know where a stream is located. We have verified that our new server is up and running now on TuneIn, My Tuner Radio, Ootunes which includes the Victor Reader Stream, Tapinradio and Leasey. If you use a device that references a popular radio directory, you'll be able to keep listening without doing anything at all.
If we have missed a radio directory or app, and you don't hear a Mushroom FM jingle when you connect, please let us know by emailing jonathan at MushroomFM dot com and we'll try to get it updated pronto.
I have a bookmark or playlist that I use with Winamp/Foobar/VLC etc. What about me
Ah, now we're getting a bit geeky and we love that. The playlist files have been updated at http://mushroomfm.com/listen and you can grab a current .pls file from there.
But cutting right to the chase, if you would like the direct URL to put into a streaming media player, you should use:
http://135.181.78.169:8648/live
Thanks
For most listeners, these changes will be seamless. But we wanted to take this opportunity to acquaint you with what's happening so everyone can keep being a part of the Mushroom crowd. Thanks for being a part of our community. Onwards and upwards.