Audio-only Live Stream

In this topic, you will learn how to create audio-only live streams.

Introduction

Audio-only live streams allow you to tap into the sizeable audio entertainment ecosystem, including podcasts and radio. With Brightcove, you can ingest and live stream audio-specific content without a video component. Brightcove's player technology has been optimized for audio to mobile, web, and connected home devices. You will even get relevant analytics for audio-only playback.

Benefits of Audio-Only

  • Lower bandwidth use – Listeners can stream content even on slow connections
  • Customizable player – Use an audio-focused player that matches your brand
  • Analytics support – Track audience engagement just like with video.

Example Use Cases

  • Podcasts and talk shows
  • Music releases or concerts
  • Corporate announcements
  • Audiobooks and training content
  • Live radio streams

Requirements

This feature is a paid add-on for your account. Contact your Customer Success Manager to enable audio-only live streams.

Creating and Streaming Audio-Only Events

  1. In Studio, open the Live module.
  2. Click Create Channel.

    3. Under Create channel, you will see two options: Linear and Event.

    • Event Channels – Best for one-time or recurring live events of shorter duration (e.g., concerts, webinars, product launches).
    • Linear Channels – Designed for 24/7 continuous streaming (e.g., radio, always-on programming).
  3. Click Create Channel > Event
  4. Enter values for your live stream event.
    Create Audio only event
    • Event Name - Name for the event; this name will also appear in the Media module if the video is saved as a video asset (max 255 characters)
    • Short Description - Description of the event (max 250 characters)
    • Tags - Tags to associate with the event; tags will be assigned to the video if the video is saved as a video asset (max 128 characters and 1200 tags)
    • Reference ID - Reference ID for the event; must be unique (max 150 characters)
  5. Select Create an audio-only event. Notice the following option is grayed out:
    • Live Ingest Profile
      • Audio only event ingest
    • Select your region, to reduce latency, you should select the region that is closest to where your encoder is located.
    • Choose either SRT/RTMP as the input transport protocol.
    • (Optional) Enable Convert media asset from Live to VOD when complete, if you'd like the audio saved as on-demand after the event.
  6. Complete the rest of the options for your live stream.

    For details about these options, see the Creating and Managing Live Events document.

  7. Click Create Event.

Configure your encoder

Use the encoder of your choice to stream your audio-only event.

To stream your Live event, follow these steps:

  1. In Studio, return to the Control Room for your audio stream.

    Live control room
  2. Copy the following:
    • Stream Endpoint (SRT/RTMP URL)
    • Stream Name
  3. Paste the values above into the settings for your encoder and start streaming.

    For OBS step-by-step usage example, see the Using the Live Module with OBS document.

    FFmpeg Command (SRT)
    ffmpeg -re -i input.mp3 -vn -acodec aac -b:a 128k -ar 44100 -ac 2 -f mpegts "srt://<account-id>.ingest.live.brightcove.com:5000?mode=caller"

    FFmpeg Command (RTMP)
    ffmpeg -re -i input.mp3 -vn -acodec aac -b:a 128k -ar 44100 -ac 2 -f flv "rtmp://<account-id>.ingest.live.brightcove.com:1935/<account-id>/<channel-id>"

    This pushes your MP3 file into Brightcove as an audio-only SRT stream.

Publish the live event

To publish a live stream, follow these steps:

  1. In Studio, return to the Live module.
  2. Select Publish and Embed in the right corner.
  3. In the Player section, select your player.

  4. Copy the embed code, and paste it into your HTML page.

    Player embed code
  5. Confirm playback in your web page.