How to stream music with cmus
Summary
cmus is a lightweight terminal-based music player that supports streaming from services like Shoutcast. By adding .m3u or .pls playlist links, you can stream music directly in cmus. This article explains how it's done.
Configuring cmus for streaming #
C* Music Player, (cmus), supports streaming music from sources that provide playlist files in formats like M3U (MP3 URL) or PLS (Playlist). These files contain links to audio streams.
To enable streaming support, ensure that the required dependencies are installed. Most Linux distributions include them by default, but if you encounter issues, install ffmpeg or libavcodec packages.
Finding and adding a stream #
Visit a streaming service like Shoutcast or Icecast (find their directories in the sources section) and locate a station that provides an m3u or pls playlist link (usually linked to the “play” button).
Direct play #
If you want to listen to a stream immediately, do the following:
- Copy the link address of the
m3uorplsfile. - Open
cmusand enter command mode by pressing:. Add the stream using:
add <stream_url>Replace
<stream_url>with the actual playlist link, e.g.::add http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=1728296.- Press
Enterto load the stream into your library.
Saving the playlist #
If you want to save the stream files for later, do the following:
- Download the
m3uorplsfile of your selected stream. - Open
cmusand enter command mode by pressing:. Add load the stream using:
load /Downloads/<stream_file>.plsReplace
/Downloads/<stream_file>.plswith the actual path to the playlist file, e.g.::load /Downloads/tunein-station.pls.- Press
Enterto load the stream.
Saving favorite streams #
Alternatively, to save your favorite streams for later, you can manually add them to your cmus configuration file:
echo <stream_url> >> ~/.config/cmus/streams
Then, load the saved streams by using:
cat ~/.config/cmus/streams | xargs -I {} cmus-remote -q "add {}"
Playlist files #
This is an example of how playlist files (.pls) usually look like:
[playlist]
numberofentries=6
File1=http://185.33.21.112:80/reggae_mobile_aac
Title1=1.FM - ReggaeTrade (www.1.fm)
Length1=-1
File2=http://185.33.21.112:80/reggae_64a
Title2=1.FM - ReggaeTrade (www.1.fm)
Length2=-1
File3=http://185.33.21.112:80/reggae_32a
Title3=1.FM - ReggaeTrade (www.1.fm)
Length3=-1
File4=http://185.33.21.112:80/reggae_128
Title4=1.FM - ReggaeTrade (www.1.fm)
Length4=-1
File5=http://185.33.21.112:80/reggae_64
Title5=1.FM - ReggaeTrade (www.1.fm)
Length5=-1
File6=http://185.33.21.112:80/reggae_mobile_mp3
Title6=1.FM - ReggaeTrade (www.1.fm)
Length6=-1
Version=2
Of course you can even edit playlist files to always use one or a limited set of the entries.
Playing and managing streams #
Once the stream is added/loaded in cmus, you can start playing it by selecting it in the library and pressing Enter. Use the following controls to manage playback:
cto play or pausebto skip to the next trackxto stop playbackvto toggle shuffle modesto sort the playlist
Also see how to create cmus playlists.
FAQ's #
Most common questions and brief, easy-to-understand answers on the topic:
Can I stream music using cmus?
Yes, cmus supports streaming from services like Shoutcast or Icecast by adding .m3u or .pls playlist links.
How do I add a streaming URL to cmus?
To add a stream, enter command mode by pressing : and use:add <stream_url>
Replace <stream_url> with the actual playlist link.
How can I save my favorite streams in cmus?
You can save favorite streams by adding them to your configuration file:echo <stream_url> >> ~/.config/cmus/streams
Then load them with:cat ~/.config/cmus/streams | xargs -I {} cmus-remote -q "add {}"
Can I play a downloaded playlist file in cmus?
Yes, to load a local .m3u or .pls file, enter command mode with : and run:load /path/to/playlist.pls
Further readings #
Sources and recommended, further resources on the topic:
- Cmus cheat sheet
- Managing Cmus playlists
- Cmus documentation
- Shoutcast stream directory
- Icecast stream directory
Author
Jonas Jared Jacek (J15k)
Jonas works as project manager, web designer, and web developer since 2001. On top of that, he is a Linux system administrator with a broad interest in things related to programming, architecture, and design. See: https://www.j15k.com/License
How to stream music with cmus by Jonas Jared Jacek is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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