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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q.Where do I click to listen?
A. It should not be necessary to click anywhere for the sound to begin playing. When you open the Homepage in your web browers program the audio should start playing automatically, after a brief pause. For the audio to continue playing you must leave the web page open (it is OK to minimize it.) As an alternative to Real Player plug-in you can click the links for either the Quicktime plug-in or the Windows Media player.

You can download a free copy of a recommended player by clicking on its icon on our Player Downloads page. After downloading and installing, try connecting with your web browser again.

We recommend that you change the settings in your browser preferences to allow cookies and to disable pop-up blockers (if any exist) for this site.

If you have tried all of the above and still get no sound, try using a different web browser. We like Firefox. If that doesn't help, try an external player, like Winamp or iTunes. If that doesn't help, try a different external player, or a different computer, or a different Internet connection. See below.

Q.What player do I have to have, and how do I get it to play your stream?
A. N2BN is an mp3 stream, we use player technologies based on the Quicktime and Real Audio browser plug-ins, and the Windows Media player. The plug-ins play audio with a player that's embedded in the pages of our web site. In this way it's not necessary for most listeners to use a player to hear our program, provided they have the most recent version of Quicktime or Real Player properly installed on their computer. The Windows Media choice opens up a window from which to select a program segment, and doing so automatically opens an external instance of the Windows Media Player which begins playing the stream. Also, other choices for an external player may be preferred, such as iTunes or Winamp. To listen to N2BN with an external player, use this address:

http://www.n2bn.net/n2bn.mov

EXCEPT for Quicktime Player (QT Player is NOT the same as Quicktime plug-in.)

For Quicktime Player only, use this address instead:

icy://www.n2bn.net/n2bn.mov

Most Internet audio players have a menu item called "Open Location," "Open Stream," "Go to URL," or something similar to that. Select and copy the appropriate address above and paste it into that location in your player. Press Enter (or Click "OK") and the sound should begin to play within about 15 seconds. Then save that location as a "Favorite" so you don't have to do the copy-paste routine every time. This is automatic in iTunes. To play N2BN again just open your iTunes library and double-click the file called "N2BN: The Worldwide Into-Blues Network." With Real Player just double-click the .RAM file it leaves for you on the desktop.

If you are using Microsoft Windows Media Player and having trouble listening, and you do not want to use one of the players embedded in the web page, we recommend that you try using iTunes or Winamp. Both of these players are available via free download and have been found to work well playing our stream in Windows. We have had limited success with Windows Media Player in general, but it can sometimes be made to work, depending on the version, configuration and platform.

If your want to use a standalone external player to listen to N2BN, you can get one by going to our Player Downloads page. DON'T spend your money on a player, just download a FREE one. Keep in mind that external players do not offer the benefit of displaying information about the currently playing song on N2BN the way the player that's built into the web page does. See below for a workaround to this. Also, we now have downloadable pre-configured player files making great blues just a click away anytime.

Q.I listen with iTunes. Is it possible to have the name of the song and artist that you are playing displayed at the moment I'm listening?
A. There are 2 ways to do this. One is to use the player that is built into the web page. It displays the Now Playing information at the top of the window. Another way is to open, in your browser, the URL http://n2bn.org/nowplaying.html. Adjust the window size as needed, and keep this window open while the sound is playing through your external player. It will be updated automatically each time a new song begins playing. If this is a configuration you plan to use regularly, you might want to bookmark the location of the Now Playing page.

Q.Why don`t you have MP3 Id tags sent with the music?
A. The reason for this is that the analog output of our Audio Server goes through our audio mixer, as do all our other audio sources, then it goes through some audio processing equipment (compressor, limiter, gate) before being routed to the sound input of our encoder/streamer and sent on to our main server where all connections to the stream are managed. All this makes it difficult to keep the ID tags in place, so our ID tags are sent to the server separately rather than embedded in the songs themselves. In our web player the "Now Playing" information is automatically displayed at the top of the player window, and updated approximately every 20 sesconds.

Q.Why don`t you have a short break between each song?
A. Our stream is created live, one song at a time. We don't usually broadcast prerecorded programming, other than the station break or an encore presentation. We prefer having the music cross fade rather than stop and start. In our view, to put a break in between each song would make it sound more like someone just tracking an album instead of creating the stream from many music sources and mixing it together into a program.

Q.Do you change the play list frequently?
A. Yes. We are constantly adding to and subtracting from the current play list, which usually has somewhere in the vicinity of about 2,000 songs in it. Repeats of a specific song do not usually occur within a 7 day period of time.

Q.How long can I stay connected to your server before you kick me out?
A. We originally had set the server to require some evidence that someone is listening (ask them to click a button to continue, for example.) for the stream to keep being sent out for more than a couple of hours. At this time, however, no such limitation is being imposed.

Q.I get kicked out after 30min or even less, why does this happen?
A. Most likely this results from your CPU being used for other tasks, which can sometimes interfere with it's ability to receive the stream fast enough. This problem is less likely to occur with newer computers, on faster connections, or computers that are not used for other tasks at the same time while they are receiving the stream. The signal can also be dropped due to connectivity fluctuations in the Internet itself. If this is happening, try increasing the buffer size in your player software. See the information that came with your player software for details.

Q.When someone moves or is going to move on down the line, er, to which line are they referring?
A. For some it is the railroad line, for others it is the chorus line. Sometimes the line is drawn in the sand, sometimes a razor blade and mirror are used. Lines are also commonly used for sailing, fishing, clothes, telephones, movie theaters and amusement parks. In space and mountain climbing they use them for safety.You can get one from just about any con man, a gay guy in a pickup bar or even too many birthday parties. In some cases they are fine, in which case caution is recommended. If someone asks you to drop them one, a written communication is usually in order, and if you get one on something you want, you should follow it. For most sports, military and police work the word "line" is followed by the word "up." If you want credit for something you've written it is preceded by the word "by," or for emphasis, "under." There is a very old TV game show which investigated this matter in depth.

Q. Why should I bother to make a donation to this project?
A. Any program such as this requires funding if it is to carry on. Without sponsorships, either from advertisers or listeners, our broadcasts simply wouldn't be possible.

If you'd like to help sponsor N2BN, please CLICK HERE.

If you want to find out more information, please read on.

N2BN is not free to operate, but we designed it to be free from ads, because we think this music is best served without commercial interruptions. Having said "No" to online or in-stream commercials, we now turn to you and ask for your involvement.

If we can get a little assistance from you, and other listeners chip in some as well, we can continue our high-quality Blues audio stream, 24/7/365, with a minimum of interruptions and NO COMMERCIALS OR POP-UP ADS, EVER.

For a simple way to ensure that this project gets the funding it needs, some listeners reserve a small allowance for us in their budget each month with a Paypal account or credit card. We like Paypal because it makes it easy to keep track of everything.

Others prefer making a donation on an annual basis. Some volunteer. If you enjoy the music you hear on N2BN, why not offer a small donation to help ensure that it continues? We have brand-new "Click & Join" buttons that make it really fast and super easy to do.

So please don't turn away this opportunity with an easy brush-off like "Maybe another time," or "Someone else will do it." N2BN needs your involvement now. If you listen, please take this moment to help with the funding of this project.

On behalf of a worldwide culture of current and future Blues fans, we thank you in advance for doing your part to help keep these Blues alive.

CLICK HERE if you would like to make a contribution now.