Open Source Streaming Radio Ripper: Streamripper

Hackosis is an Open Blog. You Can Participate.

Open Source Streaming Radio Ripper: Streamripper
Filed under Download, Linux, Open source, Tutorials, Windows.

Kinda looks like Starwars, don’t it?

Open source, cross platform Streamripper allows you to save streaming mp3 radio stations to your hard drive. And I will show you how.

What is streaming radio?

From Wikipedia:

Internet radio (aka e-Radio) is an audio broadcasting service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not transmitted broadly through wireless means but is delivered over the World Wide Web. The term “e-Radio” suggests a streaming medium that presents listeners with a continuous stream of audio to which they have no control much like traditional broadcast media. It is not synonymous with podcasting which involves downloading. Nor does e-Radio suggest “on-demand” file serving. Many Internet “radio stations” are associated with a corresponding traditional “terrestrial” radio station or radio network. Internet-only radio stations are usually independent of such associations.

How do I use Streamripper?

Windows:

If you are running Windows, the best way is probably to install and run Winamp, this is a very popular media player - and it’s free!

Streamripper has a Winamp plugin that you can grab here. Install it, leave the default options and choose to open Winamp with Streamripper as the default plugin.

Streamripper Winamp Plugin

Open a stream in Winamp (there are tons preloaded in the Media Library), and click “Start” on the gray button in the Streamripper window.

The default save location is your Windows Desktop, you can change this by clicking the “Options” button and clicking the file tab. Streamripper will create a folder on your Desktop with the name of the radio station and a sub directory named “incomplete”. Any partial songs will end up in the incomplete folder.

You may also use the command line download here and read here.

Linux:

You need to have gcc so you can make stuff because you are going to have to compile from source (Good topic for another article) unless you can find a package for your distribution. But it is not hard, I promise!

Download the tarball here. Don’t get a beta version, I can’t say that it will work for you.

Extract the contents “tar -xvvf streamripper*“.

Change directory “cd streamripper*“.

“./configure“.

“make” and watch all the wonderful jabber run up your console.

“make install“.

BUT OMG, where did it install to? Just run “whereis streamripper“, and it should tell you that it is in /usr/local/bin/streamripper, at least it is on my PCLinuxOS. Since it is in that dir, it means we can run it from anywhere.

To rip a stream “cd ~” to move into your home directory and simply run “streamripper http://scfire-nyk-aa04.stream.aol.com:80/stream/1074 -r“.

NOTE: The “-r” option makes Streamripper turn your localhost into a “relay”, that means you are retransmitting the radio. See below.

Hint: find more stations by saving the the .pls files with your favorite text editor @ Shoutcast. Just right click the little “Tune In!” button and Save Link As..:
pls save as

Streamripper will create a folder in your home directory with the name of the radio station and a sub directory named “incomplete”. Any partial songs will end up in the incomplete folder.

As you probably notice it is not playing any music! OMG. Ok, so just load up your favorite linux media player and connect to “127.0.0.1:8000″.

Nice, now send me some of those rips!