Today, I am incredibly excited to announce the beta release of JackTrip Radio. This new service built on our patent-pending technology enables everyone on Virtual Studio to seamlessly broadcast high fidelity audio to an unlimited number of listeners worldwide. There is no hardware or software you need to buy, learn, or install- just join with a web browser or the JackTrip mobile app. And perhaps best of all, it is completely free.
We’d like to encourage everyone to use JackTrip Radio as much as you like. While JackTrip Radio is in Beta, all time spent broadcasting publicly will not count against the studio minutes on your plan. Also, the 30 minute time limit on free studios does not apply while broadcasting publicly. In other words, host jam sessions, karaoke parties, and open rehearsals for free with JackTrip Radio!
Getting Started
Your Virtual Studios now have a JackTrip Radio tab. This enables you to generate a unique link for your broadcasts and share it with whoever you like. The link can be unlisted (only available to people that you share it with), or listed publicly on the JackTrip Radio site for anyone to discover. Clicking this link will open a new window that enables them to listen in. Maybe just invite a friend, patrons or parents. Maybe invite the entire world.
You may notice that your broadcast’s audio is slightly delayed. This allows us to seamlessly scale delivery to millions of listeners, wherever they may be. It also allows us to leverage new buffering technology that cleans up clicks, pops, and static so that your fans hear the most pristine sound possible.
In addition to releasing JackTrip Radio, we are also rolling out version 1.2 of our mobile app for Android and iOS. Anyone can now use the mobile app to tune in to broadcasts using your phone or tablet. Clicking a JackTrip Radio link on your mobile device will automatically open it within the app. It features native player controls for both platforms, so you can play JackTrip Radio broadcasts on other devices in your home using AirPlay or Chromecast. And it doesn’t even require your fans to create a Virtual Studio account to listen in.
In the past, you may have had to go through great lengths to record audio of your JackTrip Virtual Studio sessions. You may have a separate bridge device, USB interface and DAW all setup for this. I’m happy to report that you can now repurpose all of that equipment for other things. One-click recording using your web browser (Chrome, Edge or Firefox) is a new feature we’ve built into JackTrip Radio.
You Are Our Inspiration
I will never forget the online Ragazzi rehearsals I had the pleasure to listen in on during the Summer of 2020, while testing out early alpha versions of JackTrip Virtual Studio. Bringing tears of joy to young musicians who hadn’t been able to sing together for several months has been life-changing. What also blew me away was the experience I had as an audience member. I’m a huge fan of live performances, and it felt like I was in the same room as these amazingly talented musicians. I couldn’t pry myself away, and started seeking out new rehearsals to join, under the ongoing guise of testing and troubleshooting. The truth was that I missed live music so much, and fell in love with what I was hearing.
JackTrip’s low latency enables musicians who are miles away from one another to perform live music together over the Internet. But perhaps equally remarkable is JackTrip’s quality of sound. JackTrip’s high fidelity, lossless audio is the closest thing we have today to the holodeck. With JackTrip Soundscapes, it can transport us to new worlds, enabling us to share experiences that are otherwise not possible. Perhaps nothing has captured that better than the Sing Gently experience I had the honor to share with Eric Whitacre and three choruses spread across California.
As we’ve grown JackTrip Labs, many people on our team have reported experiences similar to my own. Joining JackTrip sessions to help troubleshoot wasn’t a chore; it was immensely enjoyable. Thanks to how JackTrip’s high fidelity audio transports us into the same room, listening to rehearsals and music making sessions can be even more entertaining than well practiced performances. Wouldn’t you like to be present at the inception of your next favorite song?
It is not hard to imagine where we plan to go next. Our team at JackTrip Labs is committed to building the best online music collaboration platform possible. We want to connect musicians with other musicians, and with their fans. And we want to simplify all the complexities of making a living out of music, so that you can focus your time and energy on creating more of it for the world to enjoy. We have a lot more in the works for 2022, so stay tuned!