Streaming a local Christmas Devotional in Oslo stake to members over the Internet

On Desember 4th, 2011 Oslo stake in Norway will host a Christmas devotional with a big choir of over 100 singers as well an orchestra of 25 musicians. The stake centre will be totally paked and free tickets are already sold to 450 people (big for us here in the North, maybe small for you over there...).

Is it possible to use the streaming servers controlled by the Church to stream this event over the internett to around 100-150 users as a multicast/shoutcast solution? We will provide the streaming servers with an audio feed og high quality. We will not be transfering video just audio.

Could any one please share som light regarding this and whom we could contact to see if this is possible?

We plan to start a test feed a week in advance so people can configure their computer equipment.

Please contact Stein Aanensen
Assistant Stake Clerk
Oslo stake, Norway
e-mail: kirken@eblix.com
Mobile phone: +47 45 83 36 00

Since you are providing the equipment, I assume the question is if this is permissible by policy. You'll have work though the priesthood line of authority to answer that.

One issue you need to look into is the copyright/performance issues. By streaming it, you may encounter additional licensing requirements. Even if the songs are "traditional", the arrangements you are using may be subject to licensing fees.

steinaan wrote:Is it possible to use the streaming servers controlled by the Church to stream this event over the internett to around 100-150 users as a multicast/shoutcast solution?

Streaming through the Church servers is usually intended to transmit an event from one meetinghouse to another. So while you may obtain priesthood permission to webcast the event, the Church would normally provide a URL that would be intended to be used at another building or two in the stake, where large numbers of folks have gathered to view the same event. Often, this would be a stake conference.

Except when the Church makes special arrangements to stream general conference and other general Church-wide meetings, I do not believe the servers are set up to stream to several hundred individuals as you are proposing.

It never hurts to ask, though, so you may want to pursue your proposal through your stake president and area office.