External Music Scheduler

Section 5 Importing External Logs from Third-Party Music Schedulers

The Importing External Logs from Third-Party Music Schedulers section explains how to use NextKast OnAir to import playlists from external music scheduling software, like Music1. This feature is useful for stations that prefer to use external music schedulers for playlist creation but want to leverage the automation and broadcasting capabilities of NextKast.

Overview

NextKast OnAir supports the import of .3MU playlists from external music scheduling systems, such as Music1. This functionality allows you to seamlessly integrate playlists created by third-party software into NextKast, which then treats the imported playlists as if they were generated internally.

Setup and Import Process

To successfully import and utilize external playlists in NextKast, follow these steps:

1. Create Directory for Playlist Imports:
   • You need to create a dedicated directory named \ExternalPlaylist\ in the system path directory. The default location is typically C:\NextKast, but it can be set to any other path depending on your system configuration.
   • This directory will serve as the designated location where external scheduling software will export their generated playlists for NextKast to monitor.
2. Export Playlist from External Scheduler:
   • In your external scheduling software (e.g., Music1), configure the software to use the \ExternalPlaylist\ directory created in the previous step as the export path for playlist generation.
   • Ensure that the exported playlist is in the .3MU format, which is supported by NextKast for seamless import.
3. Automatic Import and Monitoring:
   • NextKast will automatically monitor the \ExternalPlaylist\ directory for any new .3MU playlist files.
   • When a new playlist is detected in this directory, NextKast will import and convert it into its internal format, assigning the appropriate date and hour tags, as if NextKast generated the playlist itself.
4. Playback of Imported Playlists:
   • Once the playlist is successfully imported and converted, NextKast will treat it as a native playlist. This means the playlist will be played out by NextKast according to the scheduled time slots, rotations, or automation settings defined in the system.
   • This feature allows for smooth integration of third-party scheduling tools while maintaining full control over the broadcast using NextKast’s automation capabilities.

By following these steps, users can easily merge playlists from various third-party music scheduling systems with NextKast, ensuring flexibility in content scheduling and station management.