88Beats Guide

Everything you need to know about how 88Beats works.

Our Mission

88Beats is a permanent online music archive — not a business.

This platform was built out of a deep love of music and a commitment to preserving the musical legacy of respected artists and bands among our people. We believe that great music deserves to live on, organized and accessible, long after the trends of the moment have passed.

No one on the 88Streams management team is doing this for money. We will never use the music posted here for commercial purposes — no ads, no subscriptions, no pay-per-play, no selling of listener data. Every song, album, and playlist exists here solely to be listened to, shared, and remembered.

88Beats is our gift to the culture. We invite you to explore the archive, discover artists old and new, and be part of preserving this music for the future.

Account Types on 88Beats

88Beats has four account tiers. Understanding the difference helps you know what content is public and how visibility works.

Guest

Unregistered

Guests are unregistered visitors browsing the platform. Guests have limited access — no playlists, no bookmarks, no follows, no commenting, no voting, no visualizer, and no profile. Registration is required to unlock the full 88Beats experience.

Listener

Private

Every new registered user starts as a Listener. This account is completely private — no public profile page is shown to others. You can browse music, create playlists, vote on songs, follow artists, bookmark playlists, and listen to music. Your activity (likes, votes, follows) is visible only to you on your private profile.

Curated Channel

Curated

A Curated channel is a community-run channel managed by a listener. It functions like an Official channel with a public page, songs, and playlists — but is maintained by a community member rather than the artist. Curated channels are manually reviewed and approved to ensure quality.

Official Channel

Official

An Official channel represents a verified artist or brand. These channels have a public page where songs, playlists, and artist info are displayed. Official channels appear in search results, on the Artists page, and their content is publicly visible to all listeners.

Badge Reference

Badges appear on channel pages, in search results, and next to artist names throughout the site.

Official

Official Badge

Awarded to verified artist channels. These are the official representatives of the artist on 88Beats.

Curated

Curated Badge

Awarded to community-run channels that have been reviewed and approved. Managed by dedicated listeners.

AI-Generated Badge

Appears on songs created with AI tools. You can filter AI songs out from your listening experience using the toggle in your profile settings.

Channels on 88Beats

Channels are public artist pages where music is showcased. Each channel has its own profile, song catalog, and playlists.

Claiming a Channel

If you find an artist channel that has not been claimed, you can request to claim it. The process works as follows:

Navigate to the artist channel page you wish to claim.
Click the "Claim Channel" button on the channel hero section.
Your request is sent to the 88Beats team for review.
If approved, you become the channel owner and can manage its content.

Claimed channels can be either Official (artist-owned) or Curated (community-managed). The channel type is determined during the approval process.

Suggesting a Curated Channel

If you own an approved Official channel, you can suggest new Curated channels for artists who are not yet on 88Beats. A "Suggest Curated Channel" form appears on your Account page once your Official channel is approved.

Fill in the artist name and optional bio for the proposed channel.
Your Official channel is recorded as the curator — you will be listed as the channel's curator if approved.
The 88Beats team reviews the suggestion and creates the Curated channel with you as its curator upon approval.

Channel Dashboard

Channel owners have access to a powerful dashboard where they can:

Upload and manage songs with audio files, cover art, and metadata (title, featured artists, genre, release year, AI flag) — metadata can be auto-populated from ID3 tags using the built-in extraction tool during upload
Delete songs within 14 minutes of publishing — after that window, songs become permanent in the archive (admin users can always delete)
Create and manage albums with cover art, release year, genre, and track reordering
Delete albums within 14 minutes of publishing (admin users can always delete)
View detailed statistics including plays, likes, followers, and audience insights on a redesigned dashboard with chart legends and range selectors
Edit channel bio, links (88Streams, official website, Telegram, social media), and profile/cover images — channel images are used to extract accent colors that theme the channel hero, buttons, social links, and genre labels
Select a showcase song that represents the channel
Assign genres and manage associated playlists
Configure cryptocurrency tip addresses (Official channels only) — BTC, ETH, XRP, and custom link
Track unique listeners, returning listeners, and follower growth over time

Relinquishing a Channel

If you can no longer maintain a Curated channel, you can submit a relinquish request from your Account page. The 88Beats team will review and may reassign the channel to another community member.

Charts on 88Beats

The Charts page ranks songs based on play counts over different time periods. Charts update in real-time as listeners play songs across the platform.

Chart Periods

Weekly — Songs ranked by plays in the last 7 days. Updated continuously.
Monthly — Songs ranked by plays in the last 30 days.
All Time — The most-played songs in 88Beats history.

Genre Filters

You can filter charts by genre to see the top songs in your favorite categories. Genre filters work across all time periods.

How Songs Enter the Charts

A play is counted only after a listener has listened to at least 88 seconds (1 minute and 28 seconds) of a song, regardless of the song's total duration. This ensures that chart rankings reflect genuine listening engagement rather than accidental or partial plays. Both client-side and server-side checks validate the threshold before a play is recorded.

Voting Playlists

Voting playlists allow the community to decide which songs rise to the top. These are time-limited voting events where listeners cast votes for their favorite tracks.

How Voting Works

A Voting playlist is created with a set duration (e.g. 7 days).
During the voting period, listeners can browse the playlist and click the vote button next to any song.
Each listener can vote for multiple songs. A live percentage bar shows how each song is performing.
When voting ends, results are finalized — songs are reordered by vote count.
Top songs may earn Golden, Silver, or Bronze badges depending on their final position.

Voting Results

After voting ends, the results page shows the final ranking with vote counts and percentages. Songs you voted for are highlighted with a special indicator. The total number of voters and votes cast is displayed at the top.

My Votes

You can view all your past votes on your Profile page under the "My Votes" tab. This shows every song you've voted for, which playlist it was in, and when you voted.

Live Shows

Live Shows transform a Voting playlist into an interactive live event. When a playlist enters Live Show mode, the voting page gains a hero card, a full-screen information panel, and special controls for the host. Live Shows are designed for real-time community voting events where results can be revealed as they come in.

Who Can Start a Live Show?

Live Shows can be enabled by selected Official channels verified through the 88streams.com platform. On the playlist edit screen, authorized users will see a "Live Show" settings section where they can toggle Live Show mode on, set a custom title, upload a background image, set a date/time, and optionally add a follow link. Once enabled, the playlist page transforms into a live event space.

How Live Shows Work

Hero Card — A special hero section appears at the top of the playlist page showing the Live Show title, date/time, background image, and a Follow button if a URL is configured. This hero card is visible to all users as long as voting is still open and the show is active.
Voting During the Show — Registered listeners can vote on songs in real-time during the Live Show. Live percentage bars show how each song is performing as votes roll in. The voting interface works identically to a standard Voting playlist.
Results Visibility — During an active Live Show, site administrators and authorized users can see the full voting results — including songs with zero votes — even while voting is still open. Public visitors see only the voting interface until voting ends. Once voting closes, results become visible to everyone.
Ending the Show — The host can end the Live Show early using the "End Live Show" button, which appears only to administrators. Ending the show finalizes the results, awards badges (Gold, Silver, Bronze) to top songs, and closes voting immediately.

Stream Overlay (for OBS / Streaming)

88Beats provides a dedicated Stream Overlay designed for broadcasters who want to show live voting progress on their stream. The overlay is a standalone HTML page at a special token-protected URL that displays the current voting state in real-time.

Overlay Features

1920x1080 transparent background — easily layered over your game or stream content in OBS
Full-screen video background with reduced opacity for visual interest
Current rank number displayed as a large gradient numeral on the left
Song title and artist name with circular channel picture on the right of the rank
Votes pill showing the current vote count, styled with the accent color
Progress bar at the bottom of the screen with elapsed time (left), total duration (right), and a spinning infinity symbol at the current position
88BEATS logo and Live Show title in the top-right corner
Real-time updates every 200ms via the local OBS control server
Click-to-seek on the progress bar

OBS Dock (Remote Control)

88Beats includes a local OBS control server that runs on your computer (port 3456). This server enables an OBS Custom Browser Dock — a panel within OBS that lets you control the music playback during your stream without switching away from OBS.

Setting Up the OBS Dock

Download the 88BEATS-OBS.zip file from the playlist page (available to administrators and authorized users).
Extract the zip and run server.py on your local machine (requires Python 3, no additional dependencies).
In OBS, go to View → Docks → Custom Browser Docks.
Set the URL to http://localhost:3456/dock and give it a name like "88BEATS Control".
Click Apply. The dock panel will appear in OBS showing Prev / Play / Pause / Next controls, a clickable progress bar, and the current playlist.

Dock Features

Play, Pause, Next, and Previous track controls
Click-to-seek progress bar showing current playback position
Current playlist display with track listing
Real-time polling from the overlay (200ms interval) for live voting data
Track progress and duration information

Who Gets Access?

Overlay URL — Visible to administrators and authorized users on the playlist page. The URL is token-protected so only those with the link can access it.
OBS Dock Download — The ZIP file containing the OBS server is available for download by administrators and authorized users from the playlist page.
Voting / Participation — Any registered listener can vote during a Live Show. Results are visible to everyone after voting ends.

88Beats Features

88Beats comes packed with features designed for the best music listening experience.

Music Player

The built-in music player streams songs with a beautiful liquid glass interface. Features include play/pause, skip, queue management, volume control, a progress bar, and an "Add to Playlist" button in the control bar. The player shows the currently playing song's title, artist channel name with full collaborator links (each collaborator linked to their channel when available), and cover art. Double-click or double-tap any position on the progress bar to leave a timestamped comment at that exact moment. The player persists across page navigation so your music never stops.

A play is only counted toward the song's chart ranking after at least 88 seconds (1 minute and 28 seconds) of the song have been heard. This prevents accidental or partial plays from affecting the charts.

The player supports a Boxed Mode — double-click the left or right edge of the player (the outer 20px on desktop only) to toggle between full-width and a compact boxed layout. In boxed mode, icons and buttons shrink slightly and additional controls (Shuffle, Repeat, Comments, Visualizer close) are accessible from a popup menu. The progress bar and time labels remain visible. Double-clicking the outer edge again returns the player to full-width.

Intro Video Popup

Artist channels with a promo video feature an intro popup. Clicking the video thumbnail on the channel page opens a fullscreen overlay with a smooth grow animation originating from the thumbnail position. The music player audio fades out (300ms) when the popup opens and fades back in when it closes. The player pauses automatically and resumes from the saved position when the popup is closed. Picture-in-Picture mode is disabled on all video elements.

Playlists

Create your own playlists, add songs from anywhere on the site, and organize them any way you like. Playlists can be made public for others to discover and bookmark. You can also browse community playlists on the Playlists page.

Likes & Bookmarks

Like songs to save them to your Liked Songs collection. Bookmark playlists to quickly find them later. Both features are available from any song or playlist card across the site with a single click.

Bookmarked Playlists

Your Profile page has a dedicated "Bookmarked Playlists" tab showing all playlists you've saved. This makes it easy to keep track of community playlists you want to revisit.

Charts & Rankings

Songs are ranked by play counts across weekly, monthly, and all-time periods. Genre filters let you drill down into specific categories. Charts give every song a chance to be discovered based on real listener engagement.

AI Tagging & Filtering

Songs created with AI tools are tagged with an AI badge. You can hide all AI-generated songs from your experience using the toggle on your profile settings page. The filter applies across the entire site — charts, catalogs, playlists, and search results.

Community Comments

Every song has a community comments section where listeners can discuss tracks. Comments support likes, replies, and nested threading. To leave a timestamped comment pinned to a specific moment in a song, double-click or double-tap your favorite spot on the player progress bar. You can also comment as one of your managed channels if you own one.

Video Catalog

Songs with associated video files are available in the Video Catalog. Toggle between audio and video modes on the catalog page to browse all available content. Video files can be downloaded alongside audio.

88Streams Integration

Channel owners can link their 88Streams radio stream to their channel page. Listeners can tune in directly from the artist channel. Any 88streams.com URL is accepted.

Albums

Channel owners can organize songs into albums with cover art, release year, and genre. Each album has its own page with a full tracklist. Albums appear on the artist channel page, on the song page, and in the Latest Albums section on the homepage. The Album Catalog page lets you browse all albums with search, genre, artist, and year filters.

Crypto Tips

Support your favorite Official channel artists with cryptocurrency tips. Channel owners can configure their BTC, ETH, XRP, and custom link addresses in the Dashboard. Listeners can send tips directly from the artist channel page via a modal with copy-address buttons. Tipping is available exclusively for Official channels.

Notifications

Stay updated with in-app notifications for likes on your comments, follows from listeners, comment replies, and song comments. A bell icon in the header shows your unread count and opens a dropdown with recent notifications. You can mark individual notifications as read, mark all as read, or clear all from the dropdown. Notification preferences can be managed on your Account page.

Installable App (PWA)

88Beats can be installed as a Progressive Web App on your device. On desktop, look for the install icon in your browser's address bar. On mobile, use the "Add to Home Screen" option from your browser menu. The installed app provides a native-like experience with offline support and persistent music playback.

Live Search

The search bar on Music, Videos, and Artists pages provides real-time results as you type. Results update with a 350ms debounce, showing matching songs, artists, and albums instantly. Artist name matching uses partial term search for flexible discovery.

Share Buttons

Every song, playlist, and channel page includes share buttons for copying the direct link, sharing on X (Twitter), Telegram, and Gab. Share buttons use a liquid glass design with a dropdown that stays open until you click outside or press Escape.

CAPTCHA & Rate Limiting

Security measures protect the platform from spam and abuse. A multi-layered CAPTCHA system uses a honeypot field, time gate (minimum 3 seconds), and a fixed math challenge. Rate limiting applies per user+IP on likes, comments, votes, and registrations using a sliding window.

Download All Content

Every song page provides download links for MP3 audio and MP4 video files — unless the channel owner has disabled downloads for that specific song. When downloads are disabled, the song is stream-only and download buttons are hidden. Albums can be downloaded as a complete ZIP archive containing all tracks as MP3 files (excluding songs with downloads disabled), the album cover, and an INFO.txt with tracklist, artist info, and social links. Playlists can be exported as M3U files for use in external media players (songs with downloads disabled are excluded from the export).

Collaborative Artists

When uploading a song, channel owners can add collaborators (up to 10) with attribution prefixes like ft., &, and, +, with, comma, or x. Collaborators are searchable from existing 88Beats artists or entered as free text. Collaborator names appear on song cards and song pages linked to their channel when available.

Playlist Import & Export

You can export any playlist as an M3U file for use in external media players like VLC, Winamp, or Foobar2000. Playlists can also be imported from M3U or PLS files using the Import Playlist page. The import wizard parses your file, matches tracks against the 88Beats catalog using a smart 4-tier matching system (URL, filename, exact title+artist, fuzzy similarity), and creates a new playlist from matched songs.

Music Discovery

The Discover page offers three ways to find new music: Fresh Tracks (top played songs in the last 7 days), Artist Radar (random songs from genres you haven't explored), and Community Playlists (recent popular playlists). Song pages show Related Songs based on genre overlap, artist match, and playlist co-occurrence. Logged-in users get personalized recommendations driven by followed artists and listening history.

Radio Stations

88Beats supports radio stations of three types: Icecast/Shoutcast streams, HLS video streams, and Direct MP3 playlist stations. MP3 stations accept a list of track URLs that play in sequence. The radio player shows "NOW PLAYING" information with track titles extracted from filenames. Stations have their own dedicated page with full player controls.

Profile Features

Your Profile page includes several personal tabs:

Activity — A feed of your liked songs displayed as a card grid on your profile.
My Playlists — All playlists you have created, with options to edit, delete, or toggle privacy.
My Votes — Your complete voting history across all voting playlists.
My Comments — All comments you have posted across the site, with the ability to delete them within 14 minutes of posting.
Bookmarked Playlists — Playlists you have saved for quick access.

Account Settings

From your Account page you can:

Change your password with current password verification
Upload a custom profile picture (JPG, PNG, or GIF up to 3 MB)
Manage notification preferences (likes, follows, replies, song comments)
Toggle AI-generated song visibility on or off
Submit a relinquish request for Curated channels you manage
Delete your account and all associated personal data — this action is irreversible and removes your profile, playlists, comments, and likes from the archive

Following Artists

You can follow any Official or Curated channel to show your support. Followed artists appear on your Profile page and help the 88Beats community see which creators are resonating with listeners.

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