Audio webcasting for council meetings
Audio webcasting, also called audio-casting or live audio streaming, puts a council meeting online as it happens. Residents listen live in the browser, or listen again afterwards from a searchable archive. Audiominutes runs it from one tablet on a normal broadband connection.
What residents get
- ·The meeting live in the browser, and on demand afterwards.
- ·A jump-to menu of every tagged agenda item. One click moves the playhead to the debate they came for.
- ·An archive that publishes itself within minutes, indexed by agenda item and searchable.
- ·Low bandwidth needs for residents on slower connections. Audio meetings meet WCAG 2.2 AA as they stand.
- ·A live transcript beside the stream, as an optional add-on1.
What the officer does
Whoever is already in the room runs it, usually the clerk or committee officer. No AV skills, no extra staff.
- Load the agenda. Paste or upload it into the portal before the meeting, or let it come across from Modern.Gov or CMIS.
- Press start. One tap on the tablet opens the stream. Pause for exempt items and resume when you are ready.
- Tag each item. Mark each item as it begins. The live stream and the archive are indexed while the meeting is still running.
- The archive publishes itself. The recording appears on your site within minutes, indexed by agenda item, backed up and verified.
What the chamber needs
For audio, usually no new equipment. Most chambers already have a microphone system we can take a feed from, and the app runs on a tablet you own. A typical broadband connection is enough for audio. If the room does need work, we offer an on-site survey and will recommend, help you buy and set up the equipment ourselves.
What it costs
Audio Essentials is £1,140 a year for up to 12 audio webcasts, with extra ones at £45 each. Unlimited is £3,950 a year, with no cap on webcasts, in audio or video, so you can move up to video whenever you are ready. Both have a one-off £250 set-up, and the plan prices are ex VAT.
Most councils are webcasting within a week of signing, and we then offer a free first month.
Talk to us
Call +44 (0) 1223 944305. The phone is always answered.
1 Transcription is an add-on to either plan: £180 a year with Audio Essentials, £480 a year with Unlimited. Automatic speech recognition: a working record rather than a certified minute. Transcripts can be edited in the portal afterwards. ↩