What are the costs of singing online using Jamulus?

Tiny. Jamulus is free. Singers need an Ethernet cable ($7-$40 depending on length), wired headphones (iPhone & Android headphones work fine), and possibly an Ethernet connector ($15-20) if your computer doesn’t have a built-in connector. If you’re hosting a song circle or choir, you’ll most likely need a cloud-based service to host the Jamulus server; for example, Google Cloud Platform gives a $300 credit when you sign up, and hosting the Jamulus server there costs pennies to a few dollars per hour, depending on how many singers you have, similar to third-party services that offer ready-made Jamulus servers.

Why did you choose Jamulus when there are many other platforms available for online singing?

The good folks at C4 had completed an extensive review, and felt that with all the many factors considered, Jamulus met their needs the best, and they had 6 months of experience using it, so we started there. All of the platforms are evolving very quickly at the moment — let’s hope Zoom buys one and integrates it! — so if you have experience with one of the others, please use our Contact page to send us insights about your experience. We’ll be sharing info about other platforms in the future.

Singing with no lag? Really?

Yes, if your system is sufficiently speedy and you’re within about 1000 miles of the server. (mine’s currently in San Francisco, but it’s possible to locate servers all over the world.) We are all subject to the whims of the Internet, though, so we can’t always control forces that may suddenly introduce delay. Singing together online is in part about learning to adapt to those moments to maximize group cohesiveness.

What exactly is SingOnline.org?

A portal into the world of online real-time singing. Initially, we’ll post ongoing updates about how we and others are using Jamulus and related tools to sing with friends in real-time online. We’ll expand into other platforms over time.

I see you’ve started a Song Circle. What’s that?

I teach easy-to-learn songs for community singing in the oral tradition — taught line-by-line (sometimes called “call and echo”), no need to read music! — and we all sing together, using Jamulus for audio and Zoom for video. Spaces are going fast for the next Circle, more info here.

How can I help make SingOnline.org more useful?

Please use our Contact page to send us insights about your experiences using online singing tools, or make suggestions for how we can improve the site. Thank you in advance!

Who put SingOnline.org together?

Marv Zauderer and friends.

Do you get anything from any other company or organization for doing this?

Nope. Just the knowledge (or hope!) that this will help more people sing together online. In the immortal words of Lloyd Dobler, played by John Cusack, in the movie Say Anything, “I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don't want to do that.”

How do I find other opportunities to sing with people online?

Go to SingWorldwide.org. Click to the right of All Types, and select Virtual/Online Singing. Also, check out the SingOnline.org Song Circle, which is starting soon.

How can I stay informed about these quickly-evolving platforms and practices that enable all of us to sing with friends in real-time online?

Scroll down and sign up to get an email when we add new blog posts to this site. (We will never share your email address with anyone.) Blog posts are submitted by people all over the world who are using these platforms. Join the community!