Install and configure Media module for Music on Drupal 7
Previously in the Drupal 7 for Music series:
Here I am going to discuss the Media module, with the focus on music/audio performance. I will then integrate Soundmanager2 player into Drupal 7 for music streaming.
Media module. This is the brand new approach to audio and media in general in Drupal - finally music gets taken a bit more seriously. For learning about the Media module and its current and future capabilties, some documentation is provided at the Media module page.
I need to download and extract the Media module in my modules directory, as described in the previous article. I have to install the Styles module as well, as Media depends on it. Then enable both of them in the Modules section. Optionally, I set the permissions while there.
A great helper for music files is Filefield Sources. This will enable me to use the same song many times on the site, on various playlists, without uploading duplicates. It also provides the abilty to stream any media from the net without downloading it.
If you want the music files to reside in a Private folder, thus not accessible directly to the wide web (but yes through Drupal), you will need to configure the Private file system.
Go to Configuration > Media > File system and check that your Public file system path is sites/default/files. The Private file system path should be set to sites/default/files/private, according to the Media module instructions.
As I am planning to use the SM2 module, the Private folder will be the place to upload all music.
The trick is that the Media module DOES NOT provide any functionality on its own. Rather, it serves as an API - a base where various media web applications can interract with each other. So, it's time for the great Soundmanager 2.