diff --git a/src/audio.c b/src/audio.c
index dbc5273f1..b897d8bc9 100644
--- a/src/audio.c
+++ b/src/audio.c
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ static AudioFormat audio_format;
 static AudioFormat * audio_configFormat = NULL;
 
 static AudioOutput * aoOutput = NULL;
+static AudioOutput * shoutOutput = NULL;
 
 static void copyAudioFormat(AudioFormat * dest, AudioFormat * src) {
         dest->sampleRate = src->sampleRate;
@@ -49,6 +50,7 @@ void initAudioDriver() {
 
 	aoOutput = newAudioOutput("ao");
 	assert(aoOutput);
+	shoutOutput = newAudioOutput("shout");
 }
 
 void getOutputAudioFormat(AudioFormat * inAudioFormat, 
@@ -134,6 +136,7 @@ void finishAudioConfig() {
 
 void finishAudioDriver() {
 	finishAudioOutput(aoOutput);
+	if(shoutOutput) finishAudioOutput(shoutOutput);
 	aoOutput = NULL;
 }
 
@@ -148,6 +151,7 @@ int isCurrentAudioFormat(AudioFormat * audioFormat) {
 int openAudioDevice(AudioFormat * audioFormat) {
 	if(!aoOutput->open || !isCurrentAudioFormat(audioFormat)) {
 		copyAudioFormat(&audio_format, audioFormat);
+		if(shoutOutput) openAudioOutput(shoutOutput, audioFormat);
 		return openAudioOutput(aoOutput, audioFormat);
 	}
 
@@ -155,6 +159,7 @@ int openAudioDevice(AudioFormat * audioFormat) {
 }
 
 int playAudio(char * playChunk, int size) {
+	if(shoutOutput) playAudioOutput(shoutOutput, playChunk, size);
 	return playAudioOutput(aoOutput, playChunk, size);
 }
 
@@ -163,5 +168,6 @@ int isAudioDeviceOpen() {
 }
 
 void closeAudioDevice() {
+	if(shoutOutput) closeAudioOutput(shoutOutput);
 	closeAudioOutput(aoOutput);
 }
diff --git a/src/audioOutput.c b/src/audioOutput.c
index 5352be012..24899e814 100644
--- a/src/audioOutput.c
+++ b/src/audioOutput.c
@@ -28,13 +28,16 @@ AudioOutput * newAudioOutput(char * name) {
 	if(findInList(audioOutputPluginList, name, &data)) {
 		AudioOutputPlugin * plugin = (AudioOutputPlugin *) data;
 		ret = malloc(sizeof(AudioOutput));
-		ret->finishDriverFunc = plugin->initDriverFunc;
+		ret->finishDriverFunc = plugin->finishDriverFunc;
 		ret->openDeviceFunc = plugin->openDeviceFunc;
 		ret->playFunc = plugin->playFunc;
 		ret->closeDeviceFunc = plugin->closeDeviceFunc;
 		ret->open = 0;
 
-		plugin->initDriverFunc(ret);
+		if(plugin->initDriverFunc(ret) != 0) {
+			free(ret);
+			ret = NULL;
+		}
 	}
 
 	return ret;
diff --git a/src/audioOutput.h b/src/audioOutput.h
index 8fec7e503..985b57797 100644
--- a/src/audioOutput.h
+++ b/src/audioOutput.h
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
 
 typedef struct _AudioOutput AudioOutput;
 
-typedef void (* AudioOutputInitDriverFunc) (AudioOutput * audioOutput);
+typedef int (* AudioOutputInitDriverFunc) (AudioOutput * audioOutput);
 
 typedef void (* AudioOutputFinishDriverFunc) (AudioOutput * audioOutput);
 
diff --git a/src/audioOutput_ao.c b/src/audioOutput_ao.c
index 3dafc8e89..95f0f1a98 100644
--- a/src/audioOutput_ao.c
+++ b/src/audioOutput_ao.c
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ static void audioOutputAo_error() {
 	}
 }
 
-static void audioOutputAo_initDriver(AudioOutput * audioOutput) {
+static int audioOutputAo_initDriver(AudioOutput * audioOutput) {
 	ao_info * ai;
 	char * dup;
 	char * stk1;
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ static void audioOutputAo_initDriver(AudioOutput * audioOutput) {
 
 	ad->writeSize = strtol((getConf())[CONF_AUDIO_WRITE_SIZE],&test,10);
 	if (*test!='\0') {
-		ERROR("\"%s\" is not a valid write size",
+		ERROR("\"%s\" is not a valid write size\n",
 			(getConf())[CONF_AUDIO_WRITE_SIZE]);
 		exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
 	}
@@ -133,6 +133,8 @@ static void audioOutputAo_initDriver(AudioOutput * audioOutput) {
 		}
 	}
 	free(dup);
+
+	return 0;
 }
 
 static void freeAoData(AoData * ad) {
diff --git a/src/audioOutput_shout.c b/src/audioOutput_shout.c
index a895b63ae..5e14b0467 100644
--- a/src/audioOutput_shout.c
+++ b/src/audioOutput_shout.c
@@ -26,33 +26,127 @@
 #include <assert.h>
 #include <signal.h>
 
+#include <shout/shout.h>
+#include <vorbis/vorbisenc.h>
+
+static int shoutInitCount = 0;
+
 typedef struct _ShoutData {
+	shout_t * shoutConn;
 } ShoutData;
 
 static ShoutData * newShoutData() {
 	ShoutData * ret = malloc(sizeof(ShoutData));
 
+	ret->shoutConn = shout_new();
+
 	return ret;
 }
 
 static void freeShoutData(ShoutData * sd) {
+	if(sd->shoutConn) shout_free(sd->shoutConn);
+
 	free(sd);
 }
 
-static void shout_initDriver(AudioOutput * audioOutput) {
-	ShoutData * sd  = newShoutData();
+static int shout_initDriver(AudioOutput * audioOutput) {
+	ShoutData * sd;
+	char * test;
+	int port;
+	char * host;
+	char * mount;
+	char * passwd;
+	char * user;
+	char * name;
+
+	if(!getConf()[CONF_SHOUT_HOST]) {
+		return -1;
+	}
+
+	sd = newShoutData();
+
+	if(!getConf()[CONF_SHOUT_MOUNT]) {
+		ERROR("shout host defined but not shout mount point\n");
+		exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+	}
+
+	if(!getConf()[CONF_SHOUT_PORT]) {
+		ERROR("shout host defined but not shout port\n");
+		exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+	}
+
+	if(!getConf()[CONF_SHOUT_PASSWD]) {
+		ERROR("shout host defined but not shout password\n");
+		exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+	}
+
+	if(!getConf()[CONF_SHOUT_NAME]) {
+		ERROR("shout host defined but not shout name\n");
+		exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+	}
+
+	if(!getConf()[CONF_SHOUT_USER]) {
+		ERROR("shout host defined but not shout user\n");
+		exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+	}
+
+	host = getConf()[CONF_SHOUT_HOST];
+	passwd = getConf()[CONF_SHOUT_PASSWD];
+	user = getConf()[CONF_SHOUT_USER];
+	mount = getConf()[CONF_SHOUT_MOUNT];
+	name = getConf()[CONF_SHOUT_NAME];
+
+	port = strtol(getConf()[CONF_SHOUT_PORT], &test, 10);
+
+	if(*test != '\0' || port <= 0) {
+		ERROR("shout port \"%s\" is not a positive integer\n", 
+				getConf()[CONF_SHOUT_PORT]);
+		exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+	}
+
+	if(shout_set_host(sd->shoutConn, host) !=  SHOUTERR_SUCCESS ||
+		shout_set_port(sd->shoutConn, port) != SHOUTERR_SUCCESS ||
+		shout_set_password(sd->shoutConn, passwd) != SHOUTERR_SUCCESS ||
+		shout_set_mount(sd->shoutConn, mount) != SHOUTERR_SUCCESS ||
+		shout_set_name(sd->shoutConn, name) != SHOUTERR_SUCCESS ||
+		shout_set_user(sd->shoutConn, user) != SHOUTERR_SUCCESS ||
+		shout_set_format(sd->shoutConn, SHOUT_FORMAT_VORBIS) 
+			!= SHOUTERR_SUCCESS ||
+		shout_set_protocol(sd->shoutConn, SHOUT_PROTOCOL_HTTP)
+			!= SHOUTERR_SUCCESS)
+	{
+		ERROR("error configuring shout: %s\n", 
+				shout_get_error(sd->shoutConn));
+		exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+	}
 
 	audioOutput->data = sd;
+
+	if(shoutInitCount == 0) shout_init();
+
+	shoutInitCount++;
+
+	return 0;
 }
 
 static void shout_finishDriver(AudioOutput * audioOutput) {
 	ShoutData * sd = (ShoutData *)audioOutput->data;
 
 	freeShoutData(sd);
+
+	shoutInitCount--;
+
+	if(shoutInitCount == 0) shout_shutdown();
 }
 
 static void shout_closeDevice(AudioOutput * audioOutput) {
-	/*ShoutData * sd = (ShoutData *) audioOutput->data;*/
+	ShoutData * sd = (ShoutData *) audioOutput->data;
+
+	if(shout_close(sd->shoutConn) != SHOUTERR_SUCCESS)
+	{
+		ERROR("problem closing connection to shout server: %s\n",
+				shout_get_error(sd->shoutConn));
+	}
 
 	audioOutput->open = 0;
 }
@@ -60,7 +154,14 @@ static void shout_closeDevice(AudioOutput * audioOutput) {
 static int shout_openDevice(AudioOutput * audioOutput,
 		AudioFormat * audioFormat) 
 {
-	/*ShoutData * sd = (ShoutData *)audioOutput->data;*/
+	ShoutData * sd = (ShoutData *)audioOutput->data;
+
+	if(shout_open(sd->shoutConn) != SHOUTERR_SUCCESS)
+	{
+		ERROR("problem opening connection to shout server: %s\n",
+				shout_get_error(sd->shoutConn));
+		return -1;
+	}
 
 	audioOutput->open = 1;