Musicians, podcasters, authors, and bloggers are just a few of the professions who rely on audio to help distribute their content. The audio experience enhances how your audience interacts with your brand.
Dynamic audio will capture the attention of your listeners. But you also need a responsive audio player that supports playlist creation, a mobile-friendly design, and multiple play features.
Upgrade your audio for your website visitors. Here are seven WordPress audio player plugins for you to explore.
1. AudioIgniter
Audio plays an important part in how visitors connect with your website. It also can be an essential tool to expand the accessibility of your site to more people. Eric Karkovack, a professional web designer since 1996, offers his thoughts:
“When we talk about making content accessible, sound is not always at the top of our list. But it does have a potential role to play. For example, websites that enable audio readings of printed text can be of help to users who are visually impaired.â€
AudioIgniter makes it easy for you to create music playlists and embed them into your WordPress site. The process takes just a few minutes, and you can use the standard WordPress media upload functionality.
This WordPress audio plugin offers unlimited playlists, a responsive layout, and flexible settings per playlist. You also can integrate it with WooCommerce to sell individual tracks.
2. Music Player for WooCommerce
Research shows that “the average US adult will spend more time listening to digital audio than listening to radio in 2021.†For brands, this is an opportunity to cater directly to your audience by producing high-quality audio content.
Music Player for WooCommerce offers an audio player that supports multiple formats, including OGA, MP3, WAV, and WMA. Using a widget, you can insert your playlist on the sidebars. The widget settings allow you to change the title, playlist layout, and navigation options.
The audio plugin provides global settings to select where to display your music player, whether to include music players on your cart page, and how to group music players together for purchasing. It also integrates with Google Analytics to track sales.
3. Compact WP Audio Player
Compact WP Audio Player is an HTML5 and Flash hybrid plugin that supports MP3 and OGG file formats. The audio player works on all major browsers and uses a simple shortcode to embed on any post or page.
Because of its versatility, you maintain control of your audio files. You can decide when and how to display your audio to website visitors.
Remember: Apple and Google can remove your podcast from their library at any time, accidentally or not. When you host your podcast on your own WordPress website, you always stay in control of your audio content.
This plugin also offers audio previews for your visitors. An autoplay option is available to play files immediately after the page loads.
4. Cue
Most people are familiar with listening to audio as part of their digital experience. A study found that “64% of people globally have streamed music in the past month.â€
Cue is an audio player for creating unlimited playlists. It seamlessly integrates with your WordPress media manager, so you can select audio and images without any hassle.
On top of that, the plugin can automatically fetch the title, artist, and length from the audio file’s metadata. You can customize the player’s background image and use custom artwork for each track.
The premium version provides more helpful features, including insights into how visitors interact with your audio and new themes to change the player’s appearance. There’s also a popup functionality for visitors to listen to your audio as they browse your entire site.
5. MP3 Music Player by Sonaar
Consider using audio as an enhancement to your website, rather than the main attraction for your visitors. People learn and absorb information differently, so everyone won’t hit play as soon as they see the audio option.
Audio should accompany other types of media. Juli Durante, a contributor at Holdcom, gives her expertise:
“Sound works best when it’s part of something else, not when it’s just there. Adding videos, images, animations, or text that can complement the audio is a great way to make the content more interactive.â€
MP3 Music Player by Sonaar is a flexible tool that’s compatible with most themes. You can create unlimited audio albums, embed audio players using the Gutenburg block, and choose from a variety of colors for your MP3 widget.
6. CP Media Player
Now more than ever is the time to produce and promote your brand’s podcast. Infinite Dial 2020 found that “55% of people in the US have listened to a podcast, at least once.â€
CP Media Player is both an audio and video player where you can publish anywhere on your website. It supports a variety of audio and video files, including MP4, OGG, MP3, and WAV. It also offers several skins to adjust to your site’s current design.
This responsive WordPress plugin is available on multiple web browsers, like Firefox, Chrome, and Safari. Your visitors also can listen to the audio files on their mobile devices.
Want to upgrade? The Pro version allows you to sell files from your player and provides a sales report for you to track purchases.
7. Html5 Audio Player
Most websites get carried away and use audio everywhere. You’ll want to assess whether audio fits the context and tone of your site.
“Audio created to enhance the user experience of a fun site aimed at children won’t be appropriate for a finance web app. Imagine the mood of the person who is using your [website] and ensure you choose your tone appropriately,†says the Creative Bloq staff.
Html5 Audio Player is an easy-to-use plugin for playing MP3, WAV, and OGG audio files. You can embed the audio player in a WordPress post, page, widget area, or theme template.
The Pro version comes with more features, like fast forward and rewind buttons, audio progress bar, and volume control. There’s even a mute option for your visitors.
Use These Top WordPress Audio Players to Share Your Audio to the World
Whether it’s a podcast episode, music track, or a funny rant, audio can intrigue your visitors and maintain their attention. Try these WordPress audio player plugins to enhance the overall website experience.
Got a blog? Check out these 7 ways bloggers are using audio on their website.
Shayla Price creates and promotes content. She lives at the intersection of digital marketing, technology, and social responsibility. Originally from Louisiana, Shayla champions access to remote work opportunities. Connect with her on Twitter at @shaylaprice.