Sharing .m3u Playlists via Event Content

NIP-XX — Sharing .m3u Playlists via Event Content#

Author: Melvin Carvalho Status: Draft Type: Standard Created: 2025-05-30 License: Public Domain

---

Abstract#

This NIP proposes a convention for embedding .m3u (or .m3u8) playlist data directly in the content field of a Nostr event, enabling lightweight media playlist sharing and interoperability across Nostr clients.

---

Motivation#

Music and media curation is a core part of internet culture. By supporting .m3u playlists in Nostr events, clients can display or play a stream of media from a user without additional protocol complexity. It enables community radio, shared mixtapes, curated video queues, and more — all within Nostr's existing event model.

---

Event Kind#

This NIP recommends a new kind value:

• 32100 — M3U Playlist Event (ephemeral or persistent)

Alternatively, clients MAY use a generic kind (e.g. 1) if playlists are mixed with textual commentary.

---

Content Format#

The content field MUST contain a valid .m3u or .m3u8 text format. Clients SHOULD treat it as UTF-8. It MAY begin with #EXTM3U and include lines of metadata and media URLs.

Example#

{
  "kind": 32100,
  "content": "#EXTM3U\n#EXTINF:123, Sample artist - Sample title\nhttp://www.example.com/music/sample.mp3\n#EXTINF:321, Another track\nhttps://ipfs.io/ipfs/QmExample",
  "tags": [
    ["d", "lofi-mixtape"],
    ["alt", "M3U playlist"]
  ]
}

---

Tags#

The following tags are RECOMMENDED:

• d (descriptor): A short name or label for the playlist.
• alt: Human-readable description.
• t (optional): Tags/keywords (e.g. genre).
• u (optional): Source URL if playlist is mirrored elsewhere (e.g. NosDAV, Blossom, HTTP).

---

Client Behavior#

Clients that support this NIP:

• MAY detect if the content is valid .m3u and render a "Play Playlist" button or embedded player.
• SHOULD sanitize and filter URLs before autoplaying.
• MAY cache or prefetch media responsibly.
• MAY provide export options to .m3u files.
• MAY expand nevent strings.

---

Extensions#

• Live updates: Combine with other kinds for real-time, collaborative playlist editing.
• IPTV: Compatible with IPTV

---

Security Considerations#

• Clients MUST validate and sandbox media URLs to avoid unsafe redirects or autoplay abuse.
• Events SHOULD NOT be used to store large media files directly; only references (e.g. URLs or IPFS hashes) are recommended.
• Respect copyright and licensing of referenced media.

---

Compatibility#

This format is compatible with .m3u-aware players and can be exported for use in VLC, Winamp, and web-based streamers. Clients without media support will still display the raw text or a download link.

---

Copyright#

This NIP is released into the public domain.