> 1. Do listeners 'remain connected forever', or is there some control panel option in which after a specified > period they're 'booted off and have to reconnect if they want to continue listening'?
Shoutcast v1.9 and Shoutcast v2.x
Under Settings > Advanced tab.
Disconnect idle sources after: second(s) (0 for never)
Always disconnect listeners after: minute(s) (0 for never)
Icecast
Under Settings > Mount Points > (Select the mount point, usually /stream) > Settings Override Tab
Disconnect listeners after:
> 2 . I've read elsewhere that with some browser players 'streaming continues when audio is stopped'... thus > consuming bandwidth (and using an available listener slot). Is that so? My limited testing with iTunes and > some browser players suggests that it stops using bandwidth when stopped/paused.
I do not know of any players that "keep a listener" if a listener clicks stop on a player. When they click stop, it stops and disconnects the listener until they press play/start again on the player.