Streaming Audio without ugly Embedded player, need help using my own controls to play audio on website Options

[musician needs help]

I'm an extremely inexperienced web designer (and a musician), trying to create a fairly sophisticated website with my music on it.
I have seen sites where the play/forward/back controls match the website's design, and control streaming audio. THAT is what I want to do, but have no idea where to start. Can anyone help me?

I understand the basic principals of how to embed audio with the <object> command, but don't understand what part of that command tells my website to post that ugly silver playback control. Can I hide that control but still use its functions? Can I instruct my website to perform those functions without the object command? Am happy to try with CSS or HTML or anything else.

Thanks for any advice!

[jimlongo]

The player controls in their native form are a function of the browser and plug-in. The tag can either display them or not but it can't change them, except for their size.

You can create a custom Flashplayer (with flash) or a wired QuickTime movie (with flash or LiveStage) but these are not trivial things to do.

Probably WMV and REALplayer as well, but I'm not familiar with programming those.

[musician needs help]

The player controls in their native form are a function of the browser and plug-in. The tag can either display them or not but it can't change them, except for their size.

You can create a custom Flashplayer (with flash) or a wired QuickTime movie (with flash or LiveStage) but these are not trivial things to do.

Probably WMV and REALplayer as well, but I'm not familiar with programming those.

Thanks - that's not what I wanted to hear, but it's what I was afraid of. May have to bite the bullet and pay someone to help me. Thank you for your help!