diff --git a/alsaloop/alsaloop.c b/alsaloop/alsaloop.c

index 20150dd..3b20682 100644

--- a/alsaloop/alsaloop.c

+++ b/alsaloop/alsaloop.c

@@ -195,6 +195,7 @@ void help(void)

 "-w,--workaround use workaround (serialopen)\n"

 "-U,--xrun      xrun profiling\n"

 "-W,--wake      process wake timeout in ms\n"

+"-z,--syslog    use syslog for errors\n"

 );

 	printf("\nRecognized sample formats are:");

 	for (k = 0; k < SND_PCM_FORMAT_LAST; ++k) {

@@ -334,6 +335,14 @@ static int add_oss_mixers(struct loopback *loop,

 	return 0;

 }

+static void enable_syslog(void)

+{

+	if (!use_syslog) {

+		use_syslog = 1;

+		openlog("alsaloop", LOG_NDELAY|LOG_PID, LOG_DAEMON);

+	}

+}

+

 static int parse_config_file(const char *file, snd_output_t *output);

 static int parse_config(int argc, char *argv[], snd_output_t *output,

@@ -368,6 +377,7 @@ static int parse_config(int argc, char *argv[], snd_output_t *output,

 		{"ossmixer", 1, NULL, 'O'},

 		{"workaround", 1, NULL, 'w'},

 		{"xrun", 0, NULL, 'U'},

+		{"syslog", 0, NULL, 'z'},

 		{NULL, 0, NULL, 0},

 	};

 	int err, morehelp;

@@ -405,7 +415,7 @@ static int parse_config(int argc, char *argv[], snd_output_t *output,

 	while (1) {

 		int c;

 		if ((c = getopt_long(argc, argv,

-				"hdg:P:C:X:Y:l:t:F:f:c:r:s:benvA:S:a:m:T:O:w:UW:",

+				"hdg:P:C:X:Y:l:t:F:f:c:r:s:benvA:S:a:m:T:O:w:UW:z",

 				long_option, NULL)) < 0)

 			break;

 		switch (c) {

@@ -417,8 +427,7 @@ static int parse_config(int argc, char *argv[], snd_output_t *output,

 			break;

 		case 'd':

 			daemonize = 1;

-			use_syslog = 1;

-			openlog("alsaloop", LOG_NDELAY|LOG_PID, LOG_DAEMON);

+			enable_syslog();

 			break;

 		case 'P':

 			arg_pdevice = strdup(optarg);

@@ -561,6 +570,9 @@ static int parse_config(int argc, char *argv[], snd_output_t *output,

 			if (cmdline)

 				arg_default_wake = arg_wake;

 			break;

+		case 'z':

+			enable_syslog();

+			break;

 		}

 	}