The question of “Where can I find my favorite songs online?” it has been there since digital music became available on the internet. One of the obvious answers to that question is streaming music platforms.
Services like Spotify Spotify Music Streaming:The Unofficial Guide Spotify Music Streaming:The Unofficial Guide Spotify is the world's largest music streaming service. If you're not sure how to use it, this guide will walk you through the service and offer some crucial tips. Read More
Although music streaming services are a popular option, they are not the only ones. A surprising number of people still choose to listen to the radio. In this article, we explain why you might want to start (or go back to) listening to Internet radio, and show you how to find the best Internet radio stations for you.
Or as some of you may put it, “What's wrong with Spotify? Everything is wrong with the new Spotify Web Player. Everything is wrong with the new Spotify Web Player. Did you know that Spotify has given its web player a makeover? Well, we say "upgrade", but this feels more like a downgrade. This is why. Read more ?" Nothing in particular. It's more a matter of personal choice than a "right or wrong" type of situation.
However, to unlock some of the best features Spotify has to offer, is Spotify Premium worth it and should you upgrade? Is Spotify Premium worth it and should you upgrade? Is Spotify Premium worth it? In this article, find out what Premium offers and whether you should upgrade from Spotify Free. Read More You can choose to pay the expensive fees or get your free music online elsewhere.
Most internet radio services offer a supported listening experience, which means you won't be exposed to as many ads as you will while using a music streaming platform.
What about recommendation algorithms? You know, when the streaming music platform analyzes the things you've already gathered in your playlists to help you discover new music that you're supposed to like. Well, sometimes you feel like listening to good music, instead of being a DJ. Internet radio stations allow you to simply press play, sit back and enjoy the music you know you'll love. And you only have to do something if you hear something you don't like.
If you're already used to listening to the radio and know what your favorite stations are, a good first step would be to search for your outlet online. Nowadays, most radio stations have their own online presence, so you can enjoy their live broadcasts without having a physical radio in the house.
Instead of a playlist, you choose a station that matches your musical tastes. You can also discover more new music than you otherwise would. The best part? All the work is done by someone else and you don't have to be your own DJ.
For those of you who are willing to be exposed not only to new music, but also to new radio stations, we have some good news for you. There are various services available online specifically designed to help you tune in to any radio station from the four corners of the world.
Price: Free
With Radio Garden you can take an audio journey around the world, listening to a host of radio stations as you go.
The stations are marked by green dots. Simply rotate the map and click on the dots to join the stream of your choice. You can zoom in and out to see more or less listings. Some places will have more than one station under a point. In that case, they will appear as a list in the lower right corner.
The only downside to the platform is that it doesn't offer recommendations, so it may take you a while to locate radio stations that suit your tastes.
Price: Free
Last.fm is one of the pioneers of internet radio, and it still has a dedicated fan base. A number of genre-based stations, as well as great artist and track suggestions, will help you find the music that suits your taste and mood. All based on your previous activity on the site.
Use one of the site's many apps, music players, and services to track your music and make your Last.fm listening experience more personalized.
Price: Free
internetRadio is another platform with tens of thousands of radio stations sorted by popularity, genre, and era. You can find anything from Smooth Jazz to Japanese and psychedelic music pieces in seconds. There's even an option to create your own radio station How to easily start an internet radio station - for free! How To Easily Start An Internet Radio Station - For Free! Do you have aspirations to be a radio station? Would you like to share your favorite songs or your political opinions? Here is how to do it easily and for free. Read More
Check out the "Featured" and "Popular" Lists if you're looking for other user picks. You can see what's playing right now before you start listening, as well as how many people are currently tuned into the station.
Price: Free or $1/month for TuneIn Pro (iOS, Android and BlackBerry only)
TuneIn also lets you search the world by location, genre, station type, or even a station name before you start listening.
You can browse your music (and podcasts) both on the web and on your smartphone. A free mobile app is available for Android, iPhone, or iPad. TuneIn Radio brings traditional broadcasting to mobile [iOS] TuneIn Radio brings traditional broadcasting to mobile [iOS] Speaking of the iPhone and Spotify, it's a bit disheartening to think that radio could give way to these newer, more engaging modes of listening (and share) music. But still, radio has struggled... Read More For an enhanced real-life radio experience, you can pay $1/month and get a premium version. It allows you to record live radio and play it later, pause live radio, rewind streams, and more.
Price: Free or $4/month for Slacker Plus or $10/month for Slacker Premium
Slacker Radio is all about personalization. It features an impressive music library with genre-specific channels and playlists curated by real human DJs. As you listen, you can personalize your stations by giving Slacker feedback on what you like and removing artists you don't enjoy. Stations constantly rotate and playlists evolve with new tunes added and old loveless tunes removed. In this way, the platform draws the line between letting you tune into someone else's station and setting up your own playlist full of songs you love.
Like TuneIn, it has mobile apps available for iOS, Android, BlackBerry, WebOS, and Windows Phone.
If you are like me, sometimes you will have problems with the output of a radio station. The problem is that you don't want to commit to Spotify, where you have complete control. Fortunately, there is a middle ground for you:personalized Internet radio stations.
Price: Free or $5/month for iHeartRadio Plus or $10/month for iHeartRadio All Access (both come with a 30-day free trial)
Use iHeartRadio's interactive splash screen to let the platform know about your favorite genres. Then you will have several recommended stations for you. You can also type in the name of your favorite artist to get a list of stations currently playing their songs.
You can use an ad-supported version of the font for free. However, to skip the ads and access the cool Spotify features of the platform, you need to pay $5-$10 per month. Available both on the web and mobile applications..
Price: Free or $5/month for Pandora Plus with a 7-day free trial or $10/month for Pandora Premium 6 Reasons Why You Should Try Pandora Premium 6 Reasons Why You Should Try Pandora Premium Pandora Premium is facing stiff competition . However, after testing this new music streaming service for a couple of weeks, we've discovered six reasons why you should give it a try. Read more with a 60-day free trial
Pandora is still technically an internet radio site. One that promises to deliver new music This Clever Trick Keeps Your Pandora Stations Fresh This Clever Trick Keeps Your Pandora Stations Fresh Pandora is a great music service, but sometimes your stations get a little behind. Here is an easy way to improve them without any effort. Read More All you need to do is give Pandora the name of an artist or a song you like, and then you can sit back and enjoy similar music that Pandora thinks you'll love. Plus, you can help Pandora get to know you by giving individual tracks a thumbs up or thumbs down.
Like Spotify, Pandora only allows you to skip a certain number of songs within a certain period of time. Pandora mobile apps are available for Android, iOS, BlackBerry and WebOS.
“There are only two types of people:those who use streaming music services and those who listen to Internet radio,” no one ever said. Until I, right now...
Which one is right for you comes down to what kind of music you enjoy and what you're in the mood for. Internet radio offers a different way of listening, and it has some big advantages, like being constantly exposed to new music and (for the most part) being free.
With this information in hand, you should have all the knowledge you need to begin your search for your favorite radio stations. But before we go, we'd like to hear your thoughts.
How often do you listen to internet radio? What makes you choose internet radio over streaming music services? What is your favorite internet radio station? And how did you find it? Please let us know in the comments below!
