What Program To Use For Internet Radio
With the multitude of online radio stations that are available, picking your favorite should be easy. Below is our hand-picked list of the absolute best online radio stations for a variety of genres.
The Internet is the global system of interconnected computer networks that use the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to link devices worldwide. It is a network of networks that consists of private, public, academic, business, and government networks of local to global scope, linked by a broad array of electronic, wireless, and optical networking. Download and install a software application on your computer that allows you to record your favorite radio programs from the Internet and listen to them at a later time.
You'll find a country music radio station, radio for instrumental music, a radio station perfect for party music, and several others. Each of these picks have music selected by one or more DJs, much like a traditional radio station. In fact, some are just online streams of the same radio program played over the air in that station's local area.
Please note that each of these websites are true radio programs, not on-demand music streaming services. While a music streaming service gives you the freedom to play specific tracks and eliminates commercials, you have to manually pick and choose which songs to stream. An internet radio station plays DJ-chosen music as part of a category or genre, like rock, indie, jazz, Christian, etc., making music discovery fun and easy.
WLTW 106.7 Lite FM: New York's Best Variety Radio Station
What We Like
Includes lyrics to some songs
Provides a full screen listening experience
What We Don't Like
Shows only the three most recently played tracks
Owned by iHeartMedia and often New York’s top-rated radio station, WLTW 106.7 Lite FM plays all types of music, from modern day back to the ‘80s.
You'll hear dance, pop, rock, disco, R&B, punk, new wave, and more, from artists and groups like Wham!, George Michael, Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera, Camila Cabello, Tears for Fears, Prince, Duran Duran, Cutting Crew, No Doubt, and many others.
If you like a recently played song from the WLTW 106.7 Lite FM radio station, you can start your own station based on that type of music, and even skip through the songs, unlike you can on the radio.
An iHeartRadio subscription lets you replay songs from the radio, save songs from the radio to your own playlist, and more.
NSB Radio: The Internet's Best Party Radio Station
What We Like
Past shows are archived and available as free MP3s
Includes links to listen in iTunes and other media players
What We Don't Like
No native app for listening from a mobile device
Doesn’t show song names
Based out of London and running since 2004, NSB Radio is by far the best internet radio station for dance, dubstep, techno, house, and related music. They broadcast live every day of the week.
NSB Radio isn’t just a radio station where you passively listen to awesome music. You can also request shout-outs and songs for the DJs to play, and chat with other NSB users.
SomaFM: Internet Radio for Awesome Indie Music
What We Like
Commercial-free radio station
Multiple ways to listen
Shows the 20 most recently played songs
The browser player includes a sleep timer
What We Don't Like
Isn’t 100 percent reliable considering it runs on donations and store purchases
One of the best ways to find new indie music is with this internet radio station from SomaFM. The DJ hand-picks all the best indie songs she can find, and lets you listen directly from your browser or with your favorite media player.
Some of the artists and bands streamed on this radio station include Amanda Cadore, Alvvays, Aloha, Polica, Carroll, Paranoids, Violents and Monica Martin, Beck, and Neko Case.
SomaFM’s Indie Pop Rocks radio station shows all the artists they’ve played in the last two weeks so that you can not only see which artists were played more than others but also get a link to their tracks on Amazon.
Something else you can do is add songs to a list of your favorites, from where you can easily purchase them.
KEAN 105.1 FM: Texas' Best Country Music Radio Station
What We Like
Runs on a web browser or mobile device
Dozens of the recently played songs are listed on their site where you can buy the tracks on iTunes
What We Don't Like
The station quits playing if you navigate anywhere else on their website
Based out of Texas, KEAN 105.1 FM is the best internet radio station to stream country music. They have a handful of DJs that choose the best country music for you, and all the upcoming shows for the week are listed on their website.
KEAN 105.1 FM plays songs from Kenny Chesney, Kane Brown, Maren Morris, Rodney Atkins, Jake Owen, Thomas Rhett, Blake Shelton, Keith Urban, and many others.
Most internet radio stations have their music play in a pop-out window or as a separate part of the site so that when you click elsewhere, like to view upcoming shows or recently played songs, the music won’t stop playing. Unfortunately, that’s not how KEAN 105.1 works.
Ultimate Oldies Channel: Rock and Roll Radio From the '60s and 70's
What We Like
Shows the past 10 played songs
Streams from more than one site
What We Don't Like
The official stream doesn’t run in a browser
We can’t have a list of the best online radio stations without one that focuses solely on oldies. This one plays only rock and roll from the 60’s and 70’s.
You're hear the likes of The Beach Boys, Wings, Cheap Trick, Rose Royce, The Clovers, Golden Earring, and many others.
To listen to this internet radio station from the official website, you have to download the PLS file from the link below. The playlist can be opened in programs like VLC and iTunes, but it won’t stream from your browser like most radio stations.
That being said, the same stream is live from radio.net, meaning you can use that website to listen, as well as play the station on your phone or tablet with the radio.net app. There’s a radio app for iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry.
If you use radio.net to listen to this internet radio station, you’ll find purchase links to Amazon and iTunes to buy the tracks.
Cinemix: A Radio Station for Movie Soundtracks
What We Like
Shows the movie or series the song is known from
Purchase links are available
Lets you listen from a browser or mobile app
What We Don't Like
Plays mainly orchestra music
The movie/show the track is from isn’t listed on the same page as the player
If you’re in the habit of buying soundtrack CDs from your favorite films, you’ll love this radio station. It features music found only in movies and TV shows, and since it’s ad-supported, it’s totally free.
Just a few examples of movies and shows that Cinemix features music from include Supernatural, Bicentennial Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, Call the Midwife, Last Chance Harvey, War for the Planet of the Apes, and many others.
To elaborate on the con listed above: there’s one page on the Cinemix site where you listen to the radio station, and within the player is the artist and name of the song. However, to see the movie or series the song is from, and to get the link to purchase the song or soundtrack, you have to open the NowPlaying page.
If you become a VIP member, you can see the 20 most recently played songs instead of just a few, as well as dedicate and request songs, and more.
Instrumental Hits Radio: Internet Radio Without Lyrics
What We Like
Provides a great mix of instrumental music
Keeps a history of all the music played that day
A playlist file can be downloaded to listen in your own music player
What We Don't Like
Can't 'favorite' music on the website to refer to later
Instrumental Hits Radio has been delivering a 'blend of instrumental genres' in the form of a radio station since 2013. If you're looking for something non-distracting for work or studying, this is what you need.
Some of the music you'll hear on this radio station include classical, big band, new-age, lounge, orchestral, jazz, and more.
The mobile app for Instrumental Hits Radio supports some features not found on their website, like the ability to favorite tracks, shut off the radio with a sleep timer, and view YouTube videos for past songs.
KIDJAM! Radio: Kid-Friendly Online Radio Station
What We Like
Avoids mature content
Void of typical 'buy this' commercials
Kids can request a song to be played
Musicians can submit their own music
What We Don't Like
The web player is extremely bare
No history of past songs
KIDJAM! Radio features music a bit more appropriate for a younger crowd. It's aimed at kids years 8–12, with occasional messages to educate children and encourage them to make wise decisions.
This radio station plays 'regular' music from known artists, but also has remixes of popular songs performed by kids.
The KIDJAM! Radio mobile app can rewind 10 seconds and shows the currently playing song, neither of which are supported in the web player.
Internet Radios For Home
K-LOVE: Christian-Centered Music and Talk Radio
What We Like
Displays recently played songs
Provides links to buy songs
Shows lyrics for recent tracks
Includes briefs on local and national news
Artist info is shown in the browser player
What We Don't Like
Often lots of talk between songs
Launched in the early '80s, K-LOVE, which focuses solely on Christian music, is today one of the world's top-streamed online radio stations. The same radio station is delivered over FM radio in numerous U.S. cities.
Every week, millions of online listeners can hear music from artists and bands like MercyMe, Rend Collective, Francesca Battistelli, Skillet, for KING & COUNTRY, Chris Tomlin, Micah Tyler, Lauren Daigle, and more.
The K-LOVE mobile app only shows four recently played songs, but it also as a Verse of the Day page and information on all the artists played on the radio station.
GYM Radio: Perfect for Workout Music
What We Don't Like
Unable to see recently played songs
No mobile apps
The music in the free station probably isn't updated as often as in the paid versions
If you're one to work out, you know that not all radio stations are always a great fit, which is why GYM Radio was born. All the tracks at this radio station are curated especially for someone needing that extra boost when exercising.
Music on this radio station is from bands and singers like Breaking Benjamin, Eminem, Linkin Park, From Ashes to New, Pendulum, Bridge to Grace, and others.
GYM Radio Pro is the paid edition of this internet radio station where you can subscribe to multiple music streams with different kinds of workout songs personalized for your gym. Plus, you can insert your own ads into the radio for your customers to hear.
There's a $99 /month option to get branded quotes, weekly updates, and one music stream. Or, you can go with the $179 /month or $199 /month option for more streams or support for multiple gyms.
Radio Santa Claus: Christmas Music All Year Round
What We Like
Includes modern Christmas music
Puts you in the Christmas mood with a live video feed from Santa Claus Village in Finland
You can leave images and comments for other listeners to see
What We Don't Like
Doesn't show a playlist of recently played tracks
Based out of Santa Claus Village in Finland, where Santa is around all year long, is the Radio Santa Claus station where Christmas music is blasted all year, no matter where you live.
The Christmas music here comes from singers like Colbie Caillat, Bob Dylan, Karma, Dean Martin, Sara Bareilles, Andrea Bocelli, and children's choirs, among others.
The Android app for Radio Santa Claus is even simpler than the website. You can start and stop the live stream, see what's currently playing, and leave a comment for other listeners to see.
Jazz24: Commercial-Free Jazz Radio
What We Like
Commercial-free listening
Mobile access
Long-term playlist history
Old sessions can be replyayed on demand
What We Don't Like
The website is difficult to navigate
Jazz24 is a KNKX Public Radio station that streams jazz music online and locally in Tacoma, WA, on 88.5 FM.
This online radio station plays jazz from artists like Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Diana Krall, and Pat Metheny, among others.
The Jazz24 mobile app has an alert feature you can enable to start playing jazz automatically when the timer goes off.
If you want to listen to his jazz radio station from your own media player, you can do that, too, with one of these URL streams.
Relax FM: The Best Radio Station for Relaxing Music
What We Like
The curated selection is amazing
Great place to find new chill music
Plays relaxing versions of popular music
Shows the current song
What We Don't Like
There isn't a playlist of recently played songs
Relax FM is a radio station out of Moscow, Russia, that features instrumental, English, and foreign music that's sure to relax you.
While you can listen online from anywhere, including the official Relax FM website, it's also available locally to Moscow listeners at 90.8 FM.
The apps linked below are from radio.net because the official Relax FM apps (iOS and Android) are in Russian. You can stream this radio station from radio.net, too.
Hot 108 JAMZ: Internet Radio for Rap/Hip Hop Music
What We Like
Shows the five most recently played songs
You can chat with other listeners
Songwriters can submit their own music
Lists tracks that were added recently
Lets you purchase music on Amazon and iTunes
Several places to listen from
What We Don't Like
Includes commercials
Songs can't be saved to a list of favorites
Hot 108 JAMZ is part of a network of internet radio stations called Powerhitz, but streams only hip hop music. Although this network includes other stations unrelated to rap, a different Program Director curates music for this station every day.
Some artists you'll hear at Hot 108 JAMZ include Rihanna, Drake, 2 Pac, Lil Donald, Meek Mill, Alicia Keys, Lil Wayne, DJ Khaled, Mariah Carey, Usher, 50 Cent, The Carters, and Rich Gang.
If you follow the Direct Links page on the Hot 108 JAMZ website, you can download a PLS or ASX file to stream this radio station in your own music player like iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc.
This internet radio station is also available at TuneIn, radio.net, Streema, and Radioline. If you pick one of those apps or websites to listen from, you'll get other features such as a sleep timer and 'favorite' option.
Hot 108 JAMZ also accepts shout-outs and song requests.
Metal Nation Radio: An Online Radio Station for Metalheads
What We Like
Sticks to metal and similar genres only
Several recently played tracks are shown
What We Don't Like
There are commercials
No way to purchase songs you hear in the web player
Metal Nation Radio is the place to be if you're a heavy metal fan. Broadcasting from Windsor, Ontario, Canada, you'll hear death metal, hard rock, classic rock, and other similar genres.
Sweep, Hatebreed, Luniz, Type O Negative, Butcher Babies, Jinjer, and Vic are a few examples of who you'll hear music from at Metal Nation Radio.
This metal radio station has several DJs that curate all the music you'll hear. You can check the schedule and playlist of upcoming shows to see what's happening at this radio station.
You can build a list of your favorite music from the Metal Nation Radio mobile app, by 'liking' any song you hear. The app also lets you browse through recently played songs and purchase them or play them on YouTube, as well as set a sleep timer to shut of the radio at a certain time.
This metal radio station can also be streamed from any player that accepts PLS or ASX files, as well as from other websites like Radioguide.FM, Streema, and InternetRadio.