Choosing an Internet Radio Site


Choosing an Internet radio service doesn't have to be complicated. Check out our 7 easy steps for choosing the right Internet radio site:

1. How Many Radio Stations do they Offer?
2. Do they Offer Ad-Free Radio Stations?
3. Genres / Quality of Programming
4. Host your Own Internet Radio Station
5. Do a Little Research (very little we promise)
6. How Much does Internet Radio Cost?
7. Try an Ad-Free Internet Radio Trial

1. How Many Radio Stations do they Offer?

  • If you’re looking into Internet radio then it is important to know how wide a selection a particular site offers. To take this one step further I would look for how many ad-free radio stations they offer.

2. Do they Offer Ad-Free Radio Stations?

  • Most services offer free ad-supported listening or for a monthly fee you can enjoy ad-free listening. This is certainly up to your individual tastes. The ads just drive me crazy over time. Its not like in your car where you can channel flip. If its ad supported then you have to sit through the ads every so often.

3. Genres / Quality of Programming

  • How many different genres are available? This ranges from music, talk radio, sports, comedy, etc. Quality also comes into play. Live365 offers the widest array of stations. Anyone can host their own station for a small monthly fee. This is great but you will quickly learn that quality varies widely between stations. It can take some time to find the right stations but we prefer having lots of choices to being limited to just a few.

4. Host your Own Internet Radio Station

  • Have you every wanted to spin your own tracks? Give people the opportunity to listen to your favorite music or topics of interest. If so some providers offer this service as well and its very reasonably priced.

5. Do a Little Research (very little we promise)

  • You're already doing the research. There aren’t as many services in this arena as in music downloads. Read through our Internet radio reviews and you should have a good idea of what each service has to offer.

6. How Much does Internet Radio Cost?

  • If you don’t mind annoying ads then there is no cost. Otherwise you’ll pay anywhere from $3 to $15 a month depending on which service you go with. Hosting your own station starts around $10 a month.

7. Try an Ad-Free Internet Radio Trial