Steaming and Streaming.

Do you love the variety of music played on radio, but hate listening to long commercial breaks between your favorite songs?  Of course you do, so why not turn off your stereo and turn on your computer (or your smartphone or tablet) – your broadband connection can bring you the best in Internet radio.

Finding streaming radio broadcasts on the Internet is very similar to surfing through the stations on your stereo, but before you begin surfing for Internet radio stations, you’ll need to make sure your computer is ready.

Make sure you have a functional web browser

If you’ve gotten to the website to listen to the online radio station, then it is very likely that you have a functional web browser.  Some websites, however, are optimized for better playback with certain browsers, so having a few to choose from won’t be the worst case scenario.

Load any browser plug-ins or add-ons that may be needed

Many online radio websites, such as Pandora, use Adobe Flash to bring the tunes to your computer.   Check the website FAQs or other documentation to get information on additions that may be needed.  You can download Adobe Flash Player here for free.

Make sure your speakers are properly connected

If you are using a desktop computer, check that your speakers are connected to your computer and that the volume is turned up. Windows users may also need to check that the Volume Control is not muted and is set at an appropriate level. To check the Volume Control setting, double-click the speaker icon in the system tray (in the bottom right corner of the task bar) and adjust settings, if necessary.

Find your favorite station and turn up the volume!

Now that you’ve got all the proper hardware and software up and running, let the Broadband Music Specialists at 24HourSupport.com help you find the best  music on the web.

If you have a favorite local radio station, you may be able to listen to their broadcasts online on websites like iHeartRadio.  Many local stations offer their regular programming in a streaming audio format, so be sure to check out their websites and see if this is an option.

In addition to listening to your local radio station, your broadband connection can bring you radio stations from across the country and around the world. Following are several links to online radio resources, and even a site that will create a customized station just for you! Bear in mind that some Internet radio stations may require you to install certain software or subscribe to certain services. We encourage you to read all Terms of Use (TOUs) and End User License Agreements (EULAs) thoroughly before you agree to install software or purchase a subscription.  And so on and so forth.

Go on, dance around and lip sync into your hairbrush. We won’t tell…

Online Radio Resources

Pandora: A product of the Music Genome Project, the most unique feature of Pandora is its ability to create a customized streaming audio broadcast. Just enter your favorite artist or song and Pandora will search for music that is similar to that artist’s style or musically similar to that song and create a streaming playlist of music.

iHeartRadio: iHeartRadio is a free online music service that lets you listen to music from radio stations everywhere.  For those that like to customize their tunes, you can create your own radio stations with all of your favorite music so that you can be doing the Dougie in no time!

Spotify: When you want to listen to music, Spotify Radio keeps you updated with the latest music and lets you listen to the music selections of your choice.  No more sifting through songs that you don’t want to listen to.  Just customize your playlist and go.

AccuRadio: As an independent multichannel radio station, AccuRadio hosts approximately 300 channels of free music organized by genre.

Yahoo! Music: Described as “music that listens to you”, Yahoo! Music delivers several genres of programmed stations and registered Yahoo! users can create their own customized stations.