internet-radio.com
Physical music sales have been dwindling over the past few years, but this doesn't mean that music isn't cherished anymore. Thanks to the rise of streaming services, people can access their favorite tunes from around the world via streaming services as opposed to physical sales. Streaming services make it easier for people to access any track or album from any location - at home, at work, or even in college - all they need is an internet connection.
The rise of streaming services has led to a transformation in the internet radio industry. Today, you'll find dozens of quality websites broadcasting radio stations from across the world. These multichannel radio station networks work as aggregators and boast anywhere between 5,000 and 500,000 radio stations on their network.
What is Internet-Radio?
Internet-Radio, as a website, differs from the term internet radio. The former is a platform where you can find nearly 30,000 radio stations whereas the latter is a term used to describe radio services over the internet (includes everything related to streaming broadcasts).
Why should you stream Internet Radio?
We have seen most of these massive radio directories boasting anywhere between 10,000 to 50,000 radio stations. Internet-Radio sits pretty at 28,453 radio stations which are expected to cross 35,000 by the end of 2020. I love the diverse stations on this network - primarily from across the globe.
Popular Genres
This website offers a wide variety of genres to choose from, many of which are popular music styles. There is no shortage of genres on this site, and there are many more that I have not mentioned. Some of the top genres that I enjoy on this website include smooth jazz, classical music, classic rock, country music, rock music, ambient music, dance music, oldies music, trance music, chillout music, house music, reggae music and deep house.
Start your own station
I love platforms that offer opportunities to independent creators to establish themselves. By allowing them to start their own station on their network, Internet-Radio provides exposure to its millions of monthly users. They can make station heard with original content and make it stand out among the other 28,000+ radio stations. What's amazing is that if they have Shoutcast or Icecast servers, they can get started for free.
Active Forum
If you have any questions or concerns about Radio Support Forums, there is an in-depth guide and FAQs section which can answer most of your questions. An active forum suggests that the service provider takes their users seriously and isn't using the website as passive income.
Community
The Internet-Radio community is active and provides great support to both developers and listeners. Volunteers can find each other through the community section, and stations can get help finding a DJ or become volunteers themselves.
How to access Internet Radio?
You can access the Internet-Radio website either by typing the keyword internet-radio or by using the following link:
To access the website, you can type the keyword Internet-Radio or click on the following link: Internet Radio. If you already know about this website and would like to share it with your friends and family, you can use the social icons on the homepage for quick sharing.
Design
I was disappointed with the free streaming radio website Bland. Not every service provider can be as good as TuneIn Radio or Radio.net, and the only disappointing aspect is that there are nearly 30,000 stations on the website. I don't understand why the developers are making it more user-friendly and intuitive, because it's very vague and has intrusive display banners.
Header
The first option is Listen, which has a play button and options to see the latest and popular podcasts. The second option is Broadcast, where you can see all upcoming broadcasts, as well as past broadcasts. The third option is to Discuss on the left and has a large text area where you can leave your feedback or ideas for future programming. The fourth and final element is the search bar on the right where you have access to all of the podcasts in one place.
Listen
When you click on Listen, you will have a list of vertical options which include different genres of music. There are many popular options such as the 70s, 80s, Ambient, Blues, Chillout, Classical, Drum and Bass, Easy Listening, Heavy metal, Hip hop, Jazz, Metal, Oldies, Psytrance, Reggae and Rock.
Broadcast
The website's broadcast tab has three sections: First is ?Start your own station? where you can find information on starting a broadcast, and the prices. The second section has ?Guides? and ?FAQs? which will help you with your broadcasts, and the third section has ?Control Panel Login? where you can log in to your control panel.
Discuss
Under the Discussion tab, you will find four sections - Forum Home and Contact Us, Support, FAQs, Guides and Pre-Sales Questions, and Volunteering, Shows, and Music.
Hero Section
It just ruins the whole look.
The Hero Section on Internet-Radio is one of the most confusing aspects of the website. I don't understand why as a developer you would fill the entire website with genres, when you could have a colorful banner or classic black and grey banner to match your website's design. But there's this cluttered list of genres with ads right underneath the main section, which ruins the overall look.
Body
After the body section, you will find the featured radio stations. This part is visually pleasing with two columns: Featured Radio Stations and Popular Radio Stations. On each column, the name of the station, what?s currently playing on it, a link to the source, and genres detail are given. Additionally, a play-pause option is provided if you scroll further down. Lastly, if you are a Shoutcast or Icecast member, two options are shown: Free trial for 7 days or Add Station.
Under the membership option, there are four active forum threads - News, Volunteering, Radio Show and Music. You can access each of these threads if you want to engage with the users on this platform.
Inner pages
The Inner Pages on the homepage replicate the body section on the homepage. I like it as it flows evenly and labels each genre with its own radio station. If you click on any genre on the homepage, you'll be taken to an inner page which will have a host of radio stations that they correspond to a particular genre. For instance, if you click on Drum and Bass, you'll get options such as Dance UK Radio, Sound Fusion Radio, Party Vibe Radio, Underground FM and ZOMP Radio. Each of these radio stations is accompanied by stats - Listeners, Quality and classification (Featured or Popular station).
Content
If you have a local music collection that you've grown tired of, turning to the radio is always a good option. Especially with internet radios available across the web, it's easier to listen to any channel you want from around the world on a website. Just choose the genre you want to listen to and you'll get a list of dozens of radio stations that play that genre of music.
Internet-Radio allows you to access nearly 3000 radio stations and podcasts within a few clicks. Listen, Broadcast, and Discuss in the world of internet radio on this platform. Tune in to thousands of internet radio stations live and access over two dozen genres.
Desktop/Mobile experience
I accessed the Internet-Radio feature on my Pixel 3a and had a decent streaming experience. Most of the channels were low quality, offering only 128kbps bitrate. For instance, when I browsed through the Drum and Bass category, only Party Vibe Radio offered a high quality 320kbps bitrate. The other stations where under 128kbps or less. I think 128kbps is still acceptable but 64kbps is not enough.
Plans & Pricing
Internet-Radio is a free service that allows users to stream music. However, there are often intrusive banner ads that must be tolerated from time to time.
Suggestions I have for Internet Radio
I suggest that Internet Radio work on improving the graphic design and layout of their website. This can be done by creating an appealing homepage for new users to feel at home in, and then placing ads in a way that provides an amazing user experience, rather than maximizing CPCs.
Conclusion
The internet radio streaming service you should definitely check out is Internet Radio. There are some good quality channels on the network, which you can enjoy. The description of each station is detailed and thus you can learn about the station before clicking on it.