What Is Internet Radio?
Internet radio is exactly that, you will transmit audio to millions using an internet connection instead of the air signals like terrestrial Radio Stations.
How works?
Option A – You are the source
With this option, you will provide the audio stream directly from your computer to your listeners. You will need software to make your computer an audio streaming service that allows your listeners to connect to your computer so they can listen to your streaming audio. Also, you will need Broadcasting software, by this I mean software that can play the music you want to stream to the world. Online, you can find a few options for free.
All this can be done using some free software you can find online- you can find some other brands with more options than this software, but you will have to pay for them.
The downside of this option is that most people only have a 1mb upload internet connection, and that will only allow you to have 10 to 15 listeners; this varies depending on the bitrate you use to stream.
Option B – A server is a source
With this option, you still need Broadcasting Software, but you will send your streaming audio from your computer to a server better known as Internet Radio Hosting. You will need to get the services of a company that provides these services. This will allow you to have more listeners. These servers have a very fast internet connection, giving you the option to choose how many listeners you want your Internet Radio Station to have… It could be 25, 100, 300, or even 500 or more. You decide the type of connection you will need for your Online Radio Station.
You will need to pay a monthly fee for these services, but you not only pay for the fast connection and for the flexibility of more listeners, but you also pay for a full control panel with statistics, Royalty Reports, Listeners Information, AutoDJ, and much more.
This option is the most common one used for terrestrial Radio Stations.
What can you do?
With an Internet Radio Station, you can unleash your audio creativity; it is not only for music, you can also create your own talk show, stream live events like your Sunday mass, but you can also create a Radio Station with you reading stories for kids, etc.- it is audio, you can do anything. The best thing about Internet Radio is that you are not limited by the reach of an air signal like a terrestrial Radio Station. In this case, wherever someone on the planet has access to an Internet connection, they will hear your Internet Radio Station.
Why Internet Radio?
Well, I can tell you a lot of reasons, but I think the most important is because it is Cheap. When you compare it with a regular Terrestrial Radio Station, the difference in money to run an Online Radio Station and to run a Terrestrial Radio Station is in the Millions. How convenient it is to have a Radio Station for just a Fraction of a Terrestrial one!
You will be thinking, ok, but for some reason, a terrestrial Radio Station Has more listeners than an Online Radio Station. Well, my friend, that is about to change.
What is the Future of Radio?
Internet Radio is growing every day, and mobile devices are going to play a very important part in the future of radio. In America, a study shows that over 57 million people (that’s 22% of the U.S. population) aged 12 and over now listen to Internet radio.
Internet radio has jumped almost 30% from last year’s, 17% of that 30% is the U.S. population, which is double what it was 5 years ago. This rise is largely attributable to the growth in Americans’ use of mobile technology. Smartphone ownership has tripled in two years.
¿In the future, will terrestrial radio disappear? Well, it could be, in the near future, cars will start to come with a connection to listen to music online, and if you add people who already use their mobile devices connected to their car stereo to listen to Internet Radio, well, we could say we are very close.
See Internet Radio Hosting Plans for your station.
