internet-radio.com
Physical music sales have been plummeting for years, but it doesn't mean that music isn't treasured anymore. In fact, the rise of streaming services has helped people access favorite tunes from around the world in a way that wasn't possible before. This is because streaming services allow users to access any track or album from any location - home, offices, colleges - without having to purchase physical copies.
The rise of streaming services has introduced us to a variety of new websites that broadcast radio stations from all over the world. These multichannel radio station networks work as an aggregator and boast anywhere between 5,000 to 500,000 radio stations on their network. These websites are great for discovering new music and staying up-to-date on the latest happenings in the music industry.
What is Internet-Radio?
Internet-Radio as a website differs from the term internet radio. Whereas the former is a platform where you can find nearly 30,000 radio stations, the latter is a term used to describe radio services over the internet (includes everything radio streaming related).
Why should you stream Internet Radio?
We've seen most of these massive radio directories boasting anywhere between 10,000 and 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
The variety of genres on this website is vast and there is no shortage of them. Some of the top genres that I listen to on this website include Smooth Jazz, Classical, Classic Rock, Country, Rock, Ambient, Dance, Oldies, Trance, Chillout, House, Reggae and Deep House. However there are many other genres such as Hip Hop, Techno, Hindi, Pop, Psytrance, Soul, Progressive, Drum & Bass, Disco and Punk.
Start your own station
Internet-Radio offers independent creators a way to establish themselves by providing exposure on their millions of monthly users. You can make your station heard with original content, and make it stand out among the other 28,000+ radio stations. What's amazing is that if you already have Shoutcast or Icecast servers set up, you can start streaming your station for free!
Active Forum
If you have any questions about Radio Support Forums, the in-depth guide and FAQs can help clear most of your questions. The active forum tells us that the service provider cares about its users and does not rely on the website as a source of passive income.
Community
Internet-Radio has a very active community. Developers provide great support and people engage on the network. This allows you to not just be a passive listener, but an actual volunteer. So, if you are a station looking for a DJ or vice versa, you can find a match using the community section.
How to access Internet Radio?
You can access the Internet-Radio website by typing the keyword 'internet-radio' or by using the following link: Internet Radio. If you already know about the 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 wasn't that disappointed with the free radio streaming website, Bland. I don't expect too much from a website that's free, and thus I wasn't really surprised by how Bland performed. The only thing that disappointed me was that there were only 29,000 stations available on the website--I don't understand why the developers keep working on making it more user-friendly and intuitive, whenâat least in my opinionâthe layout is vague and the intrusive banner ads just sour the experience.
Header
Upon visiting the website, you will see the header with a white/grey gradient. There are four main elements- Listen, Broadcast, Discuss on the left and a search bar on the right. Each category on the left has detailed options, let's check them out.
Listen
When you click the "Listen" button, you will be given a variety of vertical options which reflect different genres of music. There are many popular choices, such as the 70s, 80s, Ambient, Blues, Chillout, Classical, Drum and Bass, Easy Listening, Heavy metal, Hip hop, Jazz, Metal, Oldies, Psytrance,...
Broadcast
On the website's Broadcast tab, there are three sections - First is ?Start your own station? and it includes ?Prices?, the second has guides and FAQs, and the third has ?Control Panel Login?.
Discuss
Under the discussion tab, you'll find four sections - the first section has Forums Home and Contact Us, the second has Support, FAQs, Guides and Pre-Sales Questions, the third has Volunteering, Shows, and Music, and the fourth has Chat, News and Feedback.
Hero Section
The Hero Section on the Internet-Radio website is the most discouraging aspect of it. I don't understand why as a developer you would fill the entire website with genres - you could have a colorful banner or classic black/grey banner to match your website. But no, there's this cluttered list of genres with ads right underneath the main section.
Body
This section on the website looks premium and feels right visually. The Featured Radio Stations column has two columns - one for popular stations and one for featured stations. For each category, you can see the name of the station, what's currently playing, a link to the source, genres detail, and a play-pause option. If you scroll further down on this page, you'll get two options - a free trial for 7 days or adding the station as a shoutcast or icecast member.
Under the membership option, there are four different 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
If you click on any genre on the homepage, you will be taken to an inner page which will have a host of radio stations that they are particular genre. For instance, if you click on Drum and Bass, you will 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 your local music collection is something you've grown tired of, turning back 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 provides access to nearly 30,000 radio stations and podcasts. You can tune into thousands of internet radio stations live and access over two dozen genres. This platform allows you to Broadcast and Discuss your favorite internet radio station with others.
Desktop/Mobile experience
I accessed Internet-Radio through my Pixel 3a and had a decent streaming experience. Although I have to admit that most of the channels are low quality and only a few of them offer 320kbps bitrate. For instance, when I browse through the Drum and Bass category, only Party Vibe Radio offered a HQ stream, rest all the other stations where under 128kbps or less. In my opinion, 128kbps is still acceptable but 64kbps simply isn't good enough.
Plans & Pricing
Internet-Radio can be freely streamed, but there are occasional intrusive banner ads that must be dealt with.
Suggestions I have for Internet Radio
I believe that Internet Radio could use some improvements in the graphic and design area. The homepage should be appealing to new users and ads should be placed well to create an amazing user experience.
Conclusion
Internet Radio is a great way to listen to your favorite radio stations. There are many good quality channels on the network, and the descriptions of each one are detailed so you can learn about the station before clicking on it.