With the multitude of online radio stations that are available, picking your favorite should be easy. Below is my hand-picked list of the absolute best online radio stations for a variety of genres.
I reviewed dozens of these types of websites to uncover the best choices in a variety of categories, so you'll find country music, instrumental music, a station perfect for party music, and several others.
Each of these picks has music selected by one or more DJs, much like a
traditional radio station. In fact, some are just online streams of the
same radio program played over the air in that station's local area.
These websites are true radio programs, not on-demand music streaming services. While a streaming music service gives you the freedom to play specific tracks and eliminates commercials, you have to manually pick and choose which songs to stream. An internet radio station plays DJ-chosen music as part of a category or genre, like rock, indie, jazz, Christian, etc., making music discovery fun and easy.
DI.FM: Best Electronic Music Internet Radio
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What We Like
Dozens of stations to choose from.
Skip one track per day.
Also available through their app.
Some streams are for premium users only.
Must make a free account after 30 minutes of listening.
Ads and lower quality audio for free users.
Now known as DI.FM, Digitally Imported launched in 1999 as an internet radio service that lets you stream electronic music 24/7. They have a team of curators that choose the best music from each genre or style.
In addition to browsing the most popular channels, here are several
subcategories you can pick from: trance, EDM, dance, house, lounge,
chillout, techno, bass, ambient, deep, classic, vocal, hard, and synth.
The last time I streamed from here, I listened to the LoFi Lounge &
Chill station; it was perfect as background noise.
You can follow any channel to add it to your list of favorites for easy access later.
If you're a paying user, you can change the audio quality, listen in external players through a playlist file, skip more tracks, and access premium-only stations. Free users can make an account to like and dislike tracks.
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SomaFM: Internet Radio for Awesome Indie Music
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Commercial-free radio station.
Multiple ways to listen.
Shows several recently played songs.
The browser player includes a sleep timer.
Uninteresting website design.
One of the best ways to find new indie music is with this internet radio station from SomaFM. The DJs hand-pick all the best indie songs they can find and let you listen directly from your browser or with your favorite media player.
Some of the artists and bands I've heard here include Amanda Cadore, Alvvays, Aloha, Polica, Carroll, Paranoids, Violents and Monica Martin, Beck, and Neko Case.
I love that the Indie Pop Rocks station shows all the artists they’ve played in the last two weeks so that I can not only see which artists were played more than others but also get a link to their tracks on Amazon. There's also a handy recently played songs list for an idea of the content.
Something else you can do is add songs to a list of your favorites, from where you can easily purchase them.
I prefer indie music, but several other channels are available if you're not into it. This includes holiday music, ambient electronic and experimental space music, early 2000s classics, and others.
This internet radio station can be streamed from the web as well as through a mobile or desktop app. If you prefer the TuneIn app, you can use it, too; just search for SomaFM Indie Pop Rocks! on TuneIn.
Listen to SomaFM Online
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WLTW 106.7 Lite FM: New York's Best Variety Radio Station:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/106-7-lite-fm-madonna-1e9a9142ed844f6abf02b77e4b4038fb.png)
What We Like
Includes lyrics to some songs.
Provides a full screen experience.
What We Don't Like
Cluttered website.
Large ads.
Owned by iHeartMedia and often New York’s top-rated radio station, WLTW 106.7 Lite FM plays all types of music, from modern day back to the ‘80s. This is my go-to when I'm not really sure what I'm in the mood for.
This station delivers dance, pop, rock, disco, R&B, punk, new wave, and more, from artists and groups like Wham!, George Michael, Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera, Camila Cabello, Tears for Fears, Prince, Duran Duran, Cutting Crew, No Doubt, and many others.
If you like a recently played song from the WLTW 106.7 Lite FM radio station, you can start your own station based on that type of music, and even skip through the songs, unlike you can on the radio.
An iHeartRadio subscription lets you replay songs from the radio, save songs from the radio to your own playlist, and more. I use the free version often, and I honestly never feel like I'm missing out on those features.
Listen to 106.7 Lite FM Online
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Cinemix: A Radio Station for Movie Soundtracks:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/cinemix-online-radio-7d2687f0d09846bca4305b98782ff316.png)
What We Like
Shows the movie or series the song is known from.
Purchase links are available.
Lets you listen from a browser or mobile app.
What We Don't Like
Plays mainly orchestra music.
Infrequent app updates.
This is a neat one! If you’re in the habit of buying soundtrack CDs from your favorite films, then you’ll love this radio station. It features music found only in movies and TV shows, and since it’s ad-supported, it’s totally free.
Just a few examples of movies and shows that Cinemix features music from include Supernatural, Bicentennial Man, Lost, Guardians of the Galaxy, Call the Midwife, Last Chance Harvey, War for the Planet of the Apes, and many others.
The current song, plus the three upcoming and several recently played songs, are listed out for you.
If you become a VIP member, you can see the 20 most recently played songs instead of just a few, as well as dedicate and request songs, and more.
Listen to Cinemix Online
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KEAN 105.1 FM: Texas' Best Country Music Radio Station:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/kean-105-1-radio-86e279f72bd44e3e854cf7722c17d4a5.png)
What We Like
Runs on a web browser or mobile device.
Lists dozens of the recently played songs with links to buy tracks on Apple Music.
What We Don't Like
Must use the pop-up player to avoid stopping the music when you browse other areas of the site.
Pop-up ads display elsewhere on the page.
Based out of Texas, KEAN 105.1 FM is the best internet radio station to stream country music. They have a handful of DJs that choose the best country music for you, and all the upcoming shows for the week are listed on their website.
KEAN 105.1 FM plays songs from Kenny Chesney, Kane Brown, Maren Morris, Rodney Atkins, Jake Owen, Thomas Rhett, Blake Shelton, Keith Urban, and many others. See what's played recently to get an idea.
Some internet radio stations play in a separate part of the site so that when you click elsewhere, like to view upcoming shows or recently played songs, the music won’t stop playing. To do that with this one, you need to open the pop-out player.
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Listen to KEAN 105.1 FM Online
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K-LOVE: Christian Music and Talk Radio:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/k-love-online-radio-8c6f4724fead4838b7bd5c11afb61f65.png)
What We Like
Displays recently played songs.
Provides links to buy songs.
Shows lyrics for recent tracks.
Includes briefs on local and national news.
Artist info is shown in the browser player.
What We Don't Like
Often lots of talk between songs.
Launched in the early '80s, K-LOVE, a solely Christian music station, is today one of the world's top-streamed online radio stations. It's also delivered over FM radio in numerous U.S. cities.
Every week, millions of online listeners can hear music from MercyMe, Rend Collective, Zach Williams, Francesca Battistelli, Skillet, for KING & COUNTRY, Chris Tomlin, TobyMac, Micah Tyler, Lauren Daigle, and more.
The website has a few other channels beyond the live stream, that targets Christmas, '90s, and 2000s music, specifically.
The K-LOVE mobile app only shows four recently played songs, but it also has a Verse of the Day page and information on all the artists played on the radio station.
Listen to K-LOVE Online
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My House Radio: Commercial-Free Dance Music:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/my-house-radio-d8f4e44915784714b7ecb1b7498c9747.png)
What We Like
Strong focus on just a few genres.
24/7 streaming without website ads or commercial breaks.
Provides a 7-day schedule.
What We Don't Like
Some parts of the website don't work.
No official mobile app.
Doesn't show individual track names.
My House Radio has a simple mission: to promote artists and DJs who produce dance music in genres like house, deep house, soulful, and classics. They have more than 40 DJs from around the world.
It's a phenomenal radio station for dance music because you're never distracted by commercial interruptions. Plus, you can listen all day, every day.
I like to use the stripped-down player (here) when I'm listening on my phone, to avoid all the unnecessary graphics and other web pages. You can also listen to My House Radio on Airtime for a decent UI. The same radio station is available through TuneIn and other streaming services.
Listen to My House Radio Online
Instrumental Hits Radio: Internet Radio Without Lyrics:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/instrumental-hits-radio-110ae2888491475285a6afa12f8d0fcb.png)
What We Like
Provides a great mix of instrumental music.
Keeps a history of all the music played that day.
A playlist file can be downloaded to listen in your own music player.
Request your favorite songs.
What We Don't Like
Lots of ads in the mobile app.
Instrumental Hits Radio has been delivering a "blend of instrumental genres" in the form of a radio station since 2013. Some of the music you can hear here include classical, big band, new-age, lounge, orchestral, and jazz.
Something I find unique about this website is the 'request your favorite song' feature. You can do so every 30 minutes.
Listen to Instrumental Hits Radio Online
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Fun Kids: Kid-Friendly Online Radio Station:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/funkidslive-online-radio-834fb07b2164405794e55f58b783fda2.png)
What We Like
Avoids mature content.
Void of typical "buy this" commercials.
Includes on-demand music.
Lists recently played tracks.
What We Don't Like
Website is sometimes slow.
Fun Kids is a UK-based online radio station that features music more appropriate for a younger crowd. It's part of a larger children's media brand that includes kid radio stations like Fun Kids Junior, Fun Kids Soundtracks, and Fun Kids Classical.
Although this is clearly meant for children, I have to say that the soundtracks station is entertaining even for me (particularly when The Lion King music comes across my screen).
In addition to a live radio service are several on-demand shows you can re-listen to at any time. Elsewhere on the website are podcasts for kids, quizzes, videos, book recommendations, and more educational and informative kid-friendly content.
There's a mobile app for Android, iOS, and Amazon Fire.
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Jazz24: Commercial-Free Jazz Radio:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/jazz24-online-radio-8bf3e6c74416424dbf2812989567768b.png)
What We Like
Commercial-free listening.
Mobile access.
Long-term playlist history.
Old sessions can be replayed on demand.
What We Don't Like
The website is difficult to navigate.
Jazz24 is a KNKX Public Radio station that streams jazz music online and locally in Seattle and Tacoma, Washington, on 88.5 FM.
This online radio station plays jazz from artists like Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Diana Krall, and Pat Metheny, among others.
The mobile app has an alert feature you can enable to start playing jazz automatically when the timer goes off. You can also access this radio station through various streaming links.
Listen to Jazz24 Online at:
https://www.jazz24.org/
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Hot 108 JAMZ: Internet Radio for Rap/Hip Hop Music:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/hot-108-jamz-online-radio-fb9a8e2ef7434036a7945508f40cc265.png)
What We Like
Shows the five most recently played songs.
Chat with other listeners.
Songwriters can submit their own music.
Lists recent tracks.
Can purchase music from Amazon and Apple.
Several places to listen from.
What We Don't Like
Includes commercials.
Obnoxiously cluttered website; lots of ads.
Part of a network of internet radio stations called Powerhitz, Hot 108 JAMZ streams hip hop music. Although this network includes other stations unrelated to rap, a different program director curates music for this station every day.
Some of the artists I heard the last time I listened included Rihanna, Drake, 2 Pac, Lil Donald, Meek Mill, Alicia Keys, Lil Wayne, DJ Khaled, Mariah Carey, Usher, 50 Cent, The Carters, and Rich Gang.
Hot 108 JAMZ also accepts shout-outs and song requests.
This internet radio station is available at TuneIn, radio.net, Streema, and Radioline. If you pick one of those apps or websites to listen from, you'll get other features such as a sleep timer and "favorite" option.
Listen to Hot 108 JAMZ Online
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Relax FM: Best Radio Stations for Relaxing Music:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/relax-fm-d3bb3ea594a042aca5e08b1da8388bd3.png)
What We Like
Amazing curated selection.
Great place to find new chill music.
Plays relaxing versions of popular music.
Browse through the stream playlist.
What We Don't Like
Site is partially in Russian.
Occasional streaming issues.
Relax FM is a radio station out of Moscow, Russia, that features instrumental, English, and foreign music.
There are multiple channels to pick from, including Relax Life, Relax Nature, Relax Latino, and Relax lo-fi, among others. True to its name, I find it super relaxing, especially while doing repetitive things like cleaning.
While you can listen online from anywhere, including the official Relax FM website, it's also available locally to Moscow listeners at 90.8 FM and some other stations.
The apps linked below are from radio.net because the official Relax FM apps are in Russian. You can stream this radio station from radio.net, too.
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Radio Santa Claus: Christmas Music All Year Round:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/christmas-radio-2fb878ba8ffd4ae5b1307d8af1744420.png)
What We Like
Includes modern Christmas music.
Puts you in the Christmas mood with a live video feed from Santa Claus Village in Finland.
You can leave images and comments for other listeners to see.
What We Don't Like
Lots of website ads.
Based out of Santa Claus Village in Finland, where Santa is around all year long, is the Radio Santa Claus station where thousands gather every day to listen to Christmas music any time of the year.
The music here comes from singers like Frank Sinatra, Colbie Caillat, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Blake Shelton, Dean Martin, Sara Bareilles, Andrea Bocelli, and children's choirs, among others.
The Android app is even simpler than the website. You can start and stop the live stream, see what's currently playing, and leave a comment for other listeners to see.
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Listen to Radio Santa Claus Online
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Source: https://www.lifewire.com/best-internet-radio-stations-4173657
