19 Facts About Internet radio

Online radio is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet.

Internet radio is generally used to communicate and easily spread messages through the form of talk.

Internet radio involves streaming media, presenting listeners with a continuous stream of audio that typically cannot be paused or replayed, much like traditional broadcast media; in this respect, it is distinct from on-demand file serving.

Internet radio is distinct from podcasting, which involves downloading rather than streaming.

Internet radio services offer news, sports, talk, and various genres of music—every format that is available on traditional broadcast radio stations.

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Many Internet radio services are associated with a corresponding traditional radio station or radio network, although low start-up and ongoing costs have allowed a substantial proliferation of independent Internet-only radio stations.

Internet radio services are usually accessible from anywhere in the world with a suitable internet connection available; one could, for example, listen to an Australian station from Europe and America.

Internet radio is suited to listeners with special interests, allowing users to pick from a multitude of different stations and genres less commonly represented on traditional radio.

Internet radio is typically listened to on a standard home PC or similar device, through an embedded player program located on the respective station's website or on a smartphone app.

Internet radio functionality is built into many dedicated Internet radio devices, which give an FM like receiver user experience.

The first Internet radio concert was broadcast on June 24, 1993, by the band Severe Tire Damage.

In March 1994, an unofficial automated rebroadcast of Irish Internet radio news was setup as the RTE To Everywhere Project, allowing Irish people across the world daily access to Internet radio news from home until it was rendered obsolete in 1998.

WXYC used an FM Internet radio connected to a system at SunSite, later known as Ibiblio, running Cornell's CU-SeeMe software.

Internet radio provided new opportunities to mix music with advocacy messages.

Internet radio attracted significant media and investor attention in the late 1990s.

Internet radio was losing money at the time and indicated in a prospectus filed with the Securities Exchange Commission that they expected the losses to continue indefinitely.

From 2000 onwards, most Internet radio stations increased their stream quality as bandwidth became more economical.

In contrast, traditional Internet radio broadcasters pay only publishing royalties and no performance royalties.

Satellite Internet radio pays a fee but at a less onerous rate, at least by some measures.