How to Create Your Own Free Radio Station

You can create a radio station that is free to run and maintain and is also free for listeners. There is a wide variety of services and programs available to allow you to broadcast online music and talk through an online radio station.

For those who just want to share music via an online station, there are sites and programs for just creating playlists as a station. For those looking to communicate with listeners and talk on their station, there are free programs and sites available for that option as well.

Some links have been provided at the end of this article for free online radio station creators.

Things You'll Need

• Internet access
• Computer
• External microphone (if you want to talk on the station)

Instructions

Setting up a free radio station to stream music and playlists

1. Go online and sign up for a free online radio service. There are a number of them out there today, and many are supported through ad based revenue. Some examples include Pandora and Tornado Stream.

2. Select a free service and create a free account. Many of these services do not require you to upload files or music, you can simply create a custom station by genre or artist.

   An example includes Pandora, where you create a custom station by telling the site some of the artists you like. The site plays music based on that and allows the station to be shared with friends.

3. Create multiple online stations for any type of music or genre that you enjoy. All of these programs allow you to share the station with friends, and many stations can be set up and run on their own in just a few minutes.

   Tornado Stream is one of the services that allows you to place a music player on websites and personal pages to stream the station you created.

Setting up a free online radio station that includes talk and custom music uploads

1. Select a service that allows you to connect to a server and upload episodes of your show, music files, or talk live to listeners. Services include Icecast, Peercast, and Quicktime Streaming Server. Download the files needed and create a free account if needed.

2. Select a high quality microphone or use the built-in microphone if the computer has one, if you intend to talk on the radio station.

3. Use the included recording software or purchase recording software that will allow you to record talk, upload music files, and transmit the show to the free servers. Many of the free broadcast programs will require you to find software on your own. Audacity is a good free recording software program.

4. Select a time each day or week to broadcast the show if you want to do it live. Or you can prerecord shows and radio content and upload them or stream them from the server 24/7.

   If you have a computer that is always connected, you can use that as the host to host the files and streams.

5. Create content for the station. Talk radio topics are limitless. For music based stations, consider sticking to unsigned bands or independent labels to avoid having to pay royalties.

   Sites that allow you to use music on their servers to create music stations, such as Pandora, will allow you to include major label music on the station without worrying about royalties and legalities.

6. Promote the station by placing links on your websites, creating an AIM instant message account for users to contact you, and simply by telling friends and family.

Tips & Warnings

• Always be aware of copyright and royalty laws. Use services such as Pandora to avoid having to provide your own music content and only use approved independent music when uploading music to you own recordings.

References

• http://www.masternewmedia.org/audio_music_publishing/internet-radio/how-to-create-your-own-web-radio-station-guide-20070314.htm

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Audacity Software
• Pandora
• Icecast
• Quicktime Streaming Server