How to Create an Internet Radio Station for Free

Internet radio is a great way to share your music and thoughts with listeners all over the world. Listeners can tune into Internet radio at any time just by launching their web browser. With Internet radio, you have the potential to reach thousands of listeners. Best of all, you can set up an Internet radio station completely free.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• MP3 files for your playlist

Getting Started

1. Go to the Resources section of this article and click the link for "Listen 2 My Radio." Create an account and verify it via email. Log in to your new account.

2. Click the "Radio Installation" link. Enter your "broadcaster password," "admin password," "radio name," and "radio url" in the appropriate fields. Click the "install" button.

3. Refresh the webpage. Choose a server from the list of links. Wait 15 to 20 minutes to get an email that reads "Radio installation is complete." Click the "Radio Details" link to get your broadcasting information.

4. Go to the "Resources" section of this article and click the link for "WINAMP" and open it in a new tab or window. Click the "Free Download" button to download and install the free version of WINAMP. Revisit the "Resources" section of this article and click the link for "WINAMP SHOUTcast Plugin." Download and install the plugin as well.

5. Launch WINAMP. Hold down the "Control" key and press "P" to open the Preferences menu. Select "DSP/Effect plug-in" category under "Plug-ins." Choose "Nullsoft SHOUTcast Source" from the list.

6. Click the "Output" tab. Copy and paste the "IP Address," "Port Information" and "Password" from your "Radio Details" webpage into the correct fields in the plug-in settings window.

7. Select the "Encoder" tab and change the encoder to "MP3 Encoder". Choose "64kbps, 22.050kHz, stereo" bitrate for your broadcast.

8. Setup your MP3 playlist in WINAMP.

9. Go back to the "Nullsoft SHOUTcast Source" preferences settings. Go to the "Output" tab and click "Connect."

10. After approximately one minute you'll be able to click the URL on your "Radio Details" webpage and start listening to your own free Internet radio station.

Tips & Warnings

• Leave the "Radio Details" window open in your web browser so you can easily copy and paste the setup information for the SHOUTcast plug-in.
• The only way people can find your radio station is by having the URL, so post it where you want to share your music: Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, etc. Make sure you have enough music and/or other mp3 files in your playlist to fill up the amount of time you want to spend broadcasting.

Resources

• Listen 2 My Radio
• WINAMP
• WINAMP SHOUTcast Plugin