How to Use LAUNCHcast
Launchcast is a service provided by Yahoo! and CBS Radio that allows you to play music while you're doing other things, like playing games, checking stocks or even writing articles. Using it is simple and takes only moments. By the time you're done, you'll have all the tools you need to play your favorite songs.
- Difficulty:
- Easy
Instructions
-
-
1
Navigate to Yahoo! If you want to listen to your favorite genre of music, maybe even find new artists and songs you want to hear, go to Yahoo.com and click on "Music."
-
2
Start listening to music. Go to where it says "Radio" on the top of the screen. It is right below where it says "Y! Music Beta." It's the third column from the left. Pull down that menu and select "Radio Station Guide."
-
3
Choose a station or have Yahoo! pick a station for you. Either click on "Start Listening" or pick any of the top 15 stations and click on "Play Station." Don't worry if your favorite station isn't on the list. There are over 250 stations on Launchcast. Once the station loads for the first time, you can switch stations by pressing the "+" key next to the genre you want to listen to, then you have your choice literally of dozens of different stations in each genre. You can also stream music from a particular station in any of over 30 cities nationwide owned by CBS Radio by listening to this station. Select the city for which station you want, then picking the station you want.
-
4
Alter the music you hear. Unlike normal radio stations, you can actually help influence what songs you listen to on the station. Below each song is a five-star rating system. If you rate a song using this, the collective data is sent to tell the DJs what songs are well liked and which ones need to go.
-
5
Pause or skip a song. All you have to do is press the "Pause" button, and you can pause the song while it's playing. If you want to skip a song, press the button with the arrow and bar next to it. You can only skip five songs per hour, so use these wisely when a song you really can't stand is on.
-
6
Learn about a song or artist. You can actually learn more about a song, album or artist by clicking on the album in the middle of your screen. What information will be given is your Rhapsody Rating, top tracks and albums by this artist. Click on any of those to learn more. If you select a song from "Top Tracks," it will play via Rhapsody -- you are limited to 25 songs per month without a subscription to their service, so be sure you want to hear the song before you click on it.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Playing any of over 250 stations is just one of many things that Launchcast has to offer -- you can play videos, listen to live concerts, check out what's new in music or just reminisce with your classic favorites. Internet Radio is a great way to learn about new bands and songs that you would never hear on terrestrial or satellite radio, and to hear about great new trends in music.
If you've never played music through Launchcast before, you may have to download a small program that lets the machine gain access to your Windows Media Player. This is not a big deal, and you should be listening to music inside of 5 minutes. Also, If it says "Please wait for the page to load," you may be clicking too fast. Give the song a chance, you might be surprised.
