Check back here often, as I will be adding lots of interesting stuff. I wrote this first article on Internet music by popular request from some of my clients.

Internet music & radio

About on-line music

I won't try to make this a comprehensive list. This is just my recommendation of a few Internet music feeds that I really like.

Some are broadcast radio stations that also transmit via Internet, while others are music feeds available only on the Internet. You will of course need a music player such as RealOne Player or WinAmp, which are free to download. Windows Media Player, which comes with Windows, can also play many stations. Live 365 gives you an option of loading their own player, Player365, and it works very well. It has the added benefit of a drop-down list of all your Live 365 Preset station choices, which is the reason I use it.

Remember that the quality of music feed is directly affected by the speed of your Internet connection. If you're on dial-up, then don't choose a feed meant for DSL. If you're on a high-speed connection, e.g. DSL, cable or good company network, then you'll have plenty of choice.

Live 365

Live 365 is a great site. It offers hundreds of Internet music feeds that they call Internet Radio Broadcasts. Most of these are not actually radio stations, but are playlists set up by amateur DJs. They bill themselves as "The world's largest network of independently-produced audio content".

Their database allows you to specify the genres of music you want to hear, and it will list the "stations" that play that sort of music. You can listen without registering, but there is a big advantage to registering (which is free): once registered, you can create "Presets", a personal list of your favourite stations. Then when you log in you can access your Presets and click the one you want to play.

With the variety of stations, sound quality varies. Some stations have very good sound quality (particularly if you have high-speed Internet) while others are lower quality. One I often listen to has obscure 1920's jazz and the sound quality is often poor, but then the original source recordings may be rough. In spite of its poor sound, the quality and rarity of the music more than compensate.

One annoyance with this service is pop-under ad windows. But then, they have to pay for this service somehow.

Museum of Musical Instruments

MoMI has extensive playlists, and sound quality is generally excellent. As with other sites, first choose the speed of your Internet connection. Obviously a high-speed connection enables you to access higher-quality music streams. With MoMI you choose from various playlists, or you can create your own playlist by selecting individual songs. If you like your playlist you can save it to your computer (saves the list and settings, not the actual music files) and access it any time by double-clicking it.

Addendum: MOMI has begun charging for its service. This seems to be a sign of the times, as many of the most extensive music sites are now fee based.

KCSM-FM

KCSM-FM is a broadcast FM radio station in San Mateo, California. It plays great jazz. This station and other public jazz radio stations (no advertising) are available from the National Public Radio Jazz web site.