Internet Radio, also referred to as Online Radio, is the new worldwide hip alternative to traditional AM/FM radio. In this article we will discuss the reasons why and how to listen to radio online.

The increasing popularity of online radio is largely a result of advertisers and marketers stronger use of todays chart-topping songs to increase brand awareness for new phones, automobiles, clothes, household products, travel destinations, and almost all consumer products. Its become relatively easy for anyone to start and run their own online radio station. Users can easily setup personal and commercial radio stations through such leading companies as Live365 and SHOUTcast. Many of the successful online radio owners are able to make a substantial amount of cashflow from their operations.

More than two-thirds of Americans now have access to the Internet and a large majority of the recent growth occurs in the workplace. Nearly eighty-percent of the Americans with Internet access use the Internet each week. Internet radio offers users the ability to listen to radio, tv shows, talk shows, new music without missing a beat. Why sit at your desk for eight hours listening to your co-workers radio when you can listen to radio online?

Free Listens vs Monthly Fee
There can be several drawbacks while listening to radio online with the biggest complaint being the excessive advertising that comes with the online radio players. Some players have annoying pop-ups, pop-unders, banner ads, audio ads, video ads, and just about any other online ad medium available. These added components are often necessary to foot the legal and licensing bills, royalty payments to artists, and provide the music free of charge to end users. The ad frequency and length varies among all radio players but is unavoidable nonetheless.

While there are numerous ways to listen to radio online, its best accomplished if you know specifically what you want to achieve from your music listening experience By charging a monthly fee ranging from $4.95 to $14.95, online radio stations are able to offer subscribers an ad-free listening experience. While XM Radio and Sirius Radio are seemingly the most rapidly growing radio stations on the planet, users can save money by taking advantage of the ability to listen to radio online.

Listen for your style of Online Radio
One great way to pick a good online radio player or station is to know what style of music you are most interested in listening. Its a fact that some radio stations have a larger song selection than others when it comes to certain styles of music. Another great factor that will help in your quest to listen to radio online is to being aware of the enviornment in which you listen to your online radio. You may find that some radio stations and features will work very well at home when the computer processor usage is much lower than while at work or vice versa. As simple as it may sound, keeping these factors in mind will determine the quality of your online listening experience.

In part two of this series, we will cover some of the best online radio stations, pricing options, and features to look for while you listen to radio online.

Howard Britt is the owner of http://www.musicoxygen.com the site for free music downloads from major and independent music artists. Give your ears a breath of fresh air and listen to free music now.