Media For Your Online Radio Station
Starting an internet radio station is one big step, keeping it going is magical! Now that you created your own internet radio station, you might be wondering how you keep it alive with great music content. In the fast-paced world of radio, it is important to keep your station jam packed with fresh tunes to keep your audience engaged. Here is a comprehensive guide to discovering exciting new music for your station (both free and paid options).
Free-to-Use Music Sources
iPluggers
iPluggers supplies over 35,000 radio stations with the latest music in genres that you specify for airplay. When you create an account and set up your preferences, iPluggers will email you with an update on the newest releases within the genres that you choose. From there, you can log in and listen to the latest releases free of charge, then decide which you would like to download. You can browse the iPluggers archive based on genres and sub-genres.
Jamendo Music
Jamendo provides royalty free music for commercial use. Jamendo connects musicians and music lovers. It is a popular music service that allows users to stream or download music for free. On Jamendo Music, you can enjoy a wide catalog of more than 500,000 tracks shared by 40,000 artists from over 150 countries all over the world. You can stream all the music for free, download it and support the artist: become a music explorer and be a part of a great discovery experience!
Click here to learn more on how you can discover new tunes on Jamendo.
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is a popular online music platform, giving artists a platform to display their work. Users can find music by searching for specific artists, or by exploring SoundCloud’s Charts. When researching artists and songs, users will also find suggestions on the right-hand side of the page for related songs and playlists based on that artist or track.
Some songs or mixes are available for users to download free of charge; however, users must be logged in to their user accounts to do so. Creating an account is free and straightforward. An account allows you to follow your favorite artists, create playlists, upload your own content as a creator, and participate in community discussions with other users. SoundCloud has a mobile application available on iOS and Android devices for music enthusiasts on-the-go.
Noise Trade
If you are looking to download whole albums rather than single songs, you may want to consider NoiseTrade. NoiseTrade lets you download entire albums with a simple click – and it is free. Though this is not a streaming service, NoiseTrade allows you to preview tracks before you download the albums. If you like the downloaded material, you can tip the artists or share the music giving the artist extra exposure. You can find new albums by exploring by genre, top downloads, or the ‘new and notable’ and ‘trending’ sections available on the homepage.
Paid Music Sources
Paid music refers to music that needs to be bought before it can be downloaded or streamed. While free music downloads may be a great way to populate your station playlists in a cost-effective manner, more famous artists will likely be found on paid-for music sources. Please further note that broadcasting paid-for music on your station usually requires users to pay royalty fees which differ from country to country. Check with your attorney for additional details.
Bandcamp
Bandcamp is a music platform where up-and-coming artists can upload their work and be heard. Unlike free-to-use music sites, creators can make a bit of cash on Bandcamp. Though not all downloads have to be purchased, artists can enter a minimum price for their songs. If there is no minimum price, users can simply enter ‘0’ in the payment box and receive the song for free.
Bandcamp’s Homepage is a wonderful place to explore the music offerings available on the site. The homepage features useful sections that include a ‘new and notable’ section, a ‘discover’ section, as well as a ‘fan spotlight’ section. You can download single tracks in addition to full albums, and a user account is not necessary to download music.
iTunes
Apple’s digital music library is a paid platform that has millions of songs available to purchase and download. With a content library as massive as iTunes, you will undoubtedly discover brand new tracks that your listeners will love. You can find all the latest tracks, as well as the golden oldies that people still love.
Beatport
As one of the world’s largest electronic music stores, Beatport, is home to a wide collection of electronic mixes and full DJ sets that are available for purchase and download. Beatport is a helpful tool for DJs everywhere and could serve as a key resource to help fill your playlists. Many of the mixes and sets are exclusive to Beatport. It is super simple to find great tracks on the site, with the help of top 10’s, DJ charts, and new releases, and more on the homepage.
Whether it is the latest track or a background jingle, music gives life to your online radio station. Finding new music to add to your station playlists is a fantastic way of keeping your audience entertained and engaged. We hope these services help you expand your playlist horizons! If you have not yet tried our top-class internet radio automation software, sign up for a free trial of SAM Broadcaster Cloud today.
