How To Start Your Own Internet Radio Station

Starting your own internet radio station does not require you to be an expert to broadcast your talents to the world. Are you aspiring to be a DJ, a talk show host or sports presenter?  Anyone can now start their own internet radio station, from anywhere. We are here to provide you with some pointers on how you can kickstart your radio station. 

Define Your Objectives 

Different radio stations deliver different type of content. The first step to setting up your internet radio station is to define the objectives of your station. Whether you want to become a famous DJ, run the station as a business, run a non-profit radio station for a charity, school or church, share your music collection or share your passion for sports and talk with the world – your objectives are valid, and defining these objectives is the first step to creating your radio station. This will define the direction and how much input you put into setting up your internet radio station.

Define Your Audience 

Now, you are clear as gold on why you want to start an internet radio. The next step is to define your target audience. Your target audience determines the type of content you deliver. If your content is music, it will determine the genre of the music you play. If your content type is talk, it will determine what topics to talk about on your station – whether it’s sports, current affairs or more. According to statica.com, 52% of the respondents aged between 16-19 years preferred pop music compared to their counterparts. Classic rock was popular for 45 – 54-year-old age groups, so defining your target audience ensures that you are delivering the right content to the right audience.

Choose Your Internet Radio Software 

Now that you have defined the objectives of your station, your station genre and your target audience the next step is to find the perfect radio automation software for your internet radio station. There are currently many programmes on the market, but we encourage you to try our SAM Broadcaster Cloud, which is one of the popular internet radio station solutions on the market.  

 With SAM Broadcaster Cloud, you can have your radio station running under 10 mins. The solution comes with a host of features including: 

• The ability to automate your scheduling, keeping your station running 24/7 even when you are not around to operate it 
• Broadcasting live to your audience 
• Stream in multiple formats 
• Voice Tracking option, enabling you to record 10-minute soundbytes to your station. 
• A mobile application for Android and iPhone, allowing you to broadcast whilst on the go 

• Comes with a fully customizable hosted page 
• Geo blocking capabilities 
• Social media integration with Facebook and Twitter Integrations, which automatically posts what you are playing on your station 
• Multi DJ management, allowing multi-DJs to run shows from anywhere 
• Multi stations with shared libraries 

• Auto failover 
• A request and dedication feature which allows listeners to dedicate requests and more 

You can see in real-time how many people are listening and watching your popularity grow to online stardom. You can literally go from zero to pro in 10 minutes! 

Hardware For Your Radio Station 

A decent radio station needs good equipment. An internet radio station firstly needs a decent computer with a reliable internet connection.  

You also require a good mic and headphones for your radio station. Some of the top microphones for 2022 for radio broadcasting and podcasting are the Electro-Voice RE20 Broadcast Microphone. This microphone is a professional quality dynamic cardioid microphone with studio condenser-like performance. The Behringer B-1 Large Diaphram Microphone or condenser microphones are also good alternatives as they make your voice feel very organic and have good audio quality. 

You also require decent headphones. Noise cancelling headphones work best for broadcasting, as they block out background noise, and allow you to monitor sound quality as you broadcast.  

Get a Website 

Every credible internet radio station needs to have a website to give your listeners a platform to learn more about your station, listen to your station, and get regular updates such as upcoming shows and more. Free website builders such as WordPress and Wix are a popular choice. However, they might not come with standard radio station widgets to make it easy to get started. 

If you sign up for SAM Broadcaster Cloud, we have you covered. SAM Broadcaster cloud comes with a hosted free station player page, that is fully responsive and fully customizable, with a navigation tab that shows the station lineup, history, library, shows, chat, and the info tab which gives you the ability to track messages and dedication messages.

Get Social 

Once you have your internet radio station going, social media is a good place to keep your listeners up to date, create conversations with your listeners and get more followers. Good social platforms for radio include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok. SAM Broadcaster is fully integrated with Twitter and Facebook, and you can automatically post what’s playing on your radio station. 

Ensure You Are Covered For Royalties 

Compliance is important in running an internet radio station, so if you are playing licensed music, make sure you are paying royalty fees for the music you are playing. The rules vary from country to country and a lot of the time, they depend on the size of your station. Although SAM Broadcaster Cloud does not provide licensing, and royalty payments are not included as part of your subscription, our system allows you to generate royalty reports for your stations, that you can use for royalty payments. Alternatively, you can explore using free music.  

You can read more on royalty payments by clicking here. 

Common Questions About Starting Your Own internet Radio Station 

Do I need to have a studio when starting a radio station? 

No, you don’t need a dedicated studio. It’s a nice to have, but not required. To start an internet radio station, you mainly need a computer, a stable connection and a quiet place for broadcasting. This means you can even broadcast from your bedroom. Once your radio station grows, you can consider having a dedicated studio. 

Is running a radio station a full-time job? 

With automated radio software on the market like SAM Broadcaster Cloud, your station can run 24/7 without human intervention.  This means you can plan your shows ahead, and schedule your music, ads, jingles and radio interviews. However, to make your station more social, and to also create a human connection with your listeners, it is advisable to also have live broadcasts on some days. This means you can run a internet radio station as a hobby, or as a secondary business.  

But I don’t have content, how do I get started? 

We are surrounded by content, so it’s important to define what you want to broadcast. This way, you will be able to find the correct resources to get your content. If you are looking at playing music, they are lots of resources you can find music from. For free music, a good place to start is here.  

Hopefully, this has cleared a few things up for you. Starting an internet radio station has become easier over time, and we are glad to show anyone the ropes. Got a question about starting your own internet radio station? Contact our team today for further guidance.