Internet radio is not a new invention, nor is it using the kind of technology that makes it rare. As a matter of fact, internet radio is pretty much similar to the kind of radio that you can receive with the little gadget you have sitting on your kitchen counter or attached to the dashboard of your car. Internet radio stations very often – but not always – have a brick and mortar radio station that also transmits via the airwaves. Some internet radio stations however do not use the airwaves at all and instead solely concentrate on the online medium.

It is readily apparent why internet radio would be exceedingly popular: there are now so many people moving from one state to the next and even from one city to the next, that suddenly the radio station to which they have listened for the last 10 years is no longer accessible to them. Since many of the programs are personality driven, the radio aficionado will sooner rather than lager feel deprived of the familiar programming, and to this end many radio stations have begun to also transmit their shows via internet radio. Available as free internet radio, advertisers still receive a bang for their buck – especially international chains – and radio stations will be able to rely on their online listeners to boost their numbers.

To listen to the free internet radio stations you will need to have a computer that supports MP3 technology – it now usually comes preloaded with RealAudio or Windows Media – and a DSL connection. While USA internet radio could be received via dial up, the slowness of the connection results in frequent freezing up of the sound, and conversations or music are only available in what for lack of a better term can only be considered a hiccup. Radio stations on the internet transmit with the help of streaming technology which is then decoded with your MP3 programming.

For the true blue free internet radio station aficionado there are also a variety of gadgets available that will enhance the ability to listen to the various kinds of streaming media, such as Squeezebox and even Sonowave. These days free internet radio via MSN is available for a variety of genres – and free internet radio country music as well as live internet radio with call in shows – and is more popular than ever. Many have likened this kind of radio experience to the new blogosphere online, yet instead of the written word it is the spoken word that is used.