The Best Internet Radio Stations
Despite the increasing number of music fans who turn to streaming services like Apple Music, Spotify, and Pandora, the broadcast format is by no means dying. Offering listeners hand-selected singles from the cutting edge of music, radio DJs continue to be among the most important purveyors of new sonic trends. It may sound old school, but instead of pumping your favorite band into an algorithm, try tuning in to one of the best internet radio stations from around the planet.
Here’s our list of the best radio stations that are streaming online. For access to live streams, simply click the name of the station and listen via its website. Looking for something a bit more on-demand? We’ve got you covered there, too. We can help you pick the best music streaming service, find the best new music each week, and offer a roundup of our favorite Spotify playlists for your listening pleasure. We’ve even got a list of our favorite songs to work to in multiple genres to get you through that day job with ease.
KEXP 90.3 FM — Seattle
Seattle’s best public radio station, a partnership between the University of Washington and Paul Allen’s Experience Music Project, highlights the best new alternative music from around the globe. Best known for its live studio sessions, KEXP is often among the first major media outlets to showcase up-and-coming bands, making it a great place to hear new music before all of your Spotify-loving friends.
Download it now for:
Android iOS
KCRW 89.9 FM — Santa Monica, California
An NPR member station based out of the Santa Monica College campus, KCRW was founded in 1945 to train ex-servicemen in the then-emerging technology of radio. Now, it’s just a great place to find emerging music. Creators of the famed Morning Becomes Eclectic radio program, a show that highlights new music and live performances from talented indie artists, KCRW is an excellent place to hear well-curated musical selections, as well as to catch up on national news.
Download it now for:
iOS Android
XRAY.fm KXRY 107.1 FM — Portland, Oregon
Portland’s most acclaimed independent radio station serves up the sounds of the city’s popular underground music scene to a global audience. A crowdfunded station formed in 2012, XRAY offers a varied selection of music and progressive talk radio programming, and has been broadcasting around the clock for nearly two years now thanks to the help of nearly 70 part-time DJs.
Download it now for:
iOS Android
Dublab — Los Angeles
Dublab is an internet-only broadcast that showcases the cutting edge of the DJ universe five days a week. The station also offers each live show for download via its website. With a rotating cast of all-star DJs that includes world-renowned heavyweights like Daedelus, Teebs, Flying Lotus, and more, dublab is among the best streams on earth for fans of emerging beat music.
Download it now for:
iOS
KUTX 98.9 FM — Austin, Texas
Owned and operated by the University of Texas in Austin, KUTX showcases a range of genre-specific programming, from indie and pop to disco, Latin, and other genres. It’s an eclectic mix of shows, but they are each extremely vibrant and well-curated, making it an excellent place to find something new and unexpected.
Download it now for:
Android iOS
WFMU 91.1 FM — Jersey City, New Jersey
WFMU is the granddaddy of them all. The longest-running independent radio station in the U.S. is also one of the best internet radio stations on the web. This listener-funded station offers a free-form variety of eclectic shows that are sure to provide something for everyone. Such free-form formatting can a blessing and a curse, as some hours will prod listeners to tune in elsewhere.
Download it now for:
iOS Android
BBC Radio 6 — United Kingdom
When it launched in 2002, BBC Radio 6 became the first new station created by the BBC in more than three decades. A digital-only channel that focuses on alternative music from all over the globe, Radio 6 plays everything from guitar music to dance, jazz, and soul cuts.
Download it now for:
iOS Android
WWOZ 90.7 FM — New Orleans
For those who aren’t lucky enough to live in the Big Easy, WWOZ offers up the sounds of its fair city to the world, showcasing New Orleans’ famed jazz, soul, bounce, and R&B each day. The station’s selections center largely around the jazz tradition — which is still alive and well in the city — providing an amazing look inside one of the world’s most interesting and storied sonic universes.
Download it now for:
iOS Android Blackberry
WQXR 105.9 FM — New York
Among the finest — and most listened-to — classical radio stations in the world, New York’s WQXR is also one of the oldest FM stations in the world. It’s among the best internet radio stations as well. Showcasing the best of composers new and old, it’s an excellent place to tune into when looking for some serious music for work or study. It’s also the perfect pairing for that nice bottle of red wine you have stashed away.
Download it now for:
iOS Android
KUSF 90.3 FM — San Francisco
The extremely varied sounds of the Bay Area are best explored on KUSF, the University of San Francisco’s radio station. A glimpse of the region that delves deep into the complex communities that have thrived there for decades, KUSF’s programming is overtly Californian, providing listeners with warm-weather jams they’ll be hard-pressed to find elsewhere.
Download it now for:
iOS Android
Berlin Community Radio — Berlin
The cutting edge of Europe’s hippest city can be explored via Berlin Community Radio, which showcases the latest in underground music from Europe and beyond. Listeners tired of searching blogs for new sounds will almost certainly find their latest muse on these internet airwaves.
Listen here:
Mixcloud
Radio Free Brooklyn — Brooklyn, New York
A community radio station that’s run out of the basement of a bike shop in (you guessed it) Brooklyn, New York, Radio Free Brooklyn offers interesting independent programming, with a variety of interesting talk and music shows to take you through your day the Brooklyn way.
Download it now for:
iOS Android
NTS Radio — London
Founded in 2011 by Boiler Room co-creator Femi Adeyemi, NTS Radio offers a massively diverse selection of live and prerecorded music, in a variety of genres, that is often curated by some of the most influential artists in the world. More than 200 hosts regularly appear on the station, whose slogan is “Don’t Assume.” Famed artists who have curated content for NTS Radio include Thurston Moore, Gilles Peterson, Peanut Butter Wolf, Floating Points, and more.
Listen here:
NTS
Radio Musical De Cuba — Havana
There’s nothing more fun and energizing than the sounds of Cuban music, and there is no better place to hear it than Radio Musical De Cuba, a Havana-based station featuring an assortment of constantly streaming Cuban sounds. Grab a cigar and a glass of rum, and prepare to enjoy the sounds of one of the world’s most interesting musical cultures.
Listen here:
CMBF
Cinemix
Cinemix is an all-soundtrack station that exclusively plays songs from film and television. A listener-supported station that broadcasts from Toronto, the station highlights the excellent works of iconic film composers like John Williams, Hans Zimmer, and more.
Download it now for:
iOS Android
BBC World Service
The BBC’s new worldwide arm provides up-to-date coverage of notable events around the globe, as well as interesting interview, travel, and sports segments. Fans of global politics will love the matter-of-fact way in which the BBC covers those topics.
Listen here:
BBC
