Online radio is just one more miracle of Internet technology. Like regular radio stations, Internet radio provides the ability to reach broad audiences cheaply. But unlike regular radio, Internet radio includes the ability to add visual elements such as pictures, text, and links to the listening experience.

Internet radio avoids the common pitfalls of traditional radio broadcasting: there are no physical limitations on broadcast range and sound quality can be precisely controlled. To listen to Internet radio all you need is a computer equipped with a sound card, speakers and software designed to play audio data. Most computers now come with the hardware and software to get you listening immediately.

There is no begining nor end to the Internet radio dial. There are simply hundreds of thousands of choices online for radio programming. But where Internet radio does differ with conventional radio is in the cost.

To broadcast on the Internet a radio station owner has to “stream” their broadcast sound via a web server. Streaming takes a great deal of bandwidth — and bandwidth is the primary expense of anyone running a website.

Bandwidth is the traffic of data that travels back and forth on the Internet. The more data, the higher the bandwidth. The higher the bandwidth, the greater the cost. If a station has to stream audio to say, just 10 users, it may not take all that much bandwidth. But if a station is popular and has thousands of listeners it would take extraordinary amounts of hardware and bandwidth to sustain the stream.

That is why you will find many different kinds of radio online. Some limit users to a specific level — say, 100 users at a time. Some limit the time you can listen to them. Others offer a subscription that remove all limits. And still others sell advertising to offset the cost of online broadcasting. For many, the convenience and variety that online radio offers is well worth the additional cost.

Live 365 is likely the largest online provider of radio programming. Their VIP packages run between $3.50 and $6.00 per month and offer CD quality sound and reduced levels of commercial interruption. The VIP membership also doubles the access to online stations from 5,000 to 10,000 unique radio broadcasts available 24 hours a day.

But costs generally will vary, depending upon who hosts the radio stream and why they are broadcasting. For example, many tradtional radio stations offer online channels with their regular signal at no cost to the listener. Their streaming costs evidently are supported from existing station revenues.

For lovers of Christmas music and programming, Internet radio provides an excellent alternative for on-demand listening of Christmas music — even in the heat of summer. Our purpose here at Merry Christmas Radio is to help you find it!