Whether you just want to provide your friends with a personalized stream of music or you want to share with the world a genre of music you love and have expertise in, it is easy and somewhat inexpensive to start up your own Internet Radio station that sounds as good as the "big boys".

Today, with flexible personal broadcasting using your own computer, along with independent web-based streams, you can enjoy distinct privileges those were once limited to a small percentage of people. Thanks to the Internet and the latest technologies, today a die-hard music aficionado can well become a broadcaster, a DJ, or a Program Director, playing his/her broadcast to the world! On the other hand, if you are truly inspired to begin a Internet-based Radio station that operates for the purpose of profit and generating revenue, you can chose from a number of Internet broadcasting products which allows you to quickly start your own Internet-based radio station, only with a computer and a dial-up connection. To sum it up, the Internet today provides you with several approaches to web casting. Whether you are an amateur simply interested in sharing your CD collection with friends or intend to set up a professional broadcast, your choosing one particular approach of an Internet radio station depends on your objectives.

There are excellent options for the novice which require very little technical knowledge, and the most common and user-friendly among those being Live365. The premiere provider of independent web-based streams, Live365 (otherwise known as web Radio or webcasting) lets you flirt around with your music, while it makes easy for listeners across the globe to hear your broadcast. Acting as your “transmitter”, allowing infrastructure for thousands of audio streams, Live365 lets you gather your MP3 files, upload them to your space, decide how they will play and then start your broadcast. Available in a host of price packages, Live365 lets you arrange a live broadcast in addition to the “On Demand Audio” option. Besides, Live365.com also offers several more upgrades for "Serious Personal Broadcasters" including more storage space and the ability for more listeners to listen at the same time in both "On Demand" and "Live/Relay" mode. If you intend to immerse yourself in the peacefulness and power of the greatest composers of the western world, or simply want to blow your mind with a whole new world of music, with Live365, your music is archived and available at any time for listeners.

On the other hand, for those who are serious about generating revenue from their Internet radio station, there is the “Pro Broadcasting” option from Live365, along with a special "tuner" or pop-up Player Window, that gives a more customized "look and feel” to your broadcast.

What about other Cheap Personal Broadcasting options? It’s a fact that not everyone can pay the fees for Live365, though it is the most revolutionary tool over the net to create your own broadcast. However, for the budget-conscious music-buffs, there are a handful of cost-effective options, the most popular among those being the “Pirate radio”. The epitome of user-friendly and inexpensive Internet broadcasting, it puts online radio stations into the palm of the common person. Whether you are a 16-year-old teenager wishing to stream your favorite songs to your near and dear ones or a senior citizen wishing to upload a recorded show, you’ll enjoy a “never-before” simplicity with this amazing broadcasting tool.

Remember, the Internet and software technologies have revolutionized the concept of what broadcasting is evolving into. Today, for very little money, almost anyone with a reason or message can broadcast it to the world. As a result, people intending to start up their own streaming Internet Radio station are multiplying each single day. Apart from aspiring DJs of local Radio-clubs with a dream to make it big on a real broadcast service, streaming Internet Radio station is the passion with college student desirous to make extra money by programming to the students at their college or University. While an online Radio station has the ability to serve a very specific purpose, even a school district or a state may want to provide a stream with consolidated listings for school “Snow Closings” in a particular area or for the whole state. What more, if you want to spread a word about a political candidate or political agenda using recordings of the candidate’s speeches or your own recorded analysis and commentary, you can even do that with a streaming radio station in the World Wide Web! True, never before have so many people been so empowered with communication possibilities before its invention!

Lopa Bhattacharya is a content writer/developer working on websites for overseas/Indian clientele. Has worked for various corporate website projects, CD-Rom presentations, brochures, flyers and other communication materials on varied themes ranging from travel, hotel industry, photography, web design and software development to US-based clubs and network communities. Was previously an editorial associate for a news, culture and entertainment portal based on the life and times of Kolkata.

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