Some of My Favorite Free Music Streams...

I am a music addict. I always have to have something going on in the background or at full blast. I love getting turned onto new music or just toe-tap to a golden oldie. Although I have a decent size library of music, it gets a little old some times and I want to tune into something new. This is where I launch iTunes and bring up some of my favorite streams.

I have to start off with the one that tune into the most and have a lot of respect for; Radio Paradise. Bill Goldsmith is a pioneer in many ways on the net. He built out KPIG's web site and streaming. Just before he left KPIG, he started up his own streaming station and moved to Paradise California. Hence the name. To use an over-used word, the music is eclectic. Rock, Blues, Folk, World, etc. The way I like it.

Bill has a zillion different streams to pick, from 31 to 192 Kb/s and WinMedia to MP3, depending on what you are using to listen to it on.

Speaking of KPIG, there are a number of Americana streams to pick up out there. Another old friend, Felton Pruitt has a site called FAT Music Radio. The music hearkens back to the station that was the predecessor to KPIG and where Felton worked, KFAT. KFAT defined Americana radio and the music.

Roger Coryell (another good friend from my broadcast days) has a site called Twang City that falls into the Americana camp but with a bit more "Twang" to it. You just have to tune in to see what that means.

I mentioned earlier that I love getting turned on to new music and tapping my toes to the oldies. At Beyond the Beat Generation I get to do both. They have the more arcane selection of underground and pop of the later half of the sixties.

Aural Moon picks up were Beyond the Beat Generation leaves off. Dedicated to progressive music from the sixties on toward the current day. You can bump into Brand X, Genesis, Gentile Giant, King Crimson, Yes and the more arcane artists of the progressive movement.

Then there is the point I just need to chill and the best place to do that is at SomaFM. Over the years Rusty Hodge has been putting extraordinary effort into developing the streams that makes this place the reference for trance, ambient, electronica and lounge streaming. Perfect for those late nights when you want something to listen to as you head off to join Little Nemo in Slumberland.

All of the streams I mentioned above are only available on the web. They are "listener sponsored" so they don't get the big bucks from commercial institutions. Streaming uses bandwidth and power, that they need to pay for. Throw them a buck if you can. Some of the sites get some kick back from places like Amazon if you follow the links to buy a CD. This is also a good way to help them out.

Later, I will write about terrestrial stations (AM/FM) streams that you should check out.