Update:There is a better way: www.engineeringradio.us/blog/2011/03/tunein-radio/
Ahh, since I posted about my android, a few readers have emailed me and would like to know. If you have tried to stream audio using a smartphone web browser, you have found out that it simply doesn’t work. The web browser is unable to decode the radio station stream because most of them are in AAC, AAC+, HeAACv1 or some other codec. At this point, most people give up on the idea and move on. I, on the other hand, determined that it should be doable.
First, I attempted to down load a few apps, but they either crashed or didn’t do what I wanted or weren’t in the right language, or something.
Clear Channel has something called iHeartRadio, which is a clearing house for mobile users that want to listen to Clear Channel radio streams on their iPhones. I don’t know, once you have heard one Kiss-FM station, you’ve heard them all as far as I am concerned. Most other Clear Channel programming is boring and uninspired.
What I finally ended up doing was going to Moodio and reading up on a few things. Here is a good step by step way to use Moodio to listen to radio station web streams on any mobile device.
- Be aware that not all data plans are the same. ATT, Sprint, and others now cap data transfer and charge extra if a subscriber goes over. Know your plan.
- On a regular computer, go to Moodio (http://www.yourmuze.fm/)
- Set up a user account
- Select from there list, the stations you want to listen to. They have many US stations as well as many from Europe. If the station you are looking for is not there, you can request that it be added.
- Select the default data rate. Since I have unlimited data, I chose the highest rate for the best sounding audio. Others may want lower data rates so as not to exceed data caps.
- Point your mobile device web browser to www.m.yourmuze.fm
- Log into your account
- The stations on your listen list will be displayed.
That is a lot of steps to take. Somebody has to be very into radio or a radio station to do something like that. A forward thinking radio station or group will be writing or paying somebody to write mobile streaming apps for their stream(s). A forward thinking radio station or group would then feature links to these apps prominently on their web pages. Very prominently if they are in a PPM market. Ahem, very prominently if they are in a PPM market.
That is what a forward thinking radio station would be doing…
I love competition and always have. The “forward thinking” radio station of today is in a very small minority. Lee Iaccoca’s book tells the true story. Internet radio will be interesting to watch and will fragment listener-ship further, but when the big money is gone, the CC’s of the world will throw in the towel. Then there will be hope for some new ‘old-fashioned’ broadcasters with new ideas. The complexity of audio codecs and lack of standards will baffle the masses, and as you say, they will probably “give up”. This is why conventional domestic broadcasting still has a good chance of remaining viable. When Bubba signed the Telecom Act of 1996, he did a great dis-service to the broadcasting industry. This Act had good and bad contained in it, but overall was somewhat disappointing as to broadcasting looking back. The cellular carriers I believe, will eventually capitalize on a bean counter mentality of byte counting and the American citizen will pay much more to receive his or her programming. The era of free reception of commercial broadcast signals could eventually be threatened and then commercial broadcasting would no longer be one of the “best things in life”.
John, the pay/cable TV model has shown that people will pay for something if they think it’s worth it or don’t have an alternative. I don’t think anybody cares whether that is internet radio, Terrestrial radio, satellite radio or what have you. Terrestrial radio has many, many advantages in this fight; radios are universal, they are easy to operate and free. Terrestrial radio’s great disadvantage is ownership’s entrenched mindset that Pandora, et. al. is not really competition, and junk programming loaded with crappy commercials is just fine. If terrestrial (traditional) radio is to survive they need to wake up, start dealing with new media, using it as a way advertise their over the air signals, attract new, younger listeners, offer better programming. In short, traditional radio ownership need to get off their fat, stupid, lazy asses and get back in the game.
Awesome!!!! can’t thank you enough for this, hopefully it’s going to be an app in the future because I cant multitask while listening, however, as long as I can listen to my Israeli music while driving I’m happy.