So, without further delay, let us get into it. Although not a prerequisite, I give extra credit if the station is commercial-free, includes song/artists meta data, and responds to my questions.
It turns out the station did not have the required license to stream in the USA. I had composed a lengthy, glowing review about a standout country music station in the UK, only to find it unavailable one day when I tried to tune it. This very thing happened to me for this article. The last thing I want to do is recommend a station that streams intermittently or stops streaming altogether. I listen to each recommended station for hours during different times of the day over the course of several weeks, not just because I enjoy the stations, but to personally verify their streams are reliable. The main reason I do not post Recommended Station articles more often is they are very time consuming. In almost every case this comes down to the station’s format. Second, there must be something special, unique, or unusual about the station that makes it especially appealing. I explore this subject in more detail toward the end of this article, so please be sure to read all the way through to the end. Sound quality is subjective, but in the case of Internet stations, the sound quality of any given station is only as good as its source material and the station’s streaming bit rate and audio codec (I identify each recommended station’s bit rate and codec in bold along with its location). Most Internet stations do, but some sound better than others. What exactly does “recommended station” mean?Īllow me a moment to review the criterion for an Internet station to earn the coveted “Tech Rap Recommended” badge. I do not just cruise down the Internet radio station aisle randomly tossing stations into my shopping cart.įirst and foremost, the station must sound good.