The Most Listened To Internet Radio Station In The World...

March 8, 2002 7:53 AM

The Most Listened To Internet Radio Station In The World... is London-based Jazz FM. It's not really a Jazz station, but it plays delightful lounge music and the sound quality(Windows req.)is exceptional. And it makes a profit! What can they possibly be doing right?
posted by MiguelCardoso (25 comments total)

This really is one helluva station. The thing that they're doing right is offering superb content with minimal fuss...no registration required, and no "proprietary player" spam like you get with live365. Just click and jam!

ejazz.fm is a great jazz site too. Click on club ejazz, and check out the Blue Room mix. Absolutely killer.
posted by andnbsp at 8:01 AM on March 8, 2002

I listen to Virgin Radio during the day - a complete lack of pop, ahh..
posted by Mossy at 8:08 AM on March 8, 2002

Here's the famous Public Radio Stations thread, to avoid duplications.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 8:17 AM on March 8, 2002

(Windows req.)...?

Make that Window Media Player required (doo-doo that it is). My personal favorites for internet radio are FIP, WBUR and WOXY.

FIP (Paris) might play every kind of music on the planet; BUR (Boston) is public radio talk and WOXY (Oxford, Ohio) plays what I can still only call alternative because I don't know what else to call it. (Listened to it when in college in Cinicinnati — GO CATS!)
posted by Dick Paris at 8:20 AM on March 8, 2002

My fave has got to be SomaFM Great downtempo and ambient channels. Too bad monkeyradio.net turned into a pr0n site, that was a great one too!

Link to monkeyradio ommitted because of obvious reasons.
posted by neilkod at 8:20 AM on March 8, 2002

jazz fm, modulating from morning jazz, through lunchtime and afternoon jazz, to dinner and night-time jazz, nice!
a fine jazz spectrum.
posted by asok at 8:20 AM on March 8, 2002

And here's a more recent Internet Radio thread.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 8:21 AM on March 8, 2002

And dont forget Van Smack. Unfortunately, its no longer free but IMO its worth the $5/month. Premiere radio is evil.
posted by neilkod at 8:23 AM on March 8, 2002

Thanks for the link to SomaFM, neikod. I'd never heard of it before but I think I'll be listening lots in the future.

Miguel - what's the revenue model for the JazzFM? Advertising?
posted by sauril at 8:28 AM on March 8, 2002

Jazz FM had a period, shortly after getting their license, of putting out some of the best music radio programming I've heard - in particular the "Something' Else" shows late nights through the weekends, which were up there with Coldcut's "Solid Steel" shows, for those of you who like that sort of thing.

Unfortunately the money ran out and they went kind of conservative after that, though at least they've not turned into a completely US-style "Smooth Jazz" station. Not yet, anyway.

BTW Miguel - the article says that they're not making a profit, doesn't it?
posted by pascal at 8:30 AM on March 8, 2002

Sauril and pascal: to be honest, I was confused by the Financial Times article. Are they making a profit or not? I don't know. Both are implied...
posted by MiguelCardoso at 8:45 AM on March 8, 2002

I would also throw out there the marvelous WMMT, an independent public station in the hills of eastern Kentucky. Bluegrass is its mainstay, but it delves into some great old-time, new-time, even urban music - what they call "y'allternative".
posted by PrinceValium at 8:59 AM on March 8, 2002

Too bad monkeyradio.net turned into a pr0n site, that was a great one too!

The website might be down, but monkeyradio lives! Tune winamp to: http://scastsrv2.shoutcast.com:8038/
posted by gd779 at 9:03 AM on March 8, 2002

Cool, PrinceValium! I'm listening to WMMT now: Jeff Buckley from The Water Engine(found music from the trunk of a '71 Datsun 210) . Great name too. Think I'll crack open a bottle of Wild Turkey. Hey it's not 10:30 here, OK? ;)
posted by MiguelCardoso at 9:06 AM on March 8, 2002

gd779-Thank you!! Long live downtempo!
posted by neilkod at 10:56 AM on March 8, 2002

Most of my French romantic adventures had FIP as background music (late at night). It's a very good station. In fact, the entire Radio-France Web page is worth checking out: http://tv-radio.com/fr/pages/villes/radiofrance.htm
posted by ParisParamus at 11:13 AM on March 8, 2002

B.B.C Radio 2 is unbelievably cool on Saturdays. Radio 3 has an eclectic mix and is always worth exploring; it's nothing like as staid as its image suggests.
Jazz F.M though takes the biscuit. Being a hick from the sticks I had never actually heard it until I happened upon it by chance on the web a couple of years ago. Now its my station of choice. Highly recommended.
The new Radio 6 looks worth investigating too, too.Until today I hadn't realised it was going to be accessible online, so cheers Miguel without your post I wouldn't have been inclined to visit the B.B.C radio homepage and would have remained in blissful ignorance.
You can actually vote for your preference for first record to be played.
posted by Fat Buddha at 11:32 AM on March 8, 2002

Radio 6 sounds like the radio equivalent of Q magazine.
posted by Summer at 12:04 PM on March 8, 2002

Nooooooo, surely not.
I see your point, but I see it more as Uncut magazine, which may or may not be everyones cup of tea, but at least gives new blood a chance, along with the old buggers.
My first impression was similar to yours, but who would have thought Jonathon Ross would host the most innovative show on mainstream radio? And that it would be on radio 2 on a Saturday morning?
I shall continue to be hopeful until the thing actually starts.
I bet the first record is Ghost Town, not my choice I hasten to add.
posted by Fat Buddha at 12:24 PM on March 8, 2002

Is that a compliment or an insult? I like Q magazine, even if it is $8.50 an issue.
posted by aaron at 2:05 PM on March 8, 2002

Too bad monkeyradio.net turned into a pr0n site, that was a great one too!

goto www.monkeyradio.org

The .net was hijacked. Still my favorite station.
posted by vacapinta at 4:37 PM on March 8, 2002

Two of my favorite sites on the internet for music have been Betalounge, a Cali based show that airs once a week showcasing techno/hip hop djs, and Dublab, which plays all genres of music.

Just thought I'd add.
posted by daHIFI at 5:55 PM on March 8, 2002

And a blatant plug from here for two of my faves: Radio Paradise and KPIG.
posted by alumshubby at 6:41 PM on March 8, 2002

I'll put in a plug for Brazillbient Lounge.
posted by Rebis at 9:03 PM on March 8, 2002

Jazz FM lost money for years. I think it only started making a profit when Clear Channel Communications became a shareholder...
posted by kerplunk at 9:00 AM on March 10, 2002