Everyone knows the song Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles. As soon as television came along no one wanted to sit and listen to someone tell stories or play music when they could watch it come to life on a screen.
Almost 70 years after the invention of the television, the Internet came into play. With the help of this new online world, the radio has slowly been reviving itself. There are now millions of online radios and it is becoming quite a trend to simply pull one up on your screen instead of fiddling around with multiple CDs.
With so many different stations it’s pretty easy to find a favourite station. Whether it’s the music they play or just the set up of the site, there’s something for everyone. My personal favourite is www.pandora.com.
Pandora is set up much like a search engine. It’s made for those who have very particular taste in music. The first step is to type a favourite band or song title. Pandora then creates a personalized radio station based on the information you gave them. The station is made up of a play-list of songs that are similar to the original you typed in. From that point on its up to you to let Pandora know what you like and what you don’t like until the play-list is perfected. It may sound time consuming, but really it’s quick and effortless.
Radio Paradise (www.radioparadise.com) is another popular online radio "station". However, unlike most online radio stations, Radio Paradise is not supported by advertising. In fact, they pride themselves on being anti-advertising. This radio site is 100 per cent listener supported. Although the station is free to listen to, those who enjoy it often donate money to keep the station running.
Along with playing a constant flow of rock music, the station often puts on contests to encourage donations. The current contest is for a week-long vacation in Hawaii.
www.vigrinradio.co.uk is a European-based radio station funded by the record company, Virgin Records. Although this radio station may not be as popular or as well know as the first two, it holds its own when it comes to good music. From The Rolling Stones to Razorlight, www.virginradio.co.uk plays anything that can be considered rock.
This modern radio comeback is a notable mark in the development of the Internet, but don’t need to hear a song about it.
