Some listeners - myself included - didn't really discover internet radio until they ditched their dial-up connections and embraced broadband. For people with 56k modems there is limited listening choices but for broadband users the choice is absolutely huge and sound quality is no longer an issue. Literally a whole world of musical experiences has opened up for underground audiences poorly served by FM radio over the years. It's an especially brilliant way to hear new music - or at least music that's new to you.

Many streams are net-only enterprises run by fans for free and they survive on donation, such as Groovera (formerly OverXposure FM) and the iconic Soma FM . The larger operations often charge a modest subscription fee for access to their highest quality ad-free streams and among those are some very good ambient/downtempo stations with decent quality free streams such as Radio iO and Digitally Imported.

The worst of the commercial operators - like Radio Free Virgin and Live 365 - provide free low-quality streams that literally bombard you with cheesy ads for retailers and hard sell promos for themselves until you either tune-out in disgust or part with your cash to gain ad-free subscription service. Ads are fine; but bad ads are intolerable. The sales model being used by such operators exploits this, assuming radio ads are bad by nature and thus using them as a negative tool to drive listeners to subscribe. They have clearly learnt nothing from the mistakes of advertising on free-to-air commercial radio. Not the future of webcasting, one hopes.

Some media players come with an extensive list of links to internet radio stations. The best example I can think of is Winamp. Download and install the full free player (avoid the Lite version) and you'll find a massive catalogue of radio streams already listed in its Media Library which is regularly updated. You just click on the station link you want and the player takes care of the rest.

If you really want to explore net radio avoid the Apple iTunes media player. It has only a token station directory which Apple never promotes or talks about because, let's face it, they want you listening to music you've bought from their download store, not discovering other provider's music streams. Another point against the player is that doesn't stream the bandwidth-friendly aacPlus format.

Gripes aside, it seems that in the first decade of the third millennium we are living in internet radio's golden age. The safe formulas, repetitiveness and celebrity obsessions of commercial radio are only a natural product of the demands of the mass audience it serves. That will never change. By comparison internet radio is young and remains by and large an uncluttered and untamed beast. Enjoy the ride...

STATION LIST A-Z

Bluemars: Bluemars - Home to three wonderful streams programmed by the mysterious Lone, based in southern France. The main Bluemars channel is exquisite ambient music for the space traveler, usually beaty but deep and airy too. Staples include Biosphere, The Orb and Jon Jenkins.

Bluemars: Cryosleep - The Cryosleep Channel is totally beatless and fairly melodic with staples including Liquid Mind, Steve Roach and Jonn Serrie.

Bluemars: Voices From Within - The Voices From Within channel plays exotic ambient vocals and chants from across the ages and around the world.

Buzzout Room - Streaming from Canada this is a smart blend of melodic, chilled downbeats mixing vocal numbers and instrumentals.

Calmscape - Consistently accessible ambient pop and lounge, easy on the ear but never bland.

Chillside - Maintained by 3 Canadian DJ's and playing a fairly varied mix - ambient, downtempo, house, progressive trance and atmospheric drum 'n' bass.

Chill Zone One - Programmed by DJ Dot and part of the massive IAC internet radio collective that supports independent music.

Digitally Imported Chillout - One of the most popular net-only radio services focused on electronica, club and club-related music. The Chillout channel is lush, melodic and mostly rhythmic with lots of psychedelic flavours grounded in trance, dub and classic Berlin ambient.

Digitally Imported Ambient - The Ambient channel is more experimental, abstract and quieter than the Chillout channel, more "ambient" in the classic sense.

Digitally Imported Lounge - The Lounge channel plays songs and instrumentals on the house, dub, jazz-soul and Balearic tips.

Groovera: Ambient Popsicle - Net radio based in Seattle USA and streaming three channels. Ambient Popsicle emphasises downtempo vocal tunes.

Groovera: Jet City Lounge - Jet City Lounge mixes emphasises warm and loungey instrumentals.

Groovera: Low Mercury - Low Mercury emphasises spacey ambient techno, trance and bleepier sounds.

HBR.1 Dream Factory - Dancefloor-related ambience on the techy, psy-trance and electro tips, with plenty of long mixed DJ sets.

IcebergRadio.org Chill Channel - A broad mix from trip hop and lounge to ambient techno and downtempo indie pop/rock.

Monkey Radio - Excellent station with an emphasis on the funky end of downtempo - nu jazz, trip hop, lounge, etc - or as they like to describe it "grooving, sexy beats".

ND Lounge - ambient and downtempo from a wide range if Indie artists.

OEM Radio - This outstanding station run by San Francisco-based label/promoter Dub Beautiful Collective deftly bridges the world of experimental beats with tonal/melodic sounds. I find it fresh, engaging, forward-looking ambient radio that doesn't wallow in the harshness, abrasions and glitchy sounds associated with the electronic avant-garde.

Radio iO Ambient - Intelligent downtempo with lots of exotic dub - not surprising seeing as it's hosted by Forest, founder of ambient dub label Waveform Records and producer of the long-running Musical Starstreams FM radio show.

Radio iO Beat - This channel used to focus on uptempo house, breaks and progressive club music, but now the format is more club-influenced donwtempo and other accessible beats-based chill music.

Radio Set Gregorian - 24 hour Gregorian chant stream. That's it basically. Perfect music before going to bed.

Stillstream - Lots of ambient techno, environmental music and deep drifting sounds in the classic ambient vein. Among the long sections of uninterrupted music are some actual shows hosted by knowledgeable announcers.

Soma FM - Ten fantastic ad-free stations in all, with Space Station Soma, Beat Blender, Groove Salad, Drone Zone, Illinois St Lounge and Secret Agent the ones of most interest to downtempo fans. Illinois St Lounge is as camp as Christmas and Secret Agent is also hilarious with its selection of groovy retro lounge, soundtracks and nu jazz bridged with dialogue samples from James Bond films.

X-Eption Chill - eclectic channel run by French musician Johannes Roussel at artist community site Soundclick.com.

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