As mentioned in a previous article there are free tools available to broadcast on the internet. In this article we will address some other available tools that will produce a more automated and professional broadcast as well as some basics you need to offer an online radio station.

My research has shown that Sam Broadcaster, an internet broadcasting software, appears to be the favored way to to broadcast internet radio. Another widely used software is Icecast. There are many other software solutions available but I will reference Sam broadcaster.

The first and most important thing you need is legally obtained music. A minimum of 48 hours of music is recommended so your listeners don't hear the same music over and over everyday. Legal music consists of music ripped from cd's you own or purchased and downloaded from sites like Itunes. If you intend on having a lot of listeners you will need to get stream hosting as well.

Assuming you have the referenced software you can now stream like a professional radio station. The set up is very straight forward. Your station can auto dj, it automatically mixes and plays your music with no interaction from you. It fades your music in and out at the beginning and end of each song. You can add freely available scripts that play your station id, jingles, or commercials at intervals you select. Additionally you can choose to dj manually and play the songs of your choice in the order you want as long as you adhere to licensing guidelines.

The use of the microphone is available in both instances. It will lower the music volume and raise the microphone volume allowing you to talk even when the music is playing. This is useful if you have a brief message to say between songs. Use of a high quality microphone is recommended for truly professional sounding results.