There's a whole lot of good radio out there which isn't made up of soporific playlists and banal chatter but it isn't always easy to find. With this in mind, we've compiled a list of the best internet radio stations, which are guaranteed to introduce you to something fresh, whatever your tastes.

We'll keep listening and update this list regularly with the best new internet radio stations.

CKUT

I first became aware of this Montreal-based station as the home of WeFunk - a long-running, addictive soul, funk and hip-hop show, which goes out live every Friday, and is also available as a dedicated internet radio station at www.wefunkradio.com. There is, however, more to it than that: CKUT's schedules bustle with fine, alternative-leaning music programming - from jazz and ska to punk, folk and heavy metal - all of which is accessible to stream, on demand, from their website.

RTÉ Junior

It's a sad but undeniable truth that radio does not cater for children. There are only a handful of dedicated channels around the world. This lively station from the Irish national broadcaster RTÉ is one of them, and may be of interest to parents of young children seeking an alternative to the BBC's CBeebies Radio. Programmes include story-telling (Little Pages, The Cosy Corner), preschool learning (Happy Days) and a rather lovely music show called Musical Chairs.

Fip

France Inter Paris - "Fip" for short - celebrates its 45th anniversary this year, and remains one of the best moodimproving music stations on the web. Commercial free, with very little DJ chatter (beyond the news and weather), it manages to deliver a consistently surprise-springing mixture of music - from Mozart to Motown, forgotten Afrobeat songs to modern French songwriting and beyond. I've been listening regularly for over a decade, and have lost count of the number of great records that I have discovered through it.

WKSU

Johann Sebastian Bach Credit: Stock Montage,

Listeners with a penchant for quirky, original speech radio should make a weekend date with this small non-commercial station from Ohio, whose schedules are full of arresting syndicated content from some of the US's best radio-makers. Highlights include This American Life (Saturdays, 5pm), The Moth Radio Show (Saturdays, 6pm), and the TED Radio Hour (Sundays, 9pm). There's classical music every morning until 9am, and contemporary music from midnight, Monday to Friday.

Kool 97 FM

I was won over by the little station from Kingston, Jamaica, when I tuned in and heard the announcer reading out flight arrival and departure times from the local airport; a regular feature, it turns out, which never fails to deliver a vicarious travel thrill. Beyond that, the station's playlist simmers with Caribbean charm, with old favourites such as Peter Tosh, Bob Marley and Lee Scratch Perry through to new artists like Chronixx and Protoje. The station promises that half of the music it serves is reggae.

Monocle 24

Allen Toussaint Credit: Patrick Semansky

Unlike most internet-only radio stations, which are run on a shoestring budget by volunteers, and rely on music shows to fill out their schedules, Monocle 24 - the radio arm of the lifestyle magazine Monocle - is a slick operation that broadcasts several hours of original speech content every day. Pitched at a cosmopolitan, styleconscious audience, it's particularly good on travel, design and business; but also has shows focusing on everything from arts to food, and has a neat "listen again" feature.

TRP

This independent station from Toronto shot to wider attention when it scooped the Best Online Station in the USA & Canada gong at last year's International Radio Festival. Like the great WFMU in New Jersey, it runs on a freeform policy, meaning that DJs have complete creative control over their shows; and boasts a particularly beautiful website, with an iPlayeresque capacity to stream recent episodes. Highlights include Last Orders - a music show set in a fictional divebar - and the Afrobeat stylings of Amen Brother.

ESPN Radio

Singer Joan Baez in the Sixties Credit: Copyright (c) 1963 Rex Features. No use without permission./Everett/REX Shutterstock

In those moments when the Test Match coverage on Radio 4 long wave has hit a soporific low, the callers on talkSPORT have started to repeat themselves, and when BBC 5 Live is belligerently stuck in current affairs mode, ESPN Radio can always be relied upon to deliver a hot, highly-caffeinated shot of American sports discussion. Their NFL analysis is, I'm assured, among the best in the US; but, like a real radio tourist, I tune in mostly for the accents and the ads.

Radio DePaul

Consistently ranked among the top 10 college stations in the US, this lively nonprofit from Chicago's DePaul University has a lot going for it. I've been impressed by the variety of its schedule, which takes in everything from fiction (DePaul Writers' Series, Fridays, 4pm GMT) to business reports (Morning Market Report, Mondays, 2pm) to some great music - not least Skaficionados, a dedicated ska show (Saturdays, from midnight) and the jazz-and-worldmusic of Cabochon Jazz Radio (Sundays at 4pm).

James Brown Credit: VANINA LUCCHESI

ATOS

Sometimes, just the very existence of an internet radio station - the fact that someone has taken the time to put it together, and then leave it ticking along on a server - is enough to bring some cheer to even the dreariest day. That's exactly how it is with this station from the American Theatre Organ Society, which plays lilting Wurlitzer organ music of the kind that accompanied silent films in the early 20th century - and absolutely nothing else. Lovely.

MixRadio

Tony Hancock Credit: REX/George Konig

Where “digital jukebox” services such as Tidal, see right, offer mind-bending levels of choice – millions of songs – other companies are aiming for the opposite effect: one click, and a personalised radio station begins. This free multi-platform app, available on devices running the iOS, Android and Windows Phone operating systems, is as good an example of the latter approach as I’ve seen. Pros include an elegant interface, a clever music prediction system and an option to download four playlists for offline listening.

Tidal

Following its relaunch last year, this music streaming service has set itself out as different from Spotify, Apple Music, et al, in two main ways. Firstly, it’s majority owned by musicians, led by rapper Jay-Z, and promises to pay artists and songwriters a larger share of royalties than any other streaming site. Secondly, it offers CD-quality streaming for a monthly subscription of £20. Whether it’s worth such a hefty premium largely depends on your appetite for true high-fidelity sound; but it certainly delivers the goods.

XRAY.fm

Given an early boost by a Kickstarter campaign in 2013 that raised some $60k above its target, this community station from Oregon has gone on to become one of the liveliest young stations in the States. Its schedules contain everything from music for children (Greasy Kid Stuff) to hard rock (Heavy Metal Sewing Circle) to the latest West Coast releases (Borrowed Time). Unlike many internet radio stations, it also has an elegantly designed website that makes it a breeze to tune in and browse through the line-up.

Just a Minute Radio

Nina Simone

Sometimes – when the world seems to be running away with itself, when friends are hard to find, and the ironing seems to pile up with a will of its own – an episode of Radio 4’s long-running Just a Minute can have the effect of a balm on the soul. In those moments, be sure to reach for this station from Sunnyvale, California, which broadcasts archival episodes of the nearly-50-year-old panel game, and nothing else, 24/7. So you can listen with hesitation or deviation (though listen long enough and there will be repetition).

YouTube Mix

Typically, computer-generated music recommendations are about as impressive as computer-generated jokes. Not so at Google, though, where they’ve managed to create an algorithm that can stitch together long musical mixtapes with the kind of nuance, charm, and oddly perceptive choices that you’d normally expect from a real-life DJ. In order to set it in motion, search YouTube for a song that you want as a starting-off point, start it playing, and then click on the “Mix” option in the “Up next” menu to the right.

Berlin Community Radio

As arguably Europe’s hippest, most creatively energised city, it’s no surprise that Berlin has a handful of arresting internet radio stations. This one, which was recently shortlisted for the “Best European Radio Station” award from Mixcloud, is the pick of the bunch. With a strict no-playlisting policy (meaning that it’s rare to hear the same song twice) and over 100 regular shows – covering everything from old school house music to literary readings in English – it hardly ever fails to surprise.

No Shoes Radio

Programmed and maintained by the hugely popular country musician Kenny Chesney as a way of better connecting with his fans, this radio station should give other bands and artists food for thought - because it's considerably more charming than the usual social media avenues. Its playlist varies between live concert recordings, tour-bus interviews, phoneins from fans, and a huge rotation of Chesney's favourite songs - from Nirvana to Billy Joel. I'm hardly a country nut, and I was impressed.

Cinemix

DJ Laurent Garnier Credit: 2015 Getty Images/Francois Durand

The artistic merit of film scores remains a topic of considerable debate in the classical music world, with many arguing that film music is for the most part a schmaltzy, hurriedly produced little brother of "proper" classical music. This French radio station gives listeners a chance to decide for themselves, by playing an eclectic, and often surprising, selection of soundtracks from around the world. NB: I find the station's official website, above, somewhat clunky - and so prefer to listen via tgr.ph/1T7uwBy.

KUTX 98.9FM

Austin, Texas is famous as a centre of music, arts and eccentricity - "Keep Austin Weird" is a popular bumper sticker in the local area - in the heart of one of America's most conservative states. This station captures much of the energy and variety that makes the city special, with a schedule that ranges from new indie and pop music (Ekliktikos, Mondays-Thursdays, 11am GMT) to old disco and soul (Old School Dance Party, Fridays, 9pm GMT) to Latino arts and culture (Alt.Latino, Sundays, 3am GMT).

24/7 Bach

Devotees of BBC Radio 3 may remember the Christmas, some 10 years ago now, in which the station gave itself over to the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach ("every note, night and day") for the best part of a fortnight. This online station, run by the Global Bach Community, has gone one better and plays nothing but Bach, all of the time. I tend to tune in when I've had too much of a rock station and need a dose of musical equanimity.

LBC

Last year, the London-based talk station LBC pointedly changed its slogan from "London's Biggest Conversation" to "Leading Britain's Conversation" and started broadcasting nationally on the DAB network. If you've yet to give the station a try then I can recommend it, especially for Nick Ferrari's 7-10am weekday breakfast show, which manages to deliver news, interviews, listener reaction and sports coverage with more charm, wit and energy than its counterparts on both TalkSport and 5 Live.

WWOZ

Having gone into the history books as the birthplace of jazz and as a key incubator of both blues and R&B music, New Orleans, post Hurricane Katrina, remains one of the most musically dynamic cities in the United States. No surprise, then, that it's home to a surpassingly good music station in the form of WWOZ ("Wonderful Wizard of Oz"), which plays a rich, moodimproving mixture of jazz, Cajun, blues, country and world music. I can't think of a single time that I've regretted tuning in.

Resonance FM

It's been few years since I last wrote about Resonance FM, in which time the London-based broadcaster has improved its website, made changes to its schedules, and consolidated its reputation as the UK's most creative independent radio station. As before, its programme roster is well worth a browse, with over a hundred shows on offer, covering everything from African development to opera. My favourites include Hot Club Du Monde, which specialises in 78rpm records, and the ideas-and-culture talk show, Little Atoms.

Dublab

Credit: Getty Images

Now in its 16th year on air, this Los Angeles-based experimental music station is a reminder that there's more to the City of Angels than the gloss of the movie industry. DJs are given full creative control over their programmes, leading to a terrific range of music and some powerfully odd stuff: for instance, I tuned in recently and found myself transfixed by a Joan Baez concert record from the Sixties interspersed with what sounded like a recording of an alien having a bath.

Bondi Beach Radio

As the nights draw in, the frost starts to bite, and the promise of "seasonal disruptions" at Network Rail begins to loom, the time is ripe to book an appointment with this lively station from Sydney's most famous suburb - which offers sunny escapism by the bucketload. Run by volunteers, it has studios that look out over the Pacific Ocean, and a schedule that offers everything fromSoul Funk Revival (Mondays, 1pm), featuring James Brown, to a decent world music show (Ritmo by the Sea, every other Wednesday, 11pm).

Planet Radio City

India currently has around 350m active internet users, giving it the second largest userbase in the world after China - so it's no wonder that the subcontinent's internet radio sector is currently enjoying a boom. This slick radio hub is arguably the leader of the pack, with 16 different highquality streams to choose from - encompassing Indie music, electronica, Bollywood soundtracks and music for meditation (NB: due to rights issues, the company's "International" streams are not available in the UK).

ROK Radio

Credit: Getty Images

Proving that the truth is often stranger - and more ironic - than fiction, this web radio portal is run by a company who also make hard-edged, Bourne Identityesque digital surveillance tools. It offers five channels of vintage radio drama and comedy, ranging from suspense to science fiction; and, unlike a lot of internet radio stations, also maintains meticulously accurate schedules of what's on when. The 'British Comedy' channel, well stocked with Hancock, The Navy Lark, Yes Minister, etc, makes a useful alternative to Radio 4 Extra.

Recast

This South African start-up does an interesting thing that may eventually bring broadcast executives out in a cold sweat: it gathers the current playlists of a handful of hip radio stations around the world and makes them available to listeners via a web browser or an iPhone. So, for instance, if you want to hear the tracks that are currently hot on BBC 6 Music or Seattle indie rock stalwarts KEXP without actually having to listen to the stations, you can. NB: in order to listen you need to have a Spotify or Deezer account.

Radio Free Brooklyn

Freeform radio stations - in which DJs are granted complete control over their shows, without commercial or managerial interference - can be either glowing petri dishes of creativity, variety and counter-cultural energy; or an irredeemably chaotic mess. Happily, this one from New York's hippest and most populous borough falls in the former camp. I particularly like the eclectic music show Ear Hammer (Fridays, 11.00am GMT) and the interview programme Radio Curious (Wednesdays, 4.30pm GMT); however, all tastes are catered for.

Time Capsule Audio Network

This joyously quirky station from Nova Scotia tours the history of 20th century music every week, and rarely fails to bring a smile to my face. Its schedules split the century into seven, day-long segments, starting with the years 1900 to 1939 on Mondays and then taking on a decade a day, ending with 1990-1999 on Sunday. The stream mixes standout hits with lesser-known music, evocatively peppered with radio ads from the different eras. Wonderful.

Pitchfork Radio

LL Cool J Credit: FARHAD KANUGA / Rex Features

Founded 20 years ago by a record store employee who spotted a niche for an online magazine devoted to new, independent music, Pitchfork has since grown into one of the most influential and highly regarded music websites in the world - as well as becoming a byword for hipster style. This in-house radio station launched in January 2015, and gives airtime to a stimulatingly varied and hip bunch of DJs from across the US, as well as music news from the magazine's Chicago HQ.

Otto's Opera House

Depending on your standpoint, opera is either the most emotionally direct of all art-forms, mixing orchestral music, theatrical storytelling and song with unparalleled power - or it's a mysterious, unintelligible waste of time. For listeners in the former camp, this station from the Swiss city of Zug is a must: it plays nothing but complete, uninterrupted operas, 24 hours a day, with a catalogue that encompasses everything from Handel, Wagner and Mozart, right up to Philip Glass.

Fine Music FM

With very occasional exceptions, this upmarket, volunteer-run classical music station from Sydney avoids playing single movements of multimovement works - which is a common bugbear of classical listeners. Tuning in, therefore, one often encounters long stretches of continuous music, with frequent performances of Mozart, Bach, Tchaikovsky, Chopin, among others. The station also has a small but vibrant jazz department (it's worth consulting the schedules - broadcasts happen at GMT+11).

Pedro Basement Broadcast

The French electronica and house DJ Laurent Garnier has been plying his trade since the late Eighties, and is considered one of the understated masters of the medium. This hip web radio station plays tracks from his huge, wonderfully varied record collection, 24 hours a day, without ads or interruption - and has done since 2003. I'm always surprised by what I hear on it, from old instrumental jazz records to pieces of sparklingly fresh electro to remixes, oddities and dancehall classics.

Credit: Everett Collection / Rex Features

Radio Dismuke

There's something ironic about the fact that the internet - that most modern of creations - can also afford listeners a much-needed break from the modern world in the form of a nostalgia-driven online radio station. This one from Fort Worth, Texas, only plays music made between the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression, and is an untrammelled delight. Recommended listening procedure: pour yourself a mint julep and settle back in the company of Marlene Dietrich, Duke Ellington, Jelly Roll Morton et al.

Soma FM

For the last 15 years, this listener-supported, San Fransisco-based internet radio hub has been broadcasting a range of beautifully curated channels - making it both one of the elder statesmen of the medium and an enduringly hip presence on the web. Listeners can choose between feeds providing everything from old-timely Americana music, to Seventies album rock, to forward-leaning folk to a mix of James Bond-esque cocktail music, interspersed with quotes from spy films.

WKCR

Run by students at New York's Columbia University, WKCR is a non-profit radio station with a winningly off-beat schedule that blends traditional and new music, spoken word programming and original journalism. They're particularly good on jazz and classical music, with a handful of programmes covering both - from their weekly Jazz Profiles (Sunday, 9am GMT) to Transfigured Night (Monday and Wednesday, 8pm), which makes Radio 3's Late Junction sound positively conservative.

This is Africa

Given the relative paucity of broadband access in Africa, it's still comes as a surprise to stumble across an internet radio station from the continent - and so I was doubly pleased when this Cape Town-based radio platform was shortlisted for a Mixcloud Online Radio Award this year. There are three stations: Hit Radio, which plays current chart music; Ghetto Radio, a youth-oriented station from Nairobi; and Classics Radio, which plays everything from Zimbabwean Chimurenga to Ghanian highlife.

Credit: Frank Ockenfels 3/AMC

Earbits

This hip, Los Angeles-based radio platform was set up by an entrepreneur and musician called Joey Flores in order to help independent bands to connect with listeners. It does this by allowing artists to submit tracks, which are then assessed by a team of curators and - if they make the cut - placed into genreordered playlists (from bluegrass to hip hop to Irish folk). From a listener perspective, it's a neat way of stumbling upon new music, and makes a refreshing change to commercial radio.

REX TSF Jazz (click on "Écouter TSF")

The French have a reputation for nurturing great jazz music - from the welcome they gave to African-American musicians in the post-war years to their support of home-grown talents such as Django Reinhardt and Jaques Loussier. This Paris-based jazz station keeps that flame burning, with an impeccably balanced playlist that mixes new releases (Dee Dee Bridgewater, Marcus Miller, Brad Mehldau) and timeless classics (Nina Simone, John Coltrane, Bill Evans) with aplomb.

Spotify

There are now a bewildering array of music streaming services on the market, from audiophile offerings like Tidal to this year's much-hyped Apple Music. Spotify, which was the first to the party, remains the most elegant, intuitive and well-stocked of the lot of them - with an online jukebox that contains 30 million songs and counting. Users have a choice between free, commercial-supported listening and a £10 monthly subscription, which removes the ads and allows for offline playlists.

Mixcloud

I'm continually impressed by this web platform, which allows DJs, programme makers and musicians to upload audio content - whether in the form of podcasts, mixtapes, or radio shows - and connect with a burgeoning audience. The site is also really well designed, and allows browsing by genre (from Ambient to World Music to Comedy to Science) or by keyword. I can't think of anywhere else online where it's as easy - or as pleasant - to spend a whole day browsing and listening.

KALX

American universities are famed for the quality of their on-campus radio stations, which often outdo commercial broadcasters in terms of both creativity and musical content. I stumbled upon this station from the University of California, Berkeley, and have been impressed. Its schedules bustle with everything from erudite film reviews (Film Close-Ups, Sat, 10.30am) and political phone-ins (Soapbox Derby, Thu, 2.00pm) to off-kilter soul and funk music (Leftfield Lance, Wed, 2.00pm). Highly recommended.

Mjoy Radio

One of the gifts of internet radio is its ability to give a broader sense of a country than news headlines allow. This savvy media organisation, based in the Ukrainian city of Lviv, is an excellent case in point. Recently nominated for a Rain Internet Radio award, it gives listeners free access to a dozen elegantly conceived radio channels. Among my favourites are Greatest Songs Radio, which contains a mixture of hits from the last five decades, and M Live, which plays high-quality concert recordings.

Ness Radio

There are many reasons to be enamoured of this alternative music station from Marrakech, Morocco. To name a few: it's ad-free; it plays a fantastic, impeccably curated variety of music, with playlists to rival the great Parisian station, FIP; it has one of the most elegant websites in the business; and it's broadcasting from Africa, a continent which deserves to have a larger internet radio presence. Expect to hear everything from mid-Seventies Miles Davis to Californian soul to French hip hop and beyond.

WBCQ

Founded in 1998 by the free speech campaigner and pirate radio operator Allan Weiner, WBCQ broadcasts in short-wave and online from a small town in New England, and aims to give "access to the airwaves for those who are unable to broadcast on traditional media". The result is a melting pot of country music, amusingly oddball speech programmes, and occasional bursts of genius - like the Simpsons star Harry Shearer's Le Show, which is syndicated on Sundays at midnight GMT

Brooklyn Radio

Over the last decade or so, the New York borough of Brooklyn has become a byword for urban chic, with hordes of hip young millennials moving in and setting up shop. Whether such large-scale "hipsterification" is an entirely good thing is up for debate; but this compellingly fine music station is testament to the creatives juices that are aflow. Rather than a live feed, it offers a wide range of downloadableand-streamable DJ mixes spanning funk, old-skool hip hop, featuring LL Cool J, dance, punk and beyond.

Irish Radio International

Given that an estimated 80 million people worldwide claim some level of Irish descent, this independent radio station could potentially have a bigger audience than all of the BBC networks combined. Its schedules are lively, varied and winningly homespun, with Irish-themed documentaries, dramas, film reviews and music shows. I'm particularly partial to "The Craic'n Show", a music-and-talk programme presented by a pair of mischievous rogues called Frank Lopez and Andrew O'Byrne.



GENERAL LISTENING

FIP

Imagine a mixture of BBC 6 Music and late-night Radio 3, stir in a generous amount of Parisian chic, and you’re some way to getting the measure of FIP, which remains one of my favourite music radio stations on the planet. Founded in Paris in 1971, its mission statement was - and remains - to broadcast an eclectic mix of music uninterrupted by the kind of noisy chitchat and advertising that you find almost everywhere else on French radio. They pay particular attention to the way in which songs on their playlist complement each other - meaning no jarring transitions, and plenty of unexpected musical dovetailing - and have an excellent website which makes it easy to see what’s been played. Expect to hear everything from Haydn to Serge Gainsbourg to John Coltrane to De La Soul -- and beyond.

AUDIOBOO

This useful website and phone app, which is evidently aiming to become the Twitter of the audio world, allows users to record, upload, share and discover sound files. These can be anything from homemade rants about Premiership football teams to short clips from BBC and commercial radio shows to full concert recordings of the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Nina Simone.

RADIO REVERB

This sparklingly creative community radio station from Brighton is a bona fide reason to be cheerful. With a schedule that takes in everything from theatre-going to jazz to electronic dance music, it’s a welcome reminder that you don’t need commercial or license fee backing to make great radio.

ART INTERNATIONAL RADIO

Operating out of the beautiful Clocktower Building – the heart of the New York art scene of the 1970s and 80s – AIR is one of the most smartly curated arts stations on the planet. All music, interviews, documentaries and experimental pieces are also available on demand via its website.

SHUFFLER.FM

There are a dizzying number of ways to discover new music online, ranging from established websites like Pitchfork and The Quietus through to amateur blogs. This useful website collates recommendations from a huge range of such sources and serves them up as a series of radio streams, organised by genre.

8 TRACKS

Rather than offer a conventional Internet radio stream or Spotify-style online jukebox, 8tracks.com provides listeners with a huge array of user-curated playlists, taking in everything from workout music to Mad Men-themed Sixties jams. There’s also the option of syncing it with Facebook and Google Plus.

WFMU

Possibly the world's coolest radio station, WFMU is the longest running independent "freeform" station in the US, operating out of Mount Hope in New Jersey, paid for by its listeners (no ads!), with an eclectic slate of shows that offers something for anyone who has ever ventured outside the mainstream, from the French pop (and birdsong) inflections of This is the Modern World with Trouble to the early gospel of Sinner's Crossroads. Check out its recent archives page for a dip-in survey of what's on offer.

ANDHOW.FM

This eclectic, ad-free station has been broadcasting since 1998, making it one of the elder statesmen of internet radio. Based in Papakowhai, New Zealand, it gives airtime to DJs with interests in everything from 1950s rhythm and blues to cutting edge electronica, and is a regular source of musical surprises.

SOUNDTRACKTOYOUR.COM

This music streaming service allows you to listen to playlists curated by celebrities without creating an account. And so it was that I recently found myself chuckling and foot–tapping along to a "Road Trip" mix created by Hollywood actor, Charlie Sheen.

WRUV

This community-run station from the University of Vermont is a regular springer of surprises, thanks to its "free form" policy. In a nutshell, DJs are given a weekly slot to play whatever they like. This can be a recipe for disaster in the wrong hands, but here it leads to an energising blend.

DEEZER

As a long-term Spotify user, I’d not given this rival music streaming service the attention it deserved. It works on the same model (free signup, multi million track library, option to pay monthly for ad-free and mobile listening), has a beautifully clean

BROADWAY WORLD

Here's a service to put some pizzazz into even the greyest of afternoons: an online radio station dedicated entirely to showtunes and theatrical news. Having been operational for the best part of a decade, the station plays everything from Cole Porter to Elton John.

RADIO STATION

One of the amazing things about the Internet is how simply and effectively a good idea can be shared with the world. This online radio service is an excellent case in point. Created on the fly a few years ago, it enables users to create bespoke music stations simply by searching for a favourite YouTube video or song.

JANGO

This music streaming service operates much like last.fm (users choose an artist or song and the site creates a bespoke radio station). It incorporates a few smart features, like a button that reveals the lyrics to any song playing; and an embedded section displaying the artist's Twitter feed.

DFM

Based in central Amsterdam, this radio station broadcasts an eclectic mixture of music, talk and 'found sound’. I tuned in the other day to hear the audio from an episode of Adam Curtis’s BBC Two documentary series All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace interspersed with Britpop era hits. Oddly captivating.

KCOU 88.1

American universities have a track record for running smart, creative stations – many of which are now available via the internet. KCOU, the University of Missouri's student-run station, is one of the best. They play a tastefully curated range of music, from rock to jazz to ambient.

CAMBRIDGE 105

This local community radio station comes live from the East Anglian city. Cambridge 105 offers a varied selection of programmes, covering everything from old 78 records to local authors to roots reggae and rock.

LONDON FIELDS RADIO

Based in a small cafe on a backstreet in Hackney, East London, this remarkable little radio station is a hive of activity, with a huge variety of shows by dozens of local residents, artists and DJs. They get double brownie points for their elegant online radio player, which lists currently playing and upcoming tracks.

MOSCOW FM

Unless you have friends or relatives in Russia, it's easy for it to feel like a distant and mysterious place. This friendly, Moscow-based English language station works hard to bridge that gap with an upbeat mixture of music, news and information on cultural events in the capital.

SOMA FM

Based in a converted warehouse in San Francisco, Soma FM is funded by its listeners and therefore maintains a completely ad-free schedule. It broadcasts over 20 wonderfully varied channels, covering everything from folk to ambient music inspired by the Nasa space programme.

BLINKBOX MUSIC

My guess is that this music streaming service, acquired by Tesco for £10.8 m last year, will struggle to survive in a saturated marketplace. For the time being it offers a simpler alternative; listeners type in a song, artist or genre and sit back as the site creates them a personalised, DJ-style playlist.

P2

On a recent trip to Sweden, I asked a well-connected local to recommend a radio station for this column. They suggested P2, which is a classical, folk and world music network. It's an intelligent, beautifully scheduled affair – and is the finest alternative to Radio 3 that I've come across.

REACH ONAIR

This station gives aspiring broadcasters the chance to put their own content out to a global audience for free. Would-be DJs simply need to record their show, book a time-slot and upload it to the site. Much of the content is shaky, but it's heartening to hear people giving the medium a shot.

KEXP

Seattle has long been a key musical centre in the US – the birthplace of grunge music, home to Nirvana and Pearl Jam and more recently, Fleet Foxes. No surprise, then, that the city is also home to a world-class indie and alt-rock radio station. Think XFM, but about a hundred times cooler.

192 RADIO

Between 1960 and 1974, off-shore station Radio Veronica served the pop-obsessed listeners of the Netherlands with music they struggled to hear elsewhere. It shut down after the Dutch government passed anti-pirate legislation; but lives on in the form of this rather charmingly retro-styled Internet station.

NTS

Based in trendy Dalston, east London NTS is a community radio station with an almost overwhelming number of DJs and shows (my last count totalled over 150). The schedule is a veritable smorgasbord, covering points as diverse as Japanese pop, 1950s Rock 'n' Roll and fireside storytelling.

MY OPUS RADIO

Operating out of Bangalore, this is one of the fastest-loading and musically varied radio stations I've come across. The homepage simply presents listeners with nine different buttons, each selecting a different radio stream, from easy listening to soul and blues to hard rock.

CBC MUSIC

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, or CBC, is a creative and forward-thinking operation that deserves more international recognition. You have to register to listen to its music radio output online, but it only takes a moment and gives you access to four impressively good streams, from classical to Canadian contemporary.

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST RADIO

Catchy melodies, punchy synths and incomprehensible Portuguese lyrics abound on the official Eurovision Song Contest radio station. Playing a mixture of recent entries and songs from the archives, it may well be the least cynical station on the Internet, and is guaranteed to cheer up the greyest of February afternoons.

WGLT

Broadcasting from studios on the grounds of Illinois State University in the wonderfully-named town of Normal, WGLT is a creative independent radio station with a wide range of programming – from spoken word shows like Radiolab and This American Life to some excellent in-house blues and jazz.

IRISH PUB RADIO

This rather lovely little station was set up to cater for the thousands of Irish pubs scattered around the world, allowing them to connect and stream a rolling playlist of well-known music from the emerald isle. Playing everything from U2 and Thin Lizzie to The Pogues, it’s a reliable source of craic and no mistake.

OURSTAGE

This innovative music service has an archive of songs by more than 125,000 unsigned artists, organised into 40 genres from Alternative to World. Listeners can tune into genre radio stations via the link above, or, if in a Simon Cowell frame of mind, can even judge between acts – the most successful of which get prizes.

Resonance FM

With a schedule containing around 100 series on everything from indie rock to found sound to African development issues, this London-based “radio art” station is multifarious to say the least. Much of the content is joyously eccentric and niche, but there are several programmes with a more general appeal.

AccuRadio

This beautifully designed, simple to use radio service from Chicago allows listeners to choose from 900-plus radio channels, taking in everything from Miles Davis to Kenny Chesney to Eliott Carter. Its website is ad-funded, so the streams are occasionally interrupted by commercial messages, but not to an annoying level.

Salford City Radio

Proving that the BBC aren't the only game in town, this excellent community radio station has over 80 original programmes on its roster - from Sunday's Classical Breakfast to the Saturday night show by former Hacienda DJ Graeme Park, where he plays a range of house music from Röyksopp to The Chemical Brothers.

Restful Radio

If you ever find yourself with a need for some gentle, unobtrusive background music - and don't have a copy of Brian Eno's Music for Airports to hand - this station delivers the goods. Its playlist mixes acoustic instrumentals, low-key electronic compositions and ambient sounds. Seriously easy listening.

Live365

Founded in 1999, this internet radio platform allows listeners to access thousands of stations, maintained by both professional broadcasters and hobbyists. As you might imagine, these span a variety of genres, so a bit of browsing is required. I tend to listen to the Radio Mystery Theatre and Bossa Nova Breakfast channels.

WXYC

In 1994, this small university radio station from North Carolina became the first in the world to stream its on-air signal live over the Internet. Twenty-one years on, it's still going strong, with a devoted listenership and a playlist that makes space for 1950s jazz, cutting-edge electro and classic rock.

Radio Sutch

Dedicated to the memory of the late Monster Raving Loony Party founder, Screaming Lord Sutch (who also had a brief career as a rock musician), this lovely little station plays an irresistibly foot-tapping mixture of early rock'n'roll, rhythm and blues and swamp pop.

KUSF

I've been listening to this station run by students at the University of San Francisco for a while now, and have been continually impressed by the variety, quality and distinctly Californian hipness of the records they put on — taking in everything from Krautrock to jazz to Sir Tom Jones.

Angel Radio

Based in Havant, Hampshire, this terrific little station is both aimed at and run by people over the age of 60, and - apparently - counts Prince Charles as an admirer. Its schedules bustle with phone-ins, music shows (the only rule being: no tracks released before 1960), and lively featurettes. Community radio at its best.

Soho Radio

A lively station giving voice to the artists, musicians and eccentrics who call Soho home. It's heartening to learn of its existence, given that many of the area's bohemian hotspots have been shuttered or redeveloped; and to discover that its schedules are already chock-full of local talent, which includes chef Aldo Zilli.

WMLB

Broadcasting from the rolling hills of Atlanta, Georgia, this excellent station calls itself "The Voice of the Arts" — which means you can expect to hear a varied playlist encompassing anything from Elvis to The Beatles to Fela Kuti, interspersed with book, film and theatre reviews, interviews and creative skits. I'm hooked.

Reprezent

This energetic, socially conscious music station has the distinction of being the only radio station in the UK presented by under–25s. Their playlists are predominantly new urban and dance music, but there are also regular features and campaigns on youth–related issues like unemployment and sexual health.

Radio 3 España (click on "Escuchar Ahora")

This is a spectacularly good music network that provides a contrast to the pop–rock stations that tend to dominate the Spanish airwaves. A sort of Hispanic amalgamation of 6 Music and Radio 3's late night output, you can expect everything from pulsing Detroit electro to West African griot.

Ralph Radio

This hip, Moscow-based music station is a welcome reminder that there's more to Russia than just the stories that make the news. Over a few days of listening, I've heard jazz, Britpop, rock 'n' roll, electro and most points in-between; and have come to relish the lilting Russian of the DJs as they introduce the songs.

Radar Radio

This excellent east London–based station began broadcasting late last year, with the goal of giving a platform to young, up–andcoming DJs and producers who might not otherwise be offered one. Its schedule contains shows covering everything from EDM to hip hop to ambient music.

Oui FM (click on "Écoutez")

Something about this station – which is essentially XFM's French equivalent – always cheers me up. Mixing classic rock and indie hits (The Clash, REM) with rising stars (Royal Blood, Villagers) and tracks by lesser known French bands, it's a warmly Gallic shot in the arm.

Ambient Sleeping Pill

My eyebrows rose when I first noticed this internet radio station's name, which sounds like something Aldous Huxley would have given to the citizens of his Brave New World before bedtime. In fact, the station broadcasts a soothing selection of ambient music designed to aid relaxation, sleep and meditation.

Radio Caroline

Rather cheerily, Radio Caroline — which began life in 1964 as an anti–establishment pirate station — lives on in the 21st century as a classic rock–and–pop–oriented internet radio service. It's currently celebrating its 50th anniversary with a series of special broadcasts in partnership with Manx Radio.

Tunexer

One of the amazing things about the internet is how simply and effectively a good idea can be shared with the world. This online radio service is an excellent case in point. Created on the fly a few years ago, it enables users to create bespoke music stations simply by searching for a favourite YouTube video or song.

Radio Free Americana

This great free–form station from Virginia describes its playlist as containing all from "pure pop for now people to pure slop for cow people". As a fan of both now and cows, I was intrigued; and am glad to report that it satisfies both camps, mixing the likes of Dr John and Morrissey with twangy country hits. Lovely.

WORLD MUSIC

RADIO ZERO 97.7 SANTIAGO

As one of South America's most developed and bustling capitals, Santiago has a wide variety of radio stations – many of which also offer internet streaming. I listen to this excellent pop-rock station when I want on an upbeat alternative to 6 Music.

MPB FM

With Rio de Janeiro gearing up for the 2016 Olympics, it's a good time to draw attention to one of the city's many great radio stations. MPB is a reliable source of musical sunshine – as well as the odd dazzlingly cheesy ballad.

XAMFM

In the mood for some catchy pop music but tired of the treadmill-like playlist repetition on Radio 1 and Kiss? Look no further, brave listener, than Japan's XAMFM, which plays an endless stream of Japanese and Korean chart hits, and is as refreshing as a gulp of miso soup.

RADIO MUSICAL DE CUBA (click on “Audio Real”)

In spite of its small size Cuba remains one of the most cultured and musically vibrant nations on the planet. This radio station, which broadcasts an impeccably curated mixture of Cuban, classical and jazz music from the heart of Havana, is an excellent case in point.

JEKAFO RADIO

Having enjoyed 6 Music’s recent African-themed programming, I decided to look for a music station from that great continent. After following many dud links, I alighted upon this wonderful station from Bamako, Mali, which plays a wide variety of hypnotic folk and pop music from Western Africa.

SOAS RADIO

As one of the most cosmopolitan universities in the UK, it comes as no surprise to find that London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) has a vibrant Internet radio station. It doesn’t broadcast 24/7, but does have an excellent “listen again” facility. I recommend their Latin American music programme.

BEAT 98

This station from Rio will get you in a suitably carnivalesque mood with some lilting Brazilian music, with a schedule dedicated to Brazilian pop, funk, bossa nova and soul.

JAZZ, SOUL & REGGAE

KUVO

I stumbled upon this award-winning music station by accident recently – and have been kicking myself for not finding it sooner. Based in Denver, Colorado, its artfully-curated playlists mostly focus on jazz – broadcasting everything from Ella Fitzgerald through to Madeleine Peyroux. A class act.

WOOFER RADIO

This London-based station broadcasts a mixture of good, old-fashioned soul, funk, and jazz with a minimum of chat. Expect to hear the likes of Herbie Hancock, Chic, Kool & The Gang and Rick James, as well as lesser-known artists (Eddie Henderson, the Blackbyrds), from the archives.

LAID BACK RADIO

Confounding the stereotype of Brussels as Europe's dullest city, Laid Back Radio broadcasts a decidedly unboring blend of soul, disco, funk, hip-hop and jazz. Expect the likes of Quincy Jones, James Brown, Caetano Veloso and Miles Davis; with plenty of lesser-known surprises.

RETRO SOUL RADIO

Craig Charles’s show on 6 Music proves there’s a big appetite for old-fashioned funk and soul radio in the UK – and this great station from London is evidently capitalising on it. Featuring everyone from The Staple Singers to Chic to Skull Snaps to Luther Vandross, its playlist is an almost guaranteed mood-improver.

Jazzabit

Broadcasting from Oslo, Norway, this excellent jazz station boasts an elegant, easy-to-navigate website, a playlist that deftly mixes songs from across the decades (think Billie Holiday followed by Gregory Porter followed by Bill Evans), and one of the highest-quality audio streams on the internet.

The Departure Lounge

Imagine Roger Moore and Tony Curtis gunning their Aston Martins along the Côte d’Azure in 1971 and you'll get an idea of what this new station curated by a former TV producer is about. Bossa nova, funk, jazz and soul from the 1960s and 70s dominate the playlists — which is no bad thing, providing you’re in the mood for some vintage pizazz.

Jazz 24

This terrific jazz station from Seattle does exactly what it says on the tin, delivering a flavoursome menu of everything from Art Blakey to Joe Zaniwul around the clock. Highly recommended.

We Funk

For a guaranteed mood improver, try this terrific soul, funk and hip-hop station from Montreal, Canada. Put together by local DJs Professor Groove and DJ Static, it's a randomised selection of the radio shows they've been making together since 1999, and features everything from Kool & The Gang to James Brown.

ROOTS REGGAE

On a warm, sunny day, I can think of few better choices than this winningly simple reggae station, which is programmed by a professional DJ and features the likes of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Burning Spear, uninterrupted by talk or adverts.

THROWBACK

AM 1710 ANTIOCH OTR

When I’m trying to explain the peculiar magic of Internet radio to a non-convert, I tend to use this marvellous little station from Illinois as an example. Run by a radio enthusiast and techie called Jay Lichtenauer, it plays a huge variety of American radio dramas from the 1930s, 40s and 50s, scheduled by genre (family comedy, spy stories, science fiction, frontier stories, etc) — and complete with ads for now-defunct household products and cigarette brands. Tuning in for the first time is rather like stepping into an audio time machine; but the pleasures of listening extend beyond this novelty factor: the shows themselves, taken from the golden era of American radio drama are often miniature masterpieces of suspense, intrigue and entertainment.

Rock-It Radio

In this age of super-slick websites, it’s nice to stumble upon one that harks back to the early days of the network. Rock-It Radio, currently celebrating its 19th year online, is just such a station. Playing nothing but hip-shaking Fifties and early-Sixties rock and roll, it’s a welcome throwback if ever there was one.

OLD TIME RADIO FANS

Some time ago, I recommended the Antioch OTR station (radio.macinmind.com) as a fine source of soothing American radio programmes from the golden era of the 1920s-50s. This site goes one better by allowing users to listen to the shows on demand, with a generous archive.

THE 90s BUTTON

Is it too soon to start nostalgically celebrating the nineties? The people behind this website clearly don't think so. Click on the button labelled "Unleash Heaven?" and hear a selection of classic music videos from the decade (think Celine Dion, The Spice Girls, etc) roll past.

70s DISCO NIGHTS

This wonderfully old-school internet radio station, complete with spinning mirror-ball animation, is a great way to capture the essence of disco. Expect irresistibly catchy tunes, ridiculously upbeat lyrics and a faint sense of nostalgia for the era of flares and wide-collared shirts.

BEATLES RADIO

The Beatles, notably absent from music streaming services like Spotify and Deezer, maintain a resolute online presence via this radio station from San Francisco, which plays songs from across the band’s back catalogue as well as tunes that influenced them and post-Beatles solo work (remember Ringo’s 'Back Off Boogaloo’? Or Paul McCartney’s 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reggae’? You will soon).

CLASSICAL MUSIC

Radio Swiss Classic

The Swiss maintain a distibguished presence in the internet radio world, with a variety of top-grade stations. This one provides a high-fidelity, ad-free stream of soothing classical music - Rachmaninov, Haydn, Vivaldi, Strauss, et al - via an admirably elegant website, and makes a useful alternative to Classic FM.

FRANCE MUSIQUE

The FM spectrum in France is a land of extreme contrasts, offering everything from the very worst in Euro-pop to some of the classiest stations on the continent. France Musique, the jazz and classical arm of Radio France, is a particularly suave member of this latter camp. I’ve yet to hear a dud programme.

VENICE CLASSIC RADIO

One of the charms of internet radio is being able to musically connect with different cities around the world. This lovely classical music station from Venice is one of the more ineffably romantic choices. Think Classic FM, but given an elegant Venetian suit of clothes.

ANCIENT FM

Listeners wishing for a break from the modern world – with all its bleeps, blips and pushy commercials – should head over to this rather charming little radio station, which plays music from the Medieval and Renaissance periods and nothing else.

WHISPERINGS SOLO PIANO RADIO

In spite of its cringeworthy name, this station is actually rather a classy operation, which provides an online outlet for the works of over two hundred talented but unsigned solo piano composers. The music tends towards meditative, classical-style compositions (think Ludovico Einaudi and George Winston in terms of tone), and makes for a gentle alternative to Classic FM.

WCPE

Branding itself online as The Classical Station, WCPE is an eminently likeable classical music station from North Carolina. It’s been listener-supported for over 30 years, and continues to pay for most of its operating costs from pledges and donations — which is a sure-fire sign of a station that knows and respects its audience. Their playlists tend towards the popular - rather than the obscure or experimental - end of the classical spectrum, with regular appearances by Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Handel and Rachmaninoff.

WQXR

This classy New York-based station is the most-listened-to classical music broadcaster in the US. Its daytime playlists tend towards the familiar end - Mozart, Vivaldi, Bach - but the evenings explore more diverse territory, from jazz to modern classical. Also impressive is its Classics for Kids strand at noon GMT on Saturdays.

SPEECH RADIO

AUDIOBOOK RADIO

I approached this spoken-word radio station with a sense of trepidation. But, in a pleasing turn up for the books, it contains a rich and often brilliantly read selection of material – from Annie Proulx short stories to full Shakespeare plays and poems by Dylan Thomas and Oscar Wilde.

SPECTRUM RADIO

There's something exotic about this London station which broadcasts programmes in a wide range of languages – Polish, Tamil, Arabic, to name a few – to the metropolis's many different ethnic groups. It's a wonderful resource for both curious natives and foreign residents.

RTE RADIO 1

As an alternative to the received pronunciation of the Today programme, I sometimes head over to Ireland's main public service station to hear the news delivered with a Gaelic lilt. I would also highly recommend the John Creedon show, weekdays from 8pm.

CORNUCOPIA RADIO

This amazing station from South Yorkshire broadcasts a wide variety of sketch comedy, drama and spoken word material – all made in-house by its own team of writers, performers and technicians. I tuned in expecting it to be village hall amateur dramatics on tape, and was wholeheartedly surprised.

WEB TALK RADIO

This innovative talk radio station from America is, I think, a sign of things to come in online listening. Instead of directing listeners to a live stream, they offer a huge range of niche programming on demand, on everything from pet care to politics to 'pro rodeo support’ (see here for a full list).

JUST A MINUTE RADIO

Based in the city of Sunnyvale, California, this online radio station broadcasts archival episodes of Just a Minute 24 hours a day. I find the third party link above the easiest way to listen; but the station also has its own website complete with episode transcripts and lots of other material.

BROADCASTIFY

There’s something oddly compelling about this website, which collates a huge range of live audio streams from emergency services and transport authorities across the US. These range from the exciting (Detroit Police Dispatch) to the soporific (El Paso County railway radio) and are, apparently, all entirely legal.

British Comedy Radio

This rather fetching little station plays nothing but classic British radio comedy shows from the mid-20th Century, including Round The Horne, The Navy Lark and Dad's Army (there's also a dedicated channel playing nothing but The Goon Show). Perfect for anyone looking for a change from Radio 4 Extra.

Blog Talk Radio

Founded in 2006, this remarkable web-based service makes it a cinch for anyone with a computer and a phone to host and distribute their own talk radio show. The result is a huge, exhilaratingly whacky ecosystem where almost every imaginable niche - from firefighter career advice to neo soul music - is catered for.

NPR (click on "24-hour program stream")

Despite having written about the American radio organisation NPR before in this column, it was only the other day that I noticed a live radio stream of their content on their website. Expect a wide variety of fine speech radio programming, from storytelling to documentaries.

Sound Stages

Playing everything from contemporary fiction to Raymond Chandler's Phillip Marlowe stories to radio adaptations of Ancient Greek dramas, this rather lovely station from southeastern Texas is a veritable oil–well of audio content, and serves as a pleasingly homespun alternative to Radio 4 Extra.

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