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How to Add Radio Stations to iTunes

Listen to live radio stations for free on your computer

By Mark Harris Mark Harris Writer University of Wolverhampton Mark Harris is a former writer for Lifewire who wrote about the digital music scene and streaming music services in an easy to understand, no-nonsense manner. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on November 16, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Music, Podcasts, & Audio Radio Music For Your Life Audio Streaming Podcasts CDs, MP3s, & Other Media

What to Know

Go to File > Open Stream and paste the URL of the radio stream. Select OK to add to it iTunes. To remove a radio station, right-click it and select Delete From Library. Radio? Sure! and Icecast Directory are two good sources for finding streamable radio stations.
Internet radio streams are online versions of radio stations. You no longer have to use a car radio or AM/FM tuner to listen because if a station broadcasts online, you can probably listen to it on iTunes as well. And like most other media players, iTunes can stream live music, weather, news, police radio, and podcasts. Once a stream is added to iTunes, it's placed in its own "Internet Songs" playlist, and it works like any other playlist in your iTunes library. Here's how to add a radio station to iTunes. Some radio streams may be identified as regular music files and located in the Library section of iTunes with the time listed as "Continuous."

How to Add Radio Stations to iTunes

Not all radio stations live stream, but you can search for radio stations that do offer live streams. Once you've found one, copy the URL for that stream. With iTunes open, navigate to File > Open Stream. Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut Command+U on a Mac, or Ctrl+U on a PC. Paste the URL of the online radio station into the field that displays. Select OK to add the station to iTunes. To remove a custom radio station, right-click on the station and select Delete from Library.

Where to Find Internet Radio Streams

Below are two websites that have large collections of free internet streams with direct links to the URLs that you can copy and add to iTunes. However, your favorite radio station may also have a link posted on its website, so if you want to listen to a specific station, you should look there first.

Radio Sure

Go to Radio Sure and select Stations. Then, select Active and enter a keyword that can help find a station you want to stream. After you open the stream, copy the link from the Source section and paste it into iTunes.

Icecast Directory

Go to Icecast directory and search by keyword or browse by genre. Right-click the MP3 link to copy and paste it into iTunes. Radio streams are typically in MP3 file format, but some streams are in playlist formats, like PLS or M3U. No matter the format, try inserting the link into iTunes as described. If it works, it will begin playing within seconds. If it doesn't work, it may be added to iTunes but never actually play. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire The 11 Best Internet Radio Stations of 2022 How to Listen to SHOUTcast Radio Stations on Winamp 14 Best Places to Listen to Free Music Online How to Listen to Internet Radio Stations How to Stream Radio Using Icecast on VLC Media Player How to Use Apple Music on iPhone and iPad The 9 Best Free Music Streaming Apps for iOS and Android (2022) How to Add ID3 Tags to Your Podcast Metadata How to Insert a Link in an Email With Mac OS X Mail How to Remove Your Information From the Web How to Add a Hyperlink in a Google Doc Listen and Record Music From Internet Radio Stations How to Insert a Link Into an Email With Outlook The 5 Best Alexa Radio Stations of 2022 Everything You Need to Know About Apple Music 1 13 Best Free Music Apps for iPhone Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies