In this era of Spotify and Apple Music, it can be easy to forget that radio exists, especially when you're used to picking your music at-will. The fact is, radio is a great way to not only discover new artists and songs, but also to learn more about places all over the world.

Listening to the radio gives you a glimpse into the culture of the place the radio station is from and helps you find music similar to what you already like. If your area doesn't have much in the way of radio stations, read on to find out how to listen to radio stations online.

How to Listen to Radio Stations Online for Free

Radio is still popular, but it has lost a lot of the power it once held over the airwaves. Now, stations tend to broadcast both online and over the radio. Even if you don't have a local station you prefer to listen to, there are major channels that you can listen to over the internet.

iHeartRadio

iHeartRadio is one of the most popular online music platforms in existence. You can access it from your phone, your computer, and almost any connected device. Just go to the website, click Live Radio at the navigation bar at the top, and scroll through your options.

By default, iHeartRadio shows you channels in your local area. You can click any one of those to listen to it, but you can also sort by other locations. You can choose between the United States and Mexico, and then you can sort by cities within those regions. You can also narrow down station options by genre.

Connect to iHeartRadio through Facebook or Google to save your favorite stations and easily access your music.

TuneIn

TuneIn is another popular option for listening to online radio, but it far exceeds iHeartRadio in what it offers. You can listen to radio broadcasts from countries all over the world. Choose from among Africa, Asia, Australasia, Central America, Europe, North America, and South America.

Once you choose one of these regions, you can further narrow your choice down by country, and then by region or station. You can tune into a radio station on the other side of the world just as easily as if you turned on your own radio.

TuneIn also lets you search for podcasts, news and talk radio, sports, and much more. By default, TuneIn displays the most popular stations and podcasts in your area, but you can extend your search far beyond your local region to find new music and artists from all over the world.

Online Radio Box

There's a certain charm in the name of Online Radio Box. It evokes a sense of what the radio actually is–a box that connects you with people all over the world. Online Radio Box is a great resource for finding stations to listen to.

With an account, you can save your favorite stations. The large search bar at the top of the screen is self-explanatory, but lets you search for specific stations, genres, languages, and even countries or cities.

Online Radio Box even shows you the songs currently playing on the majority of stations in your area. Hint: it's mostly hits from the 80s and 90s. You can check reviews for each station, save it to your favorites, and find related stations that might also fit your tastes.

AccuRadio Online

AccuRadio is a bit different in that it doesn't let you tune in to actual radio stations, but instead presents users with a curated list of stations to suit every taste and genre. For example, a few of their stations include "April of Awesome Eras: '80s Country" and "Jazz Appreciation Month: Featuring Ramsey Lewis."

AccuRadio Online is advertised as a station for music lovers, by music lovers. It has more than 1,100 different stations, each of which can be customized. You can also save your favorite music after you sign up to unlock the "5-Star Channel," a playlist of your top-rated music.

AccuRadio Online is totally free and can be joined through a standard email signup or through Facebook.

FMRadioFree

If you're looking for a bare-bones, utilitarian resource for listening to a lot of radio stations from all across the United States, FMRadioFree is your best option. The site presents users with more than 15,000 different radio stations to pick from. You can narrow stations by location, or you can search by genre.

FMRadioFree also allows you to check out the top-rated podcasts in the United States, as well as the top songs. You can filter these by genre too. If you want a gaming-related podcast, no problem. If the top songs don't appeal to you, you can sort by the genre that most interests you.

If you're tired of the same old music and the same old radio stations, turn to the internet. Most all of these stations and websites can be accessed through your phone so that you can listen on the go. Surprise your friends with new channels they have never heard before and keep your musical tastes fresh.