Streaming music is literally the wave of the future. Now you can create your own radio station with a few clicks of the mouse, legally and without fees while you listen to your favorite songs, instrumentals, and radio talk shows. Just google "radio streaming" and you get 22.5 million hits, telling you how popular this listener's venue is around the world. In virtual seconds, listen to the relaxing melody of an (acoustic guitar) or rock with Queen or debate with the Sean Hannity show.
Internet radio is audio broadcast over the Net. This is different than listening to a specialized program you get when you tune in to a podcast. Those are downloaded, not streaming, audio programs. Think of streaming audio as what you see on television--you turn to a channel and what you get is what you get. For instance, you want cartoons, so you turn to a cartoon channel; but, you can't change what is on the schedule. You have to watch what is on the channel at that particular time. Same with streaming radio stations or other venues of music. You can choose to listen to seventies music, but you can't choose to listen to James Taylor when Jimmy Buffett is singing on that station.
Much of the radio streams online are free. This means being a disc jockey may be more cost-effective than ever with streaming radio technology on the Internet. Expensive DJ equipment may be outdated as DJ's go hi-tech. All they need is a laptop and speakers. Individuals are like mini-DJ's when they use their MP3 players. Most people are familiar with MP3 players, but don't realize that MP3 is an actual audio format. The first streaming audios developed in the early to mid-1990s; and in less than ten years, around thirteen percent of radio listeners listen online.