Record Internet Radio for Your IPod (or MP3 Player) for Free

Internet radio has many fans, and rightfully so. No matter what your musical tastes, there's bound to be a station that caters to your particular interests. Internet radio isn't just for music. You can find content that rivals the best podcasts, including news, talk, sports, and comedy. Unlike ordinary radio stations, Internet stations are available anywhere you have an Internet connection.

Of course, you don't have an Internet connection everywhere. Most of us don't have network connectivity in our cars, for example. You can't realistically listen to Internet radio on an airplane, while jogging, or while shopping at the local big box store. Even at work, many companies ban Internet radio to reduce traffic on their internal networks.

So how can you listen to your favorite Internet station on the go or at the office? Just about everyone has an MP3 player these days (OK, just about everyone has an iPod these days; only a few of us cheapskates have ordinary MP3 players). If you car is a newer model, it can probably play MP3 CDs or can even connect to the ubiquitous iPod.

So the key is to figure out how to get Internet radio stations on your MP3 player. There are a host of programs - both free and paid - that will do the job. However, there's one program that stands out in my mind as the best for handling the job. The best part is, it is free software.

The program in question is a gem called Raima Radio. The software has the usual host of features you expect in an Internet radio player. It keeps a list of common radio stations (and the list updates from the Internet). You can search the list and even add your own custom entries if your favorite isn't already in the database.

Raima, like many other programs, picks up the data sent by most radio stations and uses it to display the currently playing song information (including the program's guess at the album's cover art, if it is available). It can also apply audio filters to the station to get special effects (it can even use popular WinAmp plugins).