Languages: 
button is not working for me?
TUN3R is a virtual AM/FM dial complete with [orange] tuning needle.
TUN3R shows Internet stations, represented by small tiles (e.g. 
=
"JACK-FM").
Simply by dragging the Needle around the Dial, you can instantly hear [reduced] audio samples from hundreds of stations around the world. TUN3R is also equipped with powerful search features to help you guide you browsing by: Song & Artist; Language; Genre (e.g. pop, rock, talk); and even the contents of the stations home page.
If you wish to browse live streams, simple switch to "Live Mode".
You can think of TUN3R as a souped-up internet version of the Zenith Trans-Oceanic Radio.
That's the TUN3R radio dial, see the answer to the previous question for more.
Discovery Mode is TUN3R's default mode, and plays [reduced] samples taken recently from the stations webcast. Discover Mode employs TUN3R's powerful SingleStream technology to allow instantaneous switching between stations, and allows you to quickly get a feel for what the station plays. Discovery Mode also allows you to hear stations that may be off-line, or are inaccessible to ex-pats due to national restrictions. At a basic level, Discovery Mode pays homage to the bygone joy of tuning a radio. Discovery Mode requires that you have Flash 8 or higher installed on your browser.
Live Mode can be activated by selecting the "Live Mode" toggle button. Live Mode employs both your browser (through a pop-up window), and your desktop media player to play the actual Live stream originating from the station's own streaming server. Because different stations employ different streaming technologies, Live Mode must rely on a variety of players to properly decode the stream. Live Mode has been optimized for Firefox and Winamp. We also recommend you have the following browser plug-ins installed: Windows Media Player plug-in; Flash plug-in; Real Player plug-in.
Live Mode relies on three types of software to run effectively:
There are a few stations which utilize other plug-ins, such as Quicktime and Silverlight. Downloading these plug-ins will also improve the Live Mode experience.
Occasionally the stream itself is down or has changed. In this case try checking the station's web site for the stream. We proactively monitor all streams, but depending on the station, it can take us up to one week to correct a changed stream.
If the sound is currently playing, you can turn it off by clicking
the 
button in
the bottom centre, just below The Dial.
However, if the sound is currently paused, you will see a
button, which can be clicked to start the audio.
Different stations use different streaming formats (e.g. MP3, WMA, REAL). There is no media player which can flawlessly play all formats, therefore in order to get the best listening experience, we route the stream to the best possible player. In the case of non-proprietary formats such as MP3, OGG, and AAC+ streams, we let you choose which player to use.
Part of our mission at TUN3R is to bring you the best possible stations, with the best possible sound quality. While some players have plug-ins which are generally good at playing other player's formats, we have found that for proprietary formats, only the corresponding proprietary player can reliabley decode the stream 100% of the time.
Fortunately, Live Mode - with the proper browser/player configuration - can switch seamlessly between streams, making TUN3R the first true Internet tuner. However, in actual fact, TUN3R is really just a meta-tuner, orchestrating several underlying players.
TUN3R_silence.mp3 is designed to stop the sound playing in your desktop media player, when switching to a pop-up browser based player.
Since it is not possible for TUN3R to directly control the desktop media player, playing a silent mp3 file is the best alternative, and works effectively. If it were not for TUN3R_silence.mp3, you would have to manually open and stop your desktop mp3 player each time you switched stations from a mp3 station to a WMA or REAL streaming station.
Additionally, TUN3R_silence.mp3 allows you to stop your desktop media player directly from the main TUN3R window, as an added bonus.
Stations are responsible for their own streaming. Therefore, the streaming servers themselves are located in different parts of the world, and have varying levels of bandwidth.
In order to listen to certain stations, you need to download a "playlist file" which tells your media player (e.g. Winamp) how to connect to the stream. The playlist file is nothing more than a tiny text file containing a pointer to a stream, but Firefox interprets it as any other file download, and will even save a copy of the playlist file. The file itself poses no risk to you or your computer, so you can minimize the Firefox Download window without affecting performance.
If you wish to stop the Download window from appearing, you can easily turn it off by following these simple steps:
If you are using Firefox (we recommend using Firefox), do the following:
If you are using Internet Explorer, you should be able to fix this problem from Winamp by doing the following:
NB: Other desktop media players (such as iTunes) may attempt to override Winamp. If you suspect this is the case, ensure you start Winamp before launching TUN3R.
Some browser based stations will attempt to redirect the parent window to their own site.
In this eventuality, we provide you with the opportunity to decide if you would like go to the station's web site, or rather stay on the TUN3R Dial. The choice is yours.
Unfortunately, there is no easy way to distinguish a station redirect from you intentionally closing the browser window. We try our best to minimize these disturbances for you.
Discovery Mode requires the following software to run effectively:
button is not working for me?TUN3R.com works best with the Winamp Media Player, and installing it will solve most of your problems. A free BASIC version is available. You can download the player from here.
If you already have Winamp, or are looking for a quick workaround: cut-and-paste the stream URL into your media player. You can paste the stream URL into the "File->Play URL..." or "File->Open..." dialog.
However, to fix the "TUN3 IN" button itself, you will need to reassociate the .PLS and .M3U file extensions with your media player (e.g. Winamp, Real, iTunes, QuickTime, XMMS). This can be done from the Windows [file] Explorer under "Tools->Folder Options" in the main menu, and then clicking on "File Types", and then from there changing the "PLS", and "M3U" file associations.
You can also listen to the live stream by selecting the Live Mode toggle.
Your search returns stations that have recently played the artist/song
you are searching for, as opposed to what is currently playing.
The purpose of TUN3R is to find broadcasters that play music or
other material you are interested in. Therefore, we recommend you
browse the playlist (shown below The Dial) to see if the station
plays what you like. If you are interested in hearing a specific
song, we recommend purchasing the song from an MP3 retailer (like
iTunes). That said, the song you are interested in, may be in high
rotation and you may get lucky if you tune in directly to the
station, clicking on the button in the bottom
left part of the browser window.
In order to get the high-quality stream, simply click the button in the bottom center part of the browser window.
What you're hearing is a reduced "fair use" sample taken from the station you have currently selected. The sample has been down-converted and truncated to two (2) minutes to comply with copyright law. In other words, the sample you're hearing is only intended to enhance searching and browsing, and not as a substitute for the broadcaster's own high-quality stream. That notwithstanding, samples are updated regularly.
We only store that much sound for each station. See the answer to the previous question for why we do that.
This may be as a result of a sampling error. Please report the station's co-ordinates (e.g. A1) to javascript needed.
If the sound is currently playing, you can turn it off by clicking
the button in
the bottom centre, just below The Dial.
However, if the sound is currently paused, you will see a button,
which can be clicked to start the audio.
There are a number of different reasons, but here are the most common:
button. To resolve the issue, download the latest version of the
Flash player from here: http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer
You can search by:
This is because the artist/song title was captured more than several days ago. Since we only list recent activity (that's been captured), you do not see the actual track listing.
We are looking for better ways of presenting these older samples.
For mp3/ogg/aac+ streams, we capture what the stations broadcast. It's a free world, and stations have no obligation to guarantee playlists are perfect. However, it is in the stations best interests to display accurate track info, so errors tend to be the exception and not the rule.
For all other streams (e.g. WMA, Real, Flash, Quicktime, Silverlight, etc.) we do not capture track data.
Some stations were added through a process of automation, and were not properly matched to the corresponding stream.
Stations on the web that can be offered for free, will be offered for free.
Internet radio is more expensive to run than most people realize. Unlike terrestrial and [to a lesser extent] satellite radio, each additional listener costs the station more money. So far it has been mainly streaming costs that Internet stations struggle to cover. However, SoundExchange has begun enforcing the Copyright Royalty Board's royalty rate hike. These increases in royalties dwarf streaming costs, and can easily cost more than $1.00 per month per listener for moderate listening periods (heavy listeners can easily cost $3 or more per month).
Therefore, transitioning to a subscriber model will likely be a necessity for many stations. At this point, we will only be able to deliver those stations under a subscription model in order to cover their streaming and royalty costs, and ensure there is a profit left over.
That notwithstanding, there are many opportunities that are only beginning to be recognized. Namely, the following formats could be legally be supported for free:
You can expect the following from the TUN3R subscription service:
To help us serve you better, just click the "Premium Questionnaire" link from the TUN3R homepage, to access the Premium Subscription Questionnaire form. The information you provide will inform us as to what is most important to you the listener.
Yes we have. TUN3R is a labour of love...
We may be biased, but we believe radio is currently the most underappreciated mainstream medium. Part of the reason for this is that the radio industry is highly fragmented and decentralized, so shifts in the industry tend to be gradual, and go unnoticed by the general population. What makes radio particularly exciting, is that anyone can potentially be the next big radio star with very little capital. Consider the meteoric rise of Howard Stern. But the most powerful aspects of radio are that it is passive, a shared experience, and exists on the aural plane. So radio can be enjoyed while performing other activities like driving, reading, and working. Radio only competes with itself. It does NOT and should NOT compete with web sites.
Let there be no mistake. DJing is a combination of personality, talent, and knowledge.
We believe that we have only scratched the surface, and have seen glimpses of brilliant DJs who have
invented new formats, and refined existing ones.
But if and when Internet radio becomes lucrative, competition will only increase, and the quality and originality of Internet radio will make today's Internet radio unrecognizable.
But for all of this to happen, there needs to be better incentives. So, while we will still consider making TUN3R a not-for-profit, should all other options fail (and there are some added bonuses of running a non-for-profit) it is not our first choice.
Subscription Profit Sharing is a yet-to-be-launched business model whereby participating webcasters are ensured that their per-listener/per-performance variable costs (i.e. streaming and royalty costs) incurred by subscribers are covered by TUN3R, and that there is additional revenue left over. We refer to that additional income as "profit", but cannot guarantee or even suggest that these variable profits will cover your fixed costs (e.g. cost of purchasing equipment and music collection). If you are a not-for-profit, you may even decide to reinvest these funds into other not-for-profits.
The business model is similar to the premium content business model used by major cable and satellite television providers. However, TUN3R's business model is different (and we would argue better) since Internet usage can be accurately tracked, and hence cashflows can directed based on actual usage.
Contrast this with the premium television model whereby viewers are to required to subscribe to specific channels (or in some cases, bundles of stations). After collecting subscription revenues, the cable or satellite company divides revenues evenly according to subscribed channels (as opposed to actual usage). In some situations, channels which have tiny viewerships are subsidized through bundling with more popular channels. At TUN3R, we believe that station commissions should be proportional to usage.
No. The TUN3R Subscription service, and hence Subscription Profit Sharing is currently under construction.
To indicate your interest in participating, just click on the "Profit-Sharing" link from the TUN3R homepage, to access the form.
All stations are entitled and welcome to participate in Subscription Profit Sharing regardless of their goals. Before proceeding to the remainder of this answer, please ensure you have read the answer to the "What is Subscription Profit Sharing" question to understand how we define "profit".
While we hope that the opportunity to profit from Internet radio without the headache of sales and administration will improve the quality of Internet radio programming, we understand that many webcasters are put off by the idea of profiting from their station. However, regardless of how you may feel about profit and capitalism, it is a new reality that Internet radio has relatively high variable costs, and that most of the money from TUN3R's Subscription Profit Sharing model goes towards covering those costs. So, unlike college or community terrestrial radio which can legally operate without incurring variable listener costs, this is simply not legally possible on the Internet due to high variable streaming and royalty costs.
No.
There is no exclusivity to TUN3R's Subscription Profit Sharing model, and you are more than welcome to participate in a competitor's profit sharing model, or even compete directly with TUN3R itself using your own subscription model. If you own the stations, you even have the added advantage of being able to advertise your service directly to listeners from TUN3R.
Open subscription models benefit webcasters since they provide a robust and stable eco-system to support and motivate the creation of original programming, from which all radio stations and radio aggregators benefit. Just as importantly, a multitude of subscription models creates a listener expectation that royalty-incurring Internet radio cannot be consumed for free indefinitely.
All stations are eligible. We only prohibit stations that have a clearly racist, sexist, or homophobic agenda. To indicate your interest in participating, just click on the "Profit-Sharing" link from the TUN3R homepage, to access the form.
With respect to positioning on The Dial, we favour the following station attributes: * Webcasts 24/7, 365 days a year Live DJing Provides a legitimate alternative to competing formats already on The Dial Fills a significant niche not currently serviced by stations on The Dial A recognizable name or brand across the world Has a long and esteemed history across the world High quality stream (i.e. 128 kbps or higher is preferred).
We are exploring the possibility of ringtone and song download profit sharing.
However, for the time being we have no specific plans to embark on this model. If you have any ideas or suggestions in this regard, please contact TUN3R's GM of Marketing, Neil Hepburn at: neil@tun3r.com
The battle over royalty increases has been intense, and there has been much hyperbole from both sides which has obscured some of the most important issues.
From our perspective, we feel the following points have not been adequately addressed by SoundExchange, and the Copyright Royalty Board. Respectively:
SoundExchange collects royalties for all music played, but only distributes it to fewer than 40,000 artists. There are tens of thousands of other artists whose material is being played, and which stations are paying royalties on behalf of. Yet these artists are not being directly compensated for this. There is no longer a technical reason why these artists cannot be compensated for airplay over the Internet. In other words, we think anyone should be able to publish a song, have it played over Internet radio, and be compensated for that performance, regardless of their label affiliations.
Hi-definition [HD] terrestrial radio has the same royalty deal in place as was originally signed for medium wave [AM] radio in 1909 (nearly 100 years ago). HD terrestrial radio provides a free and competitive alternative to satellite and Internet radio, but without the same royalty burden. This creates an uneven playing field and will unfairly damage the ability for satellite and Internet radio to compete effectively going ahead.
This is not quite true. A Dial only displays up to 1500 stations at once. We have added additional Dials to better organize and accommodate more stations.
The reasons for keeping only a fixed number of stations on The Dial is to ensure that it's always fun to play with. An infinite Dial, while easily possible, would not be as responsive as a fixed sized Dial across all platforms --- there are simply more opportunities to optimize a finite sized Dial. A fixed Dial is easier to navigate and connotes a sense of permanence. But most importantly, by holding station on The Dials to high standards, the experience of browsing is greatly improved.
Ultimately, we hope to invoke a warm "coming home" feeling each time you visit TUN3R.
We can make room for any and all stations. Our only rule is that we do not show stations that have a racist, sexist, or homophobic agenda.
With respect to positioning on The Dial, we favour the following station attributes: * Webcasts 24/7, 365 days a year Live DJing Provides a legitimate alternative to competing formats already on The Dial Fills a significant niche not currently serviced by stations on The Dial A recognizable name or brand across the world Has a long and esteemed history across the world High quality stream (i.e. 128 kbps or higher is preferred).
While stations are invited to custom design their Dial Spot, we are enforcing a black & white rule. There are two main reasons for this. First, an all colour Dial would look overly garish and noisy. Second, by keeping The Dial black & white, we can overlay colour to convey varying information based on user preferences and user interaction.
No. TUN3R is strictly a search engine and station aggregator. We have absolutely no control or dominion over the stations we display on The Dial, or display in our search results.
We organize stations by ISO 639-3 Macrolanguages If an Individual language does not map to a Macrolanguage, we refer to the Individual language. According to the ISO 693-3 standard, Serbo-Croatian is a single Macrolanguage made up of three distinct Individual languages: Bosnian; Croatian; and Serbian. Contrast this with English or Spanish, which are Individual languages that do not map to any Macrolanguage.
The mappings of Individual languages to Macrolanguages by the International Standards Organization is based solely on linguistic attributes, and is not intended to be political commentary.
For all technical issues, please contact: javascript needed
If you would like to suggest a new station, please send the station's home page URL and stream URL to javascript needed.
If the identified station has a clearly: racist; sexist; or homophobic agenda we would be happy to remove it from The Dial.
Stations that do not fall under this category will be considered for removal depending the circumstances. If the request is denied, we will provide you with an explanation behind our reasoning, which in the name of free speech you are welcome to make public.
Please send the Dial position, stream URL, and station home page URL to javascript needed.
TUN3R is different in many significant ways:
TUN3R actually feels like a real physical radio tuner. It's fun to play with, and encourages serendipity.
TUN3R does not hold court over the stations on its Dial. TUN3R allows listeners to find truly independent radio stations. Should TUN3R disappear tomorrow, all the stations you see on The Dial will still be broadcasting, and not be interrupted. The same cannot be said for the other major radio portals.
TUN3R recognizes that radio is a passive experience, and there is no substitute for a world-class deejay. Most of the other radio portals mentioned above (Pandora being the best example) allow you to create your own playlists, and do not utilize human deejays, instead relying on computer algorithms to determine the most suitable tracks to play. While such an approach certainly has its appeal, it also requires a tremendous amount of user feedback to work effectively.
Personally, we find this exhausting, and the lack of human touch leaves us cold. We also believe this approach will become less feasible once wireless broadband becomes affordable and ubiquitous. People will be able to listen to internet radio in their vehicles, while they exercise, or while they work. The last thing they will want is to concern themselves with "training" a radio station. Of course, time will be the test of this.
TUN3R is focused on being the most effective internet radio search engine. Period. We are not about social networking or building "communities".
Our goal is connect listeners to new Internet radio 'stations' in a fun, interactive way. We'd like to recapture some of idle pleasure provided by tuning an analog radio dial.
We also believe that the process of finding radio stations is part science and part randomness. Think of TUN3R as guided serendipity.
The boss link (which can also be activated by hitting the 'b' key on your keyboard, is a quick and easy way to disguise your use of TUN3R, and give people around you the distinct impression that you're doing real and meaningful work (which you are subconsciously), and are not just goofing off on some internet radio search engine.
However, if you do get caught by your boss or a nosy colleague, feel free to provide them with this clever explanation of what you're up to:
"I was just reviewing some alternative approaches to data visualization. The approaches taken by this site could easily be parlayed into a dashboard that may make it easier for us to execute on fact-based decisions both in an operational and strategic capacity."
TUN3R is based out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It's a decent Canadian city.
While snorkeling in the Gulf of Aqaba near Dahab Egypt, TUN3R's founder accidentally cut himself on a piece of coral. Within minutes, a pair of blue sharks picking up on the faint scent of blood could be seen approaching. Time being of the essence, TUN3R's founder called back to shore for any sharp object to assist in fending off the sharks. Strangely, the only thing that could be found was a vintage 1964 Panasonic Rf-800 AM/FM radio. The radio was quickly cracked open, and it's orange tuning needle removed. The needle was then quickly tossed over to TUN3R's founder. The first approaching shark got an unpleasant surprise with the needle being jabbed towards its eye. While the shark was not physically harmed, it was spooked and cleared out of the area. The second shark promptly followed suit. During these critical moments a rare epiphany was made: To make the world's coolest internet radio search engine.