Decide what kind of station you want to mastermind. Choose talk radio, a music program that comes from your personal playlists, a locally oriented rundown of bands and shows in the area or anything else that you are passionate about doing. Keep the particular needs of this format in mind as you address licensing and software issues.
Ensure your online radio station content is legal, even when playing directly from your personal collection. If you provide a station that uses any kind of copyright-protected material, you need to pay a licensing fee. If you are showcasing only local or independent music that is written and performed by bands you are familiar with, get written permission from them to stream their tunes (this could also provide you with a partner in cross-promotion). If you are operating a talk show or just looking to air your own music, you don`t need any special permission.
License the content you will play. You can directly license through a middle-man agency such as BMI or SoundExchange, but that option is costly and involves hefty paperwork. You can circumvent this by turning to a licensed network, such as Live 365 or LoudCity that will work with the BMIs to have you legally streaming at a much smaller monthly rate. These services also offer to act as the server for your online radio station as part of a package price. However, you can host the show on your own server as long as you have used a licensed network or filed a notice at the federal Copyright Office to gain permission to stream the content.
Host your radio station on your own sever. Acquire software for three steps of this process: a program to play your music or content, a broadcasting program to send the music to the server and the serving program that sends the content out to its recipients, your listeners. (Downloadable plug-ins are used to send the music to the server once they are installed.)
Research the various programs available to fit your particular needs. Some music programs have their own plugins and servers, which may not result in the highest quality broadcast. Determine if you need a music player, broadcasting and serving program that are suited for those purposes only or are looking for an option that will conserve the most space on your computer.
Download, install and run your selected programs. Follow all prompts instigated by the programs for configuration and setup.
Set up an input devise so you can play DJ and announce upcoming selections. A microphone that came on your PC is the most common option. Instigate microphone use by finding a "Record Live" button in the program, and return to streaming music by selecting the option again.
Test to see if your broadcast is working correctly. The programming software should provide a web address where your station is being streamed. Go to a different computer to check for your station.