If you have problems with those, try a slower connection, or a mono broadcast rather than full stereo. Stay aware of time zone differences. It's disorienting to tune into a late night party show while still waking up at your day job. Most stations post program guides online and note live broadcasts. Many popular syndicated commercial and public radio station shows are archived online.
Archived shows use the same streaming players.
Expect all kinds of ads and marketing gimmicks from individual artists, large or small, independent record companies, and distributors. Offers of passwords, memberships, page space, or points that add up to prizes keep track of how well you're steered to record companies and distributors. Some offers of music provide no more than 30-minute samples and a means of using your credit card to download or receive CDs by mail. Others dodge Napster's concerns. About 100 new stations start broadcasting over the Internet every month.