Finally, a great free radio app for Windows

You can also add stations manually, which is useful if the station you like doesn’t appear in the built-in search. To do this, you will need to find a link to the PLS file that the station is using, this is what allows Trdo to find the radio station. Many online radio stations offer these links for free on their websites, just look for the Streaming Links section.

If you can’t find a link to the stream, don’t worry: there are websites that collect them. I recommend checking out Public Radio Fan, a database of public radio stations from around the world, or InternetRadio, which has a more extensive collection of streaming links.

Courtesy of Justin Bott

By default, left-clicking on the tray icon will pause or play the current station. Right-clicking on it opens the pop-up window. You can reverse this in settings, if you prefer. You can also pause or play the current station using the pause button on your keyboard, if you have one. You can’t change the station using the next or previous buttons, which is disappointing. (Hopefully Trdo adds this one day.)

Trdo keeps track of the songs you hear on the radio, and compiles them into a list you can refer back to again. This is great for finding out what song you heard 15 minutes ago while your hands were busy. There’s a feature that lets you bookmark your favorite songs, allowing you to keep a list of tracks you love for future reference.

There are also optional links to tracks on Spotify, Discogs, Apple Music, and YouTube Music. (You can choose which services you want to display in Settings.) This is useful for discovering new music. You can bookmark songs you like during the day, then check them out later on your streaming service of choice.

I see internet radio as a great complement to music streaming apps, not a replacement for them. Sometimes I know what I’m in the mood for, and that’s when I go live. But sometimes I don’t want to make a decision, or I want to be surprised. This is when online radio is perfect. Trdo makes listening a little easier, so check it out if you want to change up your music listening.