FM radio hasn't gone away. If anything, it's evolved. Now you can listen to a number of your local radio stations from anywhere in the world. These stations are available to stream online, in a browser or from a dedicated app.

Linux has a handful of quality, modern apps for streaming internet radio. If you haven't already developed a habit of listening to the radio on your computer, now might be the time to start.

1. Shortwave

Shortwave is an internet radio app designed for the GNOME desktop. This means it comes with the advantages that apply to GNOME software generally. It's simple. It's slick. And it has an adaptive design that feels as at home on a phone as it does on the desktop, if not more so.

Shortwave boasts over 25,500 available stations. The home page nudges you toward many popular options to begin with. You can play them or add them to your own personal library for easy access later.

When in the desktop format, currently playing stations appear in a panel on the right-hand side. When in a mobile size, the station appears at the bottom. At those times when you're listening to a radio station playing music, if it provides stream metadata, then Shortwave will also provide the ability to download the track.

GNOME is the default desktop interface for many of the most popular versions of Linux. This includes Fedora and Ubuntu. So if you're a new Linux user and have wound up on a GNOME-based distro, Shortwave is liable to be the most well-integrated and feature-rich option.

Download: Shortwave

2. Tuner

Tuner is an app for elementary OS, though you can install it on any Linux distribution you prefer. The elementary OS dock keeps the app close by, and the sound indicator lets you pause and play your station without switching away from the current app. If you have fallen in love with elementary OS, then Tuner is a bit of a no-brainer.

But what about the app itself? Tuner's search field does a great job of finding stations, but if you don't already know what you're looking for, Tuner places an emphasis on helping you find new stations.

There is a "Discover" section that serves as your home screen, plus a section for "Trending," and another marked "Popular." And if after searching through those you haven't found what you're after, there are music genres such as "Classical," "Electronic," and "Jazz" listed down the sidebar. When you know exactly which station you want, mark it with a star and return to it whenever you like.

Tuner is comparable to Shortwave in features and feel. It's also one of the more approachable options to consider. But for those of you digging something a bit more barebones or technical, what you're looking for is further down.

Download: Tuner

3. Goodvibes

For some folks, the options above are fine, but they're a bit extra. Where's something simpler?

Goodvibes is a basic internet radio client intended for GTK-based desktops. It's not going to be the first choice for people new to computers, as you need knowledge of the internet radio M3U format. That's because, even though Goodvibes comes with a few stations baked in, you need to manually add new stations using an M3U URL. Goodvibes does not help you find new stations. That's up for you to do in a web browser.

But there is a certain audience that prefers this type of app. This is a KISS-style app in the same way that Arch Linux is KISS. Goodvibes comes with the essential functionality to play and manage internet radio stations with absolutely nothing extra.

If Shortwave feels too GNOME and Tuner feels too elementary, then that alone may be a reason to give Goodvibes a go. It's a tad more desktop agnostic.

Download: Goodvibes

4. GNOME Radio

Okay, so Goodvibes leaves you wondering what radio stations are out there. And even with Shortwave and Tuner, you may still need help weeding through the sheer volume of options. That's where GNOME Radio comes in.

GNOME Radio, originally known as GNOME Internet Radio Locator, will help you find internet radio stations based on their location on a map. This can help you find stations near where you live now, what's playing back in the area you may have moved away from, or just pretend you live on the other side of the world for a day.

Once you find a station, you don't have to switch apps to start listening. You can give the station a click or enter a station's name in the search box to begin playback.

This isn't the most mature project, but it's one to watch. The developer has a blog that you can keep tabs on as the app grows. GNOME Radio's approach is fun and different from the others on this list.

Download: GNOME Radio

5. Advanced Radio Player

On KDE Plasma, you don't need a full-blown app to stream a radio station in the background. You can do that using a widget instead.

KDE makes it easy to download new components, such as widgets, to your Plasma desktop. Check out our general overview of how KDE's "Get New" buttons work.

Once you're all set up, your internet radio stations will be available on your panel where you can start or stop them at any time. Like Goodvibes, you will have to add internet radio links manually from a preferences window. The widget itself slides out from your panel and contains minimal information. The idea here isn't to be distracting, but accessible.

Download: Advanced Radio Player

Haven't Found What You're Looking For?

There are many ways to listen to the internet radio from your Linux desktop. If you don't want a full-blown app or a dedicated widget, you can opt not to install anything extra. Instead, turn to the music player you already have installed.

Quite a few music players like Rhythmbox and Clementine come with the ability to add internet radio streams. Or, if you prefer, you can turn to quite a few websites to stream radio stations in your browser.