simplesmartradio

Data sources & third-party services

Last updated: 2026-04-22

SimpleSmartRadio is a browser and native-app client for publicly available internet radio directories. This page documents exactly which third-party services we depend on, what data we retrieve from them, and how the rights-holder framework operates across the stack.

1. Our role

SimpleSmartRadio is a client — a directory and player — for internet radio streams. We are not a broadcaster, we do not own audio content, we do not license content, and we do not grant sub-licences. The role is comparable to that of a web browser or an RSS reader: we fetch metadata from public sources, render it, and let the user press play. When they do, their browser or device connects directly to the operator of the station; we do not sit in the audio path.

2. Third-party data services we use

radio-browser.info

radio-browser.info is a volunteer-maintained, public-domain directory of internet radio stations. We consume its free, open HTTP API to retrieve the following metadata per station:

  • Station name, homepage URL, stream URL
  • Country (ISO code), language, genre tags
  • Community vote and play counts (used to rank search results)

We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by radio-browser.info or its volunteer operators. radio-browser.info explicitly provides metadata only — it does not license, host, or endorse the audio content that the stream URLs point to. User-submitted station additions should go directly to radio-browser.info/add; new additions flow into our catalog on the next refresh cycle.

Icecast YP directory (dir.xiph.org)

We fetch the publicly available server listings from the xiph.org YP directory to surface long-tail streams not yet indexed by radio-browser. Same model — metadata only, no licensing or endorsement of audio content.

3. Our enrichment layer

On top of the upstream metadata we add:

  • Genre normalisation against a closed 49-term vocabulary.
  • A one-sentence English description per station, AI-generated via Claude.
  • A Dutch translation of that description.
  • A “platform brand” flag for platform-operated aggregators (iHeart, TuneIn) that we choose to drop from our catalog.

These enrichments are our work, published back under the same open terms via our public API. The enrichment layer does not claim any rights in the underlying audio content.

4. Audio streams

When a user presses play, their browser (on the web) or device (in the native app) connects directly to the stream URL operated by the station. We do not proxy, re-encode, cache, rebroadcast, or log the audio connection. The station operator is the sole party delivering the audio.

5. Broadcasting rights & content ownership

Broadcasting rights for each audio stream are the sole responsibility of the station operator that hosts that stream. All copyrights in the audio content, as well as trademarks, station names, and logos, belong to their respective owners.

SimpleSmartRadio and Simple Smart Company do not claim ownership of any audio content and do not grant any licence to rebroadcast, redistribute, or commercially exploit it.

6. Takedown procedure

Rights holders who believe a specific stream should be removed from our directory can submit a takedown request via our report form. We ask for: (a) a link or identifier for the affected station, (b) a statement of good-faith belief of infringement, (c) a contact for follow-up.

Verified takedown requests are actioned within 7 business days. The affected entry is suppressed both from our web catalog and from the SQLite bundle that ships with the native app's next release.

7. Disclaimers

  • We do not verify the legality, accuracy, or availability of third-party streams.
  • We do not endorse, sponsor, or guarantee any station listed in the directory.
  • Inclusion of a station in the catalog is not a statement that the station has secured broadcasting rights for its territory.
  • The service is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind.

8. Contact

9. Related documents