How to Play Internet Radio on a PS3

Sony's PlayStation 3 features several ways to enjoy streaming audio and Internet radio, giving you the option to sit back and jam between gaming sessions. App-based options for the PS3 are limited, with only Music Unlimited and TuneIn available as of publication. However, there are some workarounds so you can enjoy Pandora and Spotify on your PS3 as well.

Music Unlimited is a premium music service available on the PS3, which features individual music content, streaming radio stations and other media. Music Unlimited is available in two tiers, the Access and Premium Plans. Access is the lower-cost tier, but it has the fewest options for enjoying music on other devices. Premium is pricier, but it offers more options. Both plans are compatible with the PS3 and the content delivered is the same, making Access a better choice if you want the service strictly for your PS3.

TuneIn is a free alternative to Music Unlimited, exclusively intended for streaming live radio. The PS3 TuneIn app offers your choice of over 70,000 AM and FM stations and 2 million podcasts from around the world, which gives a lot of options. The wide variety of choices give you options for music -- both live and recorded -- as well as sports events and talk radio, enabling you to simulate the experience of tuning into the radio in your car from the comfort of your couch. However, since TuneIn works like live radio there isn't an opportunity for the on-demand content of Music Unlimited. If you already have a TuneIn account, you can log directly into it from your PS3 app and access all of your favorite content without having to hunt it down.

Pandora doesn't have an actual app on the PS3, but their website gives steps for a workaround that allows you to enjoy the service from your console. From the PS3 browser, go to Pandora's website and begin the stream. Bookmarking Pandora on your PS3 also makes it easier to return to the site at another time. Since you're accessing Pandora from the browser instead of an app, you'll have to sign into your account to access your content, including playlists and stations.

Spotify is one of the more difficult streaming options to access on PS3, but it can be used. Since Spotify doesn't have a PS3 app and the PS3 browser is incompatible with the Web Player, you won't be able to access it directly on your PS3. Instead, you'll need to set up a media server on your computer that can push the audio from Spotify to your PS3. For a no-hassle paid option, you can use Jamcast, which sets up a virtual sound card that duplicates all system audio from your computer and streams it to compatible devices like your PS3. One this is set up, you can run Spotify on your desktop and stream the sound to your PS3. You can also use a combination of the free PS3 Media Server software and DSBridge to effectively stream Spotify to your PS3 from your computer.