Start with the format, not the technology
Most stations that stop do not stop because of technology but for lack of an idea that lasts longer than a month. A format is a promise to the listener: which music, which tempo, how much talk, for whom, when. Write it down in three sentences. Everything after that, from the clock template to the jingles, is an elaboration of those three sentences.
Music and rights
You need music in a good format: FLAC or WAV if you can, MP3 at 320 kbps at least if you must. And you need the rights to broadcast it. In the Netherlands that is Buma/Stemra and Sena; in Belgium Sabam and Simim; in Spain SGAE and AGEDI/AIE; in the UK PRS for Music and PPL. Tariffs depend on reach and on whether you are commercial. Calculate this before you start: it is a fixed annual item that is not part of any software package.
Automation: the clock keeps the station running
Nobody broadcasts twenty-four hours a day by hand. The automation fills every hour according to a clock template with music from your library, jingles and, if you want, presentation. What to look at: are cue points measured or do you set them yourself; can you make clocks per daypart; what happens at the top of the hour; and does it run on your PC or on a server that is always on. A station that depends on a laptop in a cupboard goes off air the moment that laptop runs an update.
Stream, website and app
The stream is what the listener hears: choose MP3 320 kbps as the main stream and HLS for mobile, with enough capacity for your peak. The website and app are where the listener arrives: now playing, playlist, requests, presenter, and installable on the phone without an app store. Register your stream with TuneIn, radio.net, myTuner and Online Radio Box; those directories send listeners you would never have reached yourself.
Presentation: human, AI or both
A station without a voice sounds like a playlist. A station with a presenter who is on time every hour, names the right title and gives that hour's weather sounds like radio. For most starting stations the combination is the answer: people on the hours that matter, AI presentation on the rest, with the same clock and the same jingles.
What it costs and what you can skip
Fixed items per year: rights, automation including server and stream, and possibly voices. You can skip: a physical studio, a mixing desk, your own server at home, and an app-store app. What you must not skip: a backup of your library in a second place, and a clock thick enough to fill the hour. At NexRadio everything except the rights and voice usage is in one package per year; setup is included.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a licence for internet radio?
No broadcasting licence like for FM, but you do need the music rights from the collecting societies in your country. Broadcasting without them is an infringement, even if you make no money.
How much music do I need at minimum?
Enough to fill your format for a week without repetition at the shortest tracks. For a pop format with fourteen songs an hour that is quickly a few thousand titles; with strict categories and separation rules you can do with less.
Can I start with my own laptop?
To build and to listen, yes; to broadcast, no. A broadcast that depends on your laptop stops at every update, sleep mode or move. Put the automation on a server meant for it.