Virtual Broadcasting - no, not coming next, with us already. Most radio-broadcasting on the Internet consists of relays of ordinary terrestrial stations - RTE Radio 1 and 2FM can both be heard via website anywhere in the world. Other, web-only radio stations allow you to select from re-runs of various programmes. A new Scottish company, InternetRadio Ltd, provides programming made exclusively for the web.

The idea is that its site, internetradio.co.uk, will host stations from all over Britain and further afield. The company is also in discussion with a Scottish record company regarding a virtual record label which will provide music as MP3 format files which can be downloaded to hard disks or recordable CDs and mini-discs.

With this sort of development, Internet radio will be able to promote bands and sell their music all in one go. According to Mark Monaghan, founder of InternetRadio Ltd, the traditional record-company route won't always be necessary in the future.