How to Listen to youarelistening.to and Access Its Archives
You can listen to youarelistening.to directly in your browser—the site has a built-in player (you'll see a 0:00 / 0:00 control) that streams ambient music mixed with live city sounds. To get updates on new shows and listen back to the 150+ hours of archives, you need to become a subscriber through the site's Buttondown page, which offers both free and paid options.
Listening on the Website
The core experience requires no account: open youarelistening.to and use the on-page player to start a stream. The site has been blending ambient music with city sounds since 2011, so the format is consistent—each "show" pairs a music bed with a live or recorded audio feed from a specific place.
What you can hear
The channel list on the homepage includes, among others:
| Channel | Type |
|---|---|
| LAX Air Traffic Control | Airport ATC |
| Shipping Forecast | Broadcast radio |
| Painting with Bob Ross | TV audio |
| Montreal Fire Department | Emergency services |
| Los Angeles PD | Police scanner |
| Tokyo Haneda ATC | Airport ATC |
| Maradona | Archival/special |
| Toronto Transit Control | Transit radio |
| NTS Special | Radio collaboration |
Each show has a playlist icon next to it. Clicking that icon reveals track names and purchase info—almost all the music on the site is available from Bandcamp, so you can buy what you hear.
Accessing the Archives
The live player only gives you the current stream. To reach the back catalog of 150+ hours, you need a subscription.
Steps to subscribe
- Go to the site and find the subscription prompt (the page describes the site as listener-supported).
- Follow the link to the Buttondown subscription page at
buttondown.com/youarelisteningto/buy. - Choose either a free or paid tier. The free tier gets you updates on new shows; the paid tier is the one linked from the "buy" URL, so expect the archive access and fuller benefits to sit behind the paid option.
- Confirm your email—Buttondown is an email newsletter platform, so updates and archive access are delivered through it.
Expected result: after subscribing, you receive notifications when new shows are published and gain a way to listen back to the archive rather than only the live stream.
A note on cost
The site is listener-supported and the subscription link is labeled "paid," so don't assume the archives are free. The page does mention a "free or paid subscriber" choice, meaning a no-cost tier exists—but the archive access described alongside the paid link is most likely tied to the paid tier. Check the Buttondown page for the current split before committing.
Staying Updated Outside the Site
If you don't want email, the site points you to Bluesky and Instagram for staying in touch. These are useful for spotting new shows or specials—for example, the NTS Radio special, since the site has been playing monthly on NTS Radio since 2015.
Common Snags
- No archive without subscribing. The homepage player is live-only; the 150+ hours sit behind the subscription.
- Buttondown handles the signup. If you're looking for an in-site account system, there isn't one described—everything routes through Buttondown.
- Track purchasing is separate. Playlist icons give you Bandcamp links; buying music there is a different transaction from subscribing.
Quick Decision Guide
- Just want to listen now: open the site, use the player, pick a channel.
- Want new-show alerts: free Buttondown subscription.
- Want the 150+ hour archive: paid Buttondown subscription.
- Want to follow casually: Bluesky or Instagram.