Is lofi atc down? Yes. Here's the alternative.
If you're here, you probably typed lofiatc.com and got a page that says the site is down. It's been that way since late 2024. This page explains why, and what we built instead.
What happened to lofiatc.com
lofiatc.com was made for fun by a private pilot named Yvonne, and for three years it was one of the best things on the internet: pick an airport, hear its tower live over lo-fi beats, slide the balance to taste. It hit the Hacker News front page twice. Hundreds of newsletters and lists linked it.
It ran on live audio feeds from LiveATC.net. In 2024 those feeds were blocked for the site, and the player has been silent since — Yvonne's own note on the page says she's trying to get access back. We hope she does. Until then, every clone that has appeared since runs on the same feeds, and can go the same way.
What we did instead
We stopped depending on someone else's stream. Final Approach Radio records the air traffic control in person — from the parking lot, the viewing area, the top floor of the terminal garage — on an airband receiver, one airport at a time. Then we hand-edit those real transmissions into lo-fi tracks and release them as albums: Chicago O'Hare first, then Midway, Chicago Executive, San Francisco, New York.
What's the same: the two sliders. More tower, or more beat. Free. No signup.
What's different: it can't be switched off. The audio is ours, recorded on the ground at each airport, and you can own it — every album is on Bandcamp, pay what you want.
What you lose: it isn't live. You're hearing an afternoon at O'Hare, not this minute at O'Hare. For focus and sleep, that turns out to be a feature: no dead air, no dropped feed at 3 a.m., and the same calm voices every night.
▶ Play O'Hare — free, no signup
Other places to hear ATC over lo-fi
We'd rather you found what works for you. lofi-juan.com and a handful of similar sites play live LiveATC feeds under lo-fi playlists in the browser. LiveATC.net itself is the source for live tower audio, no music. YouTube has a few "airport lo-fi" live streams. Ours is the one recorded in person and released as albums you can keep.
Frequently asked
- Is this the same site?
- No. Different people, different approach. We keep "lofi atc" on this page because it's the name everyone knows, and because we loved it too.
- Will you add my airport?
- That's the plan — one every couple of months, recorded on the ground. Ask on Instagram.
- Can I use the recordings in my own project?
- Yes — the raw ATC packs are on Bandcamp, licensed for exactly that. See Recordings.