Is lofi atc down? Yes. Here's the alternative.

If you landed on this page, you were probably looking up 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 I built instead.

What happened to lofiatc.com

lofiatc.com was created as a very cool personal project (not by me) and for three years it was one of the best things on the internet: you could pick an airport, hear its tower live over lo-fi beats, and mix the two audio streams to your preferred balance. It hit the Hacker News front page twice and hundreds of newsletters and lists linked to it! I personally used it all the time.

However, it ran on live audio feeds from LiveATC.net and in 2024 those feeds were blocked for the site, and the player has been silent since. The site itself says that they're trying to get access back and I hope they do! In the mean time, every clone that has appeared runs on the same feeds and could potentially meet the same fate.

What I did instead

I decided that I wanted a version that didn't depend on someone else's stream. Final Approach Radio records the air traffic control in person, one airport at a time. The tradeoff is that we have less airports on day 1 and the streams aren't real-time. On the other hand, that means they can't be taken down or switched off. Try it out and listen to the album I put together for O'Hare!

▶ Play O'Hare (free, no signup)

Other places to hear ATC over lo-fi

If you still want the live stream vibe, lofi-juan.com and a handful of similar sites play live LiveATC feeds under lo-fi playlists in the browser. If you just want the radio, LiveATC.net itself is the source for live tower audio, with no music. And YouTube has a few "airport lo-fi" live streams (including mine!). What you'll find here is the sounds that were recorded in person and released as albums you can keep or listen to wherever you get your music.

Frequently asked

Is this the same site as lofiatc.com?

No. Different person, different approach. I keep "lofi atc" on this page because it's the name everyone knows, and because I loved it too.

Will you add my airport?

That's the plan: one every couple of months, recorded on the ground. Ask on Instagram and let's chat!

Can I use the recordings in my own project?

No. The recordings only exist inside the tracks; they aren't sold or licensed on their own.