Earth.fm’s library of soundscapes can only ever be a bridge to the natural world – not a replacement for real-world experiences of nature. In order to further inspire users to go out and explore, listen, and (re)connect with the natural world, we’ve developed a new feature for the Earth.fm app that we’re thrilled to introduce: ‘Recordings near you’.
As you might gather, this will enable you to view soundscapes which were recorded in your area.
Our hope is that this will encourage visits to those natural environments, either close to home – maybe ones you haven’t been to in a while, or ones that you’ve never been aware of before – or on trips away, or even while travelling abroad.
This feature is turned off by default, and a lot of care has been taken not to access users’ locations without explicit permission, so you’ll have to give your location permission in order to use it. However, this permission can be turned off at any point via device settings. We also do not use location data for any other purpose.
When you’re logged in, a new section on the Earth.fm home screen will show a list of recordings made near your current location. This list refreshes according to location every time the app is opened, and can also be refreshed manually, while a map view allows additional exploration.
To use this feature, you will need to update the Earth.fm app to the latest version: 1.9.0. You can do this for Android in Google Play or for Apple in the App Store.
Earth.fm is a completely free streaming service of 1000+ nature sounds from around the world, offering natural soundscapes and guided meditations for people who wish to listen to nature, relax, and become more connected. Launched in 2022, Earth.fm is a non-profit and a 1% for the Planet Environmental Partner.
Check out our recordings of nature ambience from sound recordists and artists spanning the globe, our thematic playlists of immersive soundscapes and our Wind Is the Original Radio podcast.
You can join the Earth.fm family by signing up for our newsletter of weekly inspiration for your precious ears, or become a member to enjoy the extra Earth.fm features and goodies and support us on our mission.
Subscription fees contribute to growing our library of authentic nature sounds, research into topics like noise pollution and the connection between nature and mental wellbeing, as well as funding grants that support emerging nature sound recordists from underprivileged communities.