The recording industry, which has shut down online jukeboxes and sued individuals to stem massive osses in music sales, now fears songs streamed over Internet radio sites could be pirated.

The Recording Industry Association of America is turning its focus to software that essentially allows listeners to use a personal computer just like a conventional tape deck for AM/FM radio.

But as Internet radio becomes increasingly popular, so does the drive to monitor how consumers receive music.

“The problem arises when people record broadcasts and turn them — potentially — into music libraries with songs they haven’t paid for,” said Steven Marks, general counsel for the RIAA. “And we are very concerned about the actual software that permits people to transform broadcasts into music libraries.”

Jambalaya Brands is the manufacturer of Audio Xtract, software that enables consumers to record Internet radio broadcasts. The St. Louis-based company says the recordings are intended only for personal use, eliminating any legal friction that has surfaced for peer-to-peer file-sharing networks such as Napster.

But concern has also surfaced regarding continuous streaming of radio broadcasts versus the transfer of individual music files. That issue is particularly close to Vytas Safronikas, who owns and operates Santa Clarita-based bornagainradio.com. Broadcasting Christian contemporary music 24 hours a day, Safronikas streams the music so listeners receive it much like a broadcast from a conventional radio. The process — requiring a combination of digital and analog equipment — eliminates the ability to extract individual music files.

“The quality is probably just as good as an FM station,” said Safronikas, who also works as a news reporter for KNX-AM (1070) in Los Angeles.