XM Radio Plans Online Music Service

Grump writes "Diving into the already crowded online music business, XM Radio Online, will launch sometime in early October and operate commercial-free, just as its satellite programming does. XM will charge $7.99 per month for unlimited listening and offer a discount rate of $3.99 to subscribers of its existing radio services."

yep

[BoldAC]

It makes perfect sense (cents?)

They already have the structure setup to spit out tunes and news. As people get addicted to it in their car, they'll naturally want it at their desk too...

Wouldn't surprise me if they offer it for a cheap add-on to their existing service.

Not off-topic mods

[Anonymous Coward]

Please pay attention! XM caused some trouble for the guy that wrote software to timeshift XM using their usb device.

Just music or all of the XM menu?

[erick99]

I wish the article had specified whether or not the online service will include the non-music channels such as the sports channels or just music. Since the title is XM Radio Online and it is, I think, replacing the XM PC reciever, then wouldn't it seem that it is for all of the XM service? However, why charge $7.99 for an online version of XM Radio instead of the $9.99 charged if you own the radio receiver? The article does refer to it as a "online music service" as well as XM Radio Online so it's not 100% clear if it just for the music channels or all of the channels. Well, maybe somebody knows?

Erick

Re:Um, hello, Sirius is already online for FREE.

[LostCluster]

"Free as in beer" doesn't quite describe what's going on here. It's closer to "Free as in the toy in a Cracker Jacks box" in that it's free if you're already purchasing the main subscription which just happens to cost more than XM's...

Re:XM radio?

[Wyatt Earp]

Not to mention the fact that say, a Classic Rock FM station has the same play list, and they have had the same play list for the last 20 years?

2-4 Zeppelin songs.
1-3 Rush songs.
3-5 AC/DC songs.
1 Jethro Tull song.
A Dead block in the middle of the night on a weekend.
5-9 other misc songs.

Repeated over and over since 1984.

XM radio, I've heard classic rock bands I've never heard before, like Sweet, Moot the Hoople, MSG, UFO, etc.

Re:discount rate of $3.99

[Lord Kano]

A "discount" rate? Why is it not free?

Because they're a business. Because they have expenses.

LK

Re:Um, hello, Sirius is already online for FREE.

[Tyler Eaves]

Yes, they're also like 32kbit MP3 streams that sound like complete shit.

Can't comment on Sirius, but...

[diamondsw]

I actually think this might work. I've always been skeptical of business models based on people paying for a music subscription rather than downloads. People like the idea that years down the line it's still theirs, and is always theirs.

This gets around it by having a receptive audience already in place - XM subscribers who effectively pay for commercial-free music streaming already. This just adds it to their computer as well as their car, etc.

Nice move.

usb tuner bad, online good?

[sPaKr]

This is insane. Why should you waste bandwidth for online radio? when they have (had) a usb adapter that could tune the same radio they are beaming into your home and head? Yes.. I should have to pay for isp bandwidth and radio service.. instead of just radio service.. ugh.

Interesting debate

[Andy Dodd]

There is actually a bonus to having a DJ on a station, it gives it a more "human" feel to it, whereas no DJ starts seeming like Muzak.

XM typically handles the balance well though, their DJs usually talk far less than FM DJs. Bodhi and Grant Random, the two DJs that appear on Squizz (XM's hard rock channel) are really good, and a good example of "not too much, not too little".

So reasons to get XM over FM:
a) Variety, there's so much more you will hear on XM you'll never hear on XM
b) No commercials
c) Quality, and never needing to change channels because you're out of range. Of course you may want to change channels because you want to hear something different. I have 4 of my 6 car's FM presets set, and most of the time I only use one of them. On my Roady, I've filled all ten of my presets and use them all.

Re:Nice attempt... but competitor's already there!

[swankypimp]

You don't have to download anything, though. Searching a music catalog is limited by your memory: instead of thinking, "gee I want to listen to that obscure Twisted Sister B-side from the early eighties," you can tune in to XM's hair metal channel and it will probably come on. On my vacation, I kept the rental car's radio tuned in to that very channel, and I couldn't believe how many times I heard something that I only vaguely remembered but liked, and never would have thought of searching for. (Especially when it comes to one hit wonders whose names you don't recall.) For this reason, some people prefer paying professionals in the given genre to find content for them.

Re:It is NOT commercial free, or is it?

[P.J. Hinton]

Disclaimer: I am an XM subscriber.

The music channels are commercial free. XM makes no false pretenses about other channels. The closest thing that you get to a commercial on the music channels that the DJ might mention a show on another XM channel.

Content that comes from third party sources may include breaks for commericals because they are carried on commercial radio stations. That's just the way those shows are created. They don't make a commercial free version of Al Franken or Michael Savage.

For example, talk radio material comes from major syndicators (e.g. Premier Radio Network, Talk Radio Network, Air America, and ABC Radio Networks). Those shows are programmed to have hard breaks. Go check the websites for the syndicators for the clocks.

Same goes for the simulcasts of the cable news channels (Fox News Channel, MSNBC, CNN, etc.) and the sports radio channels (Fox Sports, Sporting News, and ESPN Radio).

In many instances, the space used for commericals is populated by a number of non-advertisement filler features and blurbs. Among those I've heard:

Audio Book Cafe (description of new audio books)
Between the Lines (interview with authors)
Earth and Sky (science and nature news)
Film Clips (movie reviews from Mike Reynolds)
Country Music Report (Natalie Windsor)
Megabyte Minute (tech news)
Into Tomorrow (tech news with Dave Graveline)
Technofile (tech news with Lazlow)
NASCAR News (reports from Clarie B. Lang)

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P.J. Hinton