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Satellite Radio Is Officially Here

Posted by timothy on from the just-when-my-car-gets-a-decent-cassette-deck dept.

dragons_flight writes: "XM Satellite Radio has officially launched, initially selling equipment only in the Dallas and San Diego markets, but going national by Nov. 15. A reciever for home or car costs ~$300 plus a $10/month subscription service. Many new cars will be pre-equipped with satellite-ready radios. XM provides 100 digital channels, a signicant number of which are commercial free. Sirius satellite radio says they are committed to launching be the end of the year." Any readers out there with the equipment for this have comments about it? ($10x12 + $300 makes $420 I'll be putting toward other things.)

4 of 405 comments (clear)

  1. good concept, marketing plan isn't there yet by fetta · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Satellite radio is a great concept, but I have a hard time seeing too many people subscribe under the current terms. The "itch" that this addresses (too many commercials, not enough variety) isn't severe enough to justify the $300 + $120/year. Especially not when cheaper "scratches" exist, like CD players. The audiophiles that I know are more likely to spend their money on MP3 and CD alternatives.

    Maybe if they can get enough cars to come with the hardware preinstalled, they have a shot. But until they have that installed base of hardware, this service is a pilot project at best.

    --
    ** The opinions expressed here are my own, and do not reflect those of my employers - past, present, or future**
    1. Re:good concept, marketing plan isn't there yet by scoove · · Score: 5, Insightful

      ok. i've got proof they're going to go dot-bomb. after posting my suspicions, i decided to conduct a highly scientific marketing study... i called my boomer dad.

      me: dad, you hear about that satellite radio service with 100 channels going live?

      dad: no, really?

      me: (scribbling down note about how boomers don't know what we slashdotters do) hmm. ok well, imagine a radio service with 100 channels you can listen to in your explorer.

      dad: sounds neat (jot down use of boomer word 'neat' to refer to something of value)

      me: yea, let me read some of the channels they've got. (rattle off some rock, talk, classical, etc.)

      dad: sounds great. i'd probably listen to that. how do i tune it in?

      me: oh, well, that's a minor issue. you have to buy a new radio for your truck.

      dad: oh. they can't get it on mine?

      me: no, different frequencies. but the radio is only $300.

      dad: you've got to be kidding. that much? for a radio?

      me: well yea, but it gets 100 channels. and it's only $10 a month...

      dad: $10 A MONTH?!?!?! forget it

      me: (scribbling down how they've got the right programming for the wrong market. gen-x'ers i've chatted with would gladly throw the money /if/ it had programming of value)

      so attention marketing dudes: you are waaaay off. your programming is for a market that wouldn't free up a spare dime for your service.

      now that's off my chest, you guys owe me ten years of service with tag's trance on 24x7. get going!

      *scoove*
      did you know cows like trance? true!

  2. Why this might work by skoda · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I see a few repeated thoughts against subscription radio. Here's a some thoughts on why they're wrong.

    Anti-1) Just buy CDs.
    At $10/mo. you can't even buy one CD/mo. Assuming good playlists, this is a cheaper way to get a variety of music. As for the $300 one-time cost for the radio, that will come down. CD players debuted at $500 - $1000 (?? just buy blank tapes at $0.50 ea.!); likewise for VCRs, DVD players, etc.

    Anti-2) Listen CDs for good selection; don't rely on radio.
    CDs play for 70 min max. Then it either stops, repeats, or you must switch discs. The point of radio is fire-and-forget. Pick station, and not have to interrupt work to fiddle with music selection. Multi-discs CD players reduce the problem, but don't remove it.

    Anti-3) Use MP3 player to play large compilation discs.
    Like Anti-2, it reduces effort, but still requires effort (both up-front to make the MP3s, and possibly to switch discs). But it's also Anti-1 -- you gotta have discs before you can rip 'em. Unless you steal music, but that's another discussion.

    Anti-4) Just make your own mixes, and listent ot them. Why listen to corporate-run radio?
    Uh huh. Just like you make your own DVD mixes, rather than getting cable-TV for movies, news, variety, etc.

    For many of those people, the objections will be sufficient deterrent to trying digital radio. But early adopters are funny beasts, and are not easily stopped :) Subscription-based media access works (cable TV, newspapers, magazines), despite the wide variety of high-quality, free sources (network TV, indie 'zines).

    There are many obstacles, but I think subscription, digital radio could work.

    --
    ShoutingMan.com
  3. KKUP in Cupertino & Truckers... by BumbaCLot · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Thankfully the Bay has one truly Public Radio station, KKUP. None of the DJ's are played, they have 15+ genres, and are 100% listener supported (quite possibly the only station in the country). Not that I would bet too many /.'ers are big reggae fans, but they have the most reggae hours on radio period. (XM just happens to have 1 reggae station I am streaming right now)
    A point on XM radio, the trucking industry will be the first to take great use of this, on a trip to Mardi Gras from Indiana with my father, I failed to bring anything to read with me, and picked up all the free trucking magazines I could at local gas stations, and they were looking forward to XM in great force. It also interested me the amount of trucking companies who provided e-mail services built into their rigs to their employees so they could keep in touch with both their dispatchers and families.
    Always remember not 'ALL' tech is created by geeks for geeks....