Is XM Bending Over Backwards To Make Satellite Radio Less Useful?
from the bad-policies dept
Last week, we wrote about how XM Radio and the RIAA were getting increasingly concerned about someone who dared to make some software that would record XM radio feeds. According to people at Broadband Reports, XM has become so upset about this that they have pulled their PC receiver from the market while they look for a solution to this "problem." It's quite a world when it's considered a problem that someone has made your service more useful. The note at Broadband Reports also claims that XM is considering removing USB ports from future equipment for the same reason. Both of these seem unconfirmed at the moment, so it would be nice if there were some real confirmation on either rumor. However, the satellite radio business is in a tough position. For all the success they've been claiming in signing up customers, they're nowhere near profitability. Their capital costs are incredibly high, and the thing they need, more than anything else, is more subscribers. Shutting down tools that make their offering more compelling just means they're making their job that much more difficult. Hopefully, it's not true, and this is just a baseless rumor, perhaps caused by the product being out of stock. Update: News.com has put up an article on the subject. While XM refuses to comment, others "close to the company" confirm the story. Hopefully, XM will realize what a bad idea this is.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Let's face reality here...
Those receivers, which will probably be manufactured and sold by Samsung, will also have a big red "BUY" button on them, so you can purchase a song as soon as you hear it, then download it when you get home. "Hear the artist's full CD" might be an on-demand option, too. Can't do that with XM or Sirius.
All they're waiting on now is for EDGE and 1xEV-DO to mature to the point where they can support such a service.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Let's face reality here...
I use XM in my GM vehicle and love the fact that I get consistent use, in the mountains, in the desert and any other place that most cell technology doesn't cover.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]