Orbitcast

Sirius XM iPhone App beats 1 million downloads

2009-07-06T16:46:14Z

Just 2 weeks after its debut, the Sirius XM iPhone App has surpassed more than 1 million downloads. But what continues to amaze me is that the App has remained as the #1 top free music App - having reached that status only 12 hours after its launch.

All this, despite not featuring Howard Stern.
"Reaching more than 1 million downloads so quickly is a strong testament to our world-class programming and Sirius XM's instant brand recognition," said Sirius XM Radio Inc. President and Chief Content Officer Scott Greenstein. "Our goal is to give people access to the best audio entertainment wherever they go with what we think is the best music and audio entertainment application available on the App Store."

You know what would be a masterful move? To wait until the momentum begins to wane, and then issue an App update which would include additional features and the "contractual rights" issues with Stern would get magically fixed.

...or maybe to execute the above "updates" in phases, to maintain that momentum over an extended period of time.

Sirius FM-5 Satellite scheduled for July 1st launch

2009-06-29T10:20:54Z

The Sirius FM-5 Satellite, Sirius XM's latest addition to their satellite constellation, is scheduled to launch at 1:10am local time (3:10pm ET) on July 1st from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

The launch was originally targeted for a June 30th launch, but "minor anomaly" occurred which caused a slight delay in plans.
The Sirius FM-5 Satellite was delivered just about a month ago and has been undergoing preparations for launch since.

The Proton launch vehicle, utilizing a 5-burn Breeze M mission design, will lift off from Pad 39 at Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, with the Sirius FM-5 satellite on board.

The Sirius FM-5 Satellite - based on the Space Systems/Loral 1300 platform - is said to be one of the most powerful satellites ever constructed, and will be the first geostationary satellite in Sirius' roster of satellites.

The first three stages of the Proton will use a standard ascent profile to place the Ascent Unit (Breeze M upper stage and the Sirius FM-5 satellite) into a suborbital trajectory. From this point in the mission, the Breeze M will maneuver the Ascent Unit to a circular parking orbit, then to an intermediate orbit, followed by a transfer orbit, and finally to a geo-transfer orbit.

Separation of the Sirius FM-5 satellite is scheduled to occur approximately 9 hours, 14 minutes after liftoff.

The Sirius FM-5 satellite is expected to have an anticipated lifespan of 15-years.

[ILS Mission Control]

Sirius XM launches tribute channel dedicated to Michael Jackson

2009-06-27T11:04:57Z

Sirius XM Radio will launch The Michael Jackson Tribute Channel to commemorate the life and music of Michael Jackson.

The limited-run channel launched on Saturday, June 27th at 12:01am ET and will air through Monday, June 29th at 11:59pm ET on Heart & Soul (Sirius channel 51 and XM channel 62).
The channel features Jackson's solo work, plus recordings from The Jackson 5, interviews and stories from other artists, and more unique content that celebrated Jackson's musical contributions.

Quincy Jones, who produced Thriller, among other Jackson solo albums, served as Executive Advisor, providing counsel on the channel's creative direction and structure.

Additionally, listeners will hear Quincy Jones discuss two Michael Jackson albums he produced, Off the Wall and Thriller. Jones will share the inspiration for both albums as he takes listeners track by track during the special on Monday, June 29 at 9pm ET on The Michael Jackson Tribute Channel.

The Quincy Jones special will also air on Tuesday, June 30th at 3pm ET, Wednesday, July 1st at 9am ET and Thursday, July 2nd at 9pm ET on Heart & Soul, Sirius channel 51 and XM channel 62.

Michael Jackson tributes to air across Sirius XM music channels

2009-06-26T10:09:36Z

Michael Jackson's life and career will be celebrated across the satellite radio dial, as numerous Sirius XM channels will devote special features to the "King of Pop" with tributes, personal memories, favorite songs and more.

Jackson died on Thursday, June 25, 2009 at the age of 50.

Former MTV VJs and Sirius XM hosts Alan Hunter and Nina Blackwood will host a Michael Jackson special on Sirius XM's '80s on 8 channel, Sirius and XM channel 8, on Friday, June 26 at 7pm ET. Listeners will also hear a live tribute of Michael Jackson hosted by '80s on 8 host Rick Stacy on Friday, June 26 from 7am - 12pm ET.

Sirius XM's '70s on 7 channel, Sirius and XM channel 7, will feature on-air personality Magic Matt Alan taking a special look at the life of Michael Jackson on Friday, June 26 at 12pm ET.

Sirius XM's The Morning Mash Up! on Sirius XM Hits 1, Sirius channel 1, and XM 20 on 20, XM channel 20, will play music from the iconic artist's catalog and share stories about his music and career on Friday, June 26 from 6am - 12pm ET.

Sirius XM's The Groove, XM channel 64; Heart & Soul, Sirius channel 51 and XM channel 62; Hip-Hop Nation, Sirius channel 40 and XM channel 67, will play Michael Jackson songs at the top of each hour all day Friday, June 26.

Heart & Soul will also air a Michael Jackson tribute featuring some of Jackson's most upbeat music on Friday, June 26 at 9am ET. The Groove will air "The Thriller 25th Anniversary" special showcasing classic Michael Jackson music and an interview with Quincy Jones recorded in 2007 on Friday, June 26 at 5pm ET.

DJ Premier will dedicate his entire show Live From HeadQCourterz on Hip-Hop Nation to Michael Jackson on Friday, June 26 at 10pm ET.

Listeners will hear Sirius XM host and music journalist Dave Marsh host a tribute honoring Jackson every hour on Classic Vinyl, Sirius channel 14 and XM channel 46, Classic Rewind, Sirius channel 15 and XM channel 49, Alt-Nation Sirius channel 21 and XM channel 47, The Spectrum, Sirius channel 18 and XM channel 45, and The Loft, Sirius channel 29 and XM channel 50.

Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana, the seventh of nine children. Five of the Jackson boys - Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael - first performed together at a talent show when Michael was six. They walked off with first prize - and so began Michael Jackson's iconic career.

The King of Pop was pronounced dead at 2:26pm at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Jon Zellner leaves Sirius XM to join Clear Channel

2009-06-26T00:54:02Z

Jon Zellner, currently senior vice president of music programming at Sirius XM Radio Inc. will be jumping ship to rival Clear Channel Communications Inc. on July 20th, according to Clear Channel.

He will be replaced by Steve Blatter, according to Sirius XM. Blatter will also continue to be responsible for the Sirius XM Talent and Industry Relations Department, as well as the Virus Channel featuring The Opie & Anthony Show. Jon Zellner, 43, will take up the same role at Clear Channel and will work with PDs across major and mid-sized markets - all the while reporting to Executive Vice President of Operations, Mark Kopelman.

"Radio has been my passion for as long as I can remember and a position like this at the leading radio company in the world is something I've worked toward since my start in broadcasting over 20 years ago," said Zellner in a statement.

"I'm humbled by the opportunity and want to thank Mark, Tom Owens, John Hogan and all of Clear Channel Radio for making this happen. I can't wait to get started."

Zellner, who joined XM back in 2005 as the SVP of Music Programming, oversaw programming for more than 75 channels at Sirius XM.

Blatter, who will replace Zellner, has had a 6 year tenure at the company. Blatter has been instrumental in the development of the company's music platform including the creation of channels such as Eminem's Shade 45, Elvis Radio, The Grateful Dead Channel, Siriusly Sinatra among others.

"Steve Blatter's broad experience in programming is a great asset as we add to and deepen our music programming line-up," said Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer, Sirius XM Radio said in a statement. "His dedication to outstanding programming strengthens Sirius XM's initiative to deliver superior music channels."

[Wall Street Journal]
Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

Volkswagen and Sirius offers 3-month trial on Certified Pre-Owned vehicles

2009-06-23T10:07:09Z

Customers who purchase a Sirius-equipped "Certified Pre-Loved" Volkswagen vehicle will now be getting a 3-month trial offer of the "Sirius Everything" package.

It's all part of a continuing effort to access potential subscribers purchasing pre-owned vehicles. XM currently has a deal with Acura, Honda and GM. Now this efforts has been extended to Volkswagen - the biggest European car maker.
"Volkswagen is consistently looking for new ways to position our 'Certified Pre-Loved' program as industry leading," stated Chris Hoehner, General Manager VW Fleet & CPO. "We feel this program helps enhance our value proposition and continues to strengthen our pursuit to provide the best possible customer experience."

"The launch of this certified pre-owned program strengthens our shared commitment to give drivers the very best audio experience possible," said Steve Cook, Group Vice President and General Manager, Sirius XM Radio. "Volkswagen's award-winning 'Certified Pre-Loved' program is part of our expanded offering of the best audio entertainment in certified pre-owned vehicles."

Volkswagen has offered Sirius beginning with its 2007 model year vehicles. Sirius is currently standard on the GTI, GLI, Eos, New Beetle, New Beetle convertible, Passat, Passat wagon and Touareg. Sirius is also standard on select Tiguan, Jetta and Rabbit packages.

Why isn't Howard Stern on the iPhone App? (UPDATED: "Gary" Twitter page is fake)

2009-06-23T00:29:38Z

"It was a rights thing, a contractual rights thing."

That's what Howard Stern told his audience on Monday morning about why he's not on the iPhone App. Of course, that's what we all expected the reason to be from the beginning.

"It was a rights issue and a whole entanglement thing," added Stern on his show. "So, we're not on it. Maybe one day we will be."

~~Stern show cohort Gary Dell'Abate (aka Baba Booey) added a bit more color to the situation though.~~

UPDATE: The Twitter page quoted in this article is a fake and is not Gary Dell'Abate. I've confirmed this with Gary himself. I have removed the quoted text so as not to add to the confusion.
That doesn't really explain why Sirius XM Radio Inc. didn't know about this before showing this preview of the App to investors, with Howard 100 clearly highlighted.

Robin Quivers on Monday morning told Stern on the air, "A lot of people were looking for the app because they wanted to get rid of one device and have us on their phone." Stern agreed, adding, "Hopefully one day we will be on there."

Maybe one day will come sooner than later.

[via DailyFinance]
Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

UPDATE: Because the Twitter page was fake, the question still remains as to whether Howard not being on the iPhone was because it infringed on his deal with In Demand. Howard is clear that its a rights issue. Whether it's a mobile use or a video-on-demand use, we might never know for sure.

Sirius XM iPhone App gets over 500,000 downloads in four days

2009-06-22T17:37:13Z

The Sirius XM iPhone App has been downloaded more than a half-million times as of Sunday night, according to an internal company memo obtained by Orbitcast.

"That is one of the fastest download rates by any App," writes Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer of Sirius XM Radio Inc. in the email to employees today.
Four days after initially going live, the App remains as the top free music App as well as the No. 2 most downloaded free App overall. And, according to the company memo, this popularity has resulted in exactly 513,319 downloads as of late Sunday.

Read the full internal email below...

From: Employee Bulletin
Sent: Monday, June 22, 2009 1:03 PM
To: Sirius Consultants; Sirius Employees; Sirius On-Air Talent; XM Radio Global
Subject: Message from Scott Greenstein / SIRIUS XM App

To All Employees:

I would like to share with you the tremendous response to the launch of our SIRIUS XM App for iPhone and iPod touch. Only four days (96 hours) after going live, our App rocketed to become the No. 1 Top Free Music App downloaded from the iTunes' App Store. It is also the No. 2 Top Free App download. The actual number of downloads of our App had reached 513,319 as of late Sunday. That is one of the fastest download rates by any App.

As our App took the top spot on the Music App rankings last week, the music icon button flipped over to SIRIUS XM from Pandora Radio. The press has taken notice. As CNBC reported Friday night, when its Silicon Valley reporter broke into a segment to report that our new App was climbing the App Store rankings, "the reason this (App) is significant is it opens up SIRIUS XM to a huge potential market."

The speed and height that our App is reaching demonstrates just how highly attractive and valued our exclusive programming may be to millions of iPhone and iPod touch users. New subscribers are getting their first chance to hear the superior programming of SIRIUS XM, and existing subscribers have access to us almost anywhere they go. The response to the App from this new large audience reinforces our belief that everything worth listening to is now on SIRIUS XM.

Finally, the launch of the App required cooperation across many departments at SIRIUS XM and I want to thank everyone involved for their dedication to the project and to the varied talents they brought to making it a successful launch.

Scott Greenstein
President and Chief Content Officer
SIRIUS XM Radio

6 things we want on the Sirius XM iPhone App

2009-06-20T12:34:48Z

After what feels like decades, we finally have an iPhone App for satellite radio. But there's obviously a few missing features that leave us hanging. Hell, there's a lot of missing features (didn't uSirius StarPlayr do all of this already? Oh right, that got killed).
Below is a list of what I personally would like to see:

6. Alternative purchase options - Yes, iTunes is great, but giving a choice for Amazon MP3 in addition would have been better
5. Snappier interface - I can't help but to feel that the interface could have been more polished and cleaner looking
4. Lyrics - Did he really just say "excuse me, while I kiss this guy?" I need lyrics so I don't embarrass myself in front of my friends.
3. Album Art - when a song is playing, why can't we get album art? Almost every single music service out there has it, Sirius XM should too.
2. Extended trial period for current subscribers - I get it, it's a revenue stream, but current subscribers need to be thrown a bone and given an extra 30 days. No? How about just the Lifetime subs then?
1. Howard Stern - 'nuff said.

The amazing thing is that many of these features were already included in a player that was built months ago. And like I said in this post, Sirius XM needs to develop an app that was better than uSirius Starplayr - but the state of the online players don't really instill much confidence.

But there's still the opportunity for revisions and improvements. So what features would you like to see in the Sirius XM iPhone App? Tell us in the comments.

Sirius XM iPhone App downloads continue to grow

2009-06-19T13:53:23Z

But will it last?

As of this morning, the Sirius XM iPhone App remains as the #1 free music App, and now has leap-frogged its way to the #3 top free App overall. It's good to see, especially since the iPhone 3G S is now on sale and folks are flocking to the iTunes store after buying their shiny new toys.

First the first time in a long time, Sirius XM Radio Inc. is being exposed to a highly relevant and engaged audience.

Let's take a quick step back though and put this all in perspective. Remember this post from a few weeks ago? I pointed out that there was essentially two purposes to the Sirius XM iPhone App, and stems from two major audiences:

1. Current Subscribers (Purpose: Subscriber relations)
2. Potential Subscribers (Purpose: Prospecting)

For the first group - who are most of the Orbitcast readers - we want to see all the bells and whistles. We want to see an iPhone App that is more capable than our current radios. We want Howard Stern, Opie & Anthony, NFL, MLB, NASCAR, NHL, NBA, PGA, etc etc etc. We want it all, because we're already familiar with the service.

But right now, the iPhone App isn't about us.

It's about those new eyeballs on iTunes, it's about the potential subscribers. Remember, it's not just the iPhone 3G S that is new, the new iPhone OS 3.0 was just released as well. Now, more than ever, Sirius XM is actually getting exposure to this audience.

...but, will it last?

Sirius XM iPhone App #1 in free music apps, despite no Stern

2009-06-18T22:16:01Z

Despite not having Howard Stern in the lineup, the Sirius XM iPhone App still managed to beat out other apps to become the #1 most downloaded free music App.

What's more, it reached that point mid-day today - only 12 hours after its debut.

The Sirius XM iPhone App beat out established music Apps like Pandora, Shazam, Yahoo! Music and Slacker Radio to become the category leader in music Apps. Did I mention it beat out Clear Channel's iheartradio app? Oh right, that's gotta hurt.

But how did the iPhone App fare overall? Funny you should ask.

The Sirius XM iPhone App today was the 6th most downloaded of any free App on Apple's iTunes service. Not too shabby.

Head on over to iTunes and check it out for yourself under the "Top Free Apps" section.

Video: Demo of Sirius XM iPhone App

2009-06-18T13:45:41Z

Check out a video demo of the Sirius XM iPhone App below:

Sirius XM iPhone App now available... with no Howard Stern?

2009-06-18T09:24:14Z

The official Sirius XM iPhone App went live at midnight Eastern time today, but it's missing one of the top reasons why people have signed up to satellite radio - Howard Stern.

Opie & Anthony's The Virus channel is available, as is many of Sirius XM's music, talk, entertainment channels. Live sports are limited to a handful of channels, but there is sportstalk channels like MLB Home Plate, NFL Radio and NHL Home Ice.

But... no Howard Stern. On the FAQ, the company explains why certain channels may be missing:

SIRIUS & XM offer all of the channels for which we have mobile performance rights. For that reason, certain channels which may be available on your satellite radio or online radio service may not be available on a mobile device like the iPhone.

So does Sirius XM Radio Inc. not have mobile performance rights to distribute Howard Stern's content? Seems... odd.

Additionally, the Sirius XM iPhone App only works with the iPhone/iTouch firmware version 2.0 or greater. You'll have to upgrade if you don't have 2.0.

Check out a virtual demo of the app, or download it direct from the iTunes Store.

So now that the much anticipated iPhone App is available, what's your initial thoughts? Sound off in the comments below.

Sirius XM iPhone App - coming tomorrow

2009-06-17T18:56:26Z

Yesterday, news broke that the Sirius XM iPhone App will be going live on June 18th, based off of a customer service email. The news first hit SatWaves, then made its way to TUAW and then Engadget. I had waited to post about the news because I wanted to confirm with Sirius XM Radio Inc. whether or not the customer service emails were real.

My requests were met with no response.
A lot of times there's misinformation that comes from customer service, so I wanted to check to make sure this letter was legit:

Thank you for contacting SIRIUS regarding whether or not there is a SIRIUS iPhone application available. We are here to help! We appreciate the time you have taken to contact us in regards to this matter! We are happy to inform you that beginning June 18th a SIRIUS Internet Radio application will be available at the Apple iTunes App-Store for the iPhone and the iPod Touch! All Premium SIRIUS Internet Radio subscribers will be able to download the application from the Apple iTunes App-Store for free on their device and access the service at no additional cost! Subscribers who are listening to the Basic Online Service for free must first upgrade to the Premium Online Service for $2.99 per month to access the application on the iPhone or iPod Touch.

But the fact that I haven't heard anything seems to confirm that it's true. If it were untrue, I'd hear something. Even reaching out to my behind-the-scenes sources got little information, either people knew and didn't want to say - or they didn't know.

The puzzling thing is that most iPhone developers don't necessarily know when their apps will be approved by Apple. In order to time an app release, Sirius XM would have had to work with Apple directly - especially to time it for tomorrow.

If it's true, and it appears it is, then launching the app on the day before the new iPhone 3G S is released would be a masterful move by Sirius XM. Let's hope.

[SatWaves via Engadget, TUAW]
Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

UPDATE: Sorry, typo on my behalf, I meant to state that the app would be released the day before the new iPhone is released. I've corrected the post.

"Rumor" has it: Howard Stern to return to broadcast radio in 2010

2009-06-14T01:11:28Z

That "rumor" comes from Bay Area media commentator Rich Lieberman, who writes about it on SFGate. Lieberman says that there's a "very real possibility" that Howard Stern will make a return back to terrestrial radio in 2010, according to his media tipsters out of New York.

Lieberman goes on to cite the struggling economy as one of the reasons why Stern will make the jump back to FCC-regulated airwaves.

But where would Howard Stern go?
According to the article, there was talk that Howard Stern would return to CBS Radio, but Lieberman predicts that is unlikely. Instead, he predicts that Stern will instead join forces with Talk Radio Network or Jones Broadcasting, because they have big pockets.

Lieberman adds that there was word that Sirius XM Radio Inc. would charge a premium price for subscribers to get Howard Stern - such as a $15/month price tag - once his contract ends with the satcaster. But he also dismissed that rumor, give the poor economy.

And to the naysayers who insist that Stern would never return to terrestrial? Well, Lieberman's got a couple words for you:

"Please, be serious.For another glob of money he really doesn't need, and the chance of getting back the mainstream buzz; the daily content of Stern chatter that has eluded him during his satellite reign, Stern will make a deal under the right circumstances."

Of course, all of this is just "rumors"... or just Mr. Rich Lieberman's colorful imagination.

This type of speculation have been opined about for years, and it's nothing new. There's little any substance behind it - just some old media curmudgeon who gets an epiphany in the middle of the night.

[SFGate via DCRTV]
Thanks @smiteboy!