An iPhone With Satellite Radio - Gasp! Really? 34 comments
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For as long as I have been involved in satellite radio, there have always been the rumors of a relationship with Apple (AAPL). The iPod has redefined how people listen to music, and for satellite radio fans, a partnership seemed natural. However, Apple has never been a singer of the same tune, and to this day, integration of satellite radio and Apple has been a pipe dream.
StarPlayer may change the rules, and this could be welcome news for satellite radio. Let millions of iPhones sell. They are going to sell anyway. Get included in a slick iPhone application, and you could be in business. The day for iPhone and satellite is now approaching thanks to StarPlayer. Kudos to StarPlayer for making many satellite dreams come true!
Jump up and celebrate! Okay, now that you have all of that out of your system, let's look a bit more deeply into the dynamics of this situation.
First, this is not a true integration, and Apple is not promoting the product. This means that iPhone users will have to find their way to StarPlayer. While typically this is not a huge issue, it does slow the process down a bit.
Second, the fee for downloading the service has not yet been established. Likely, the makers of StarPlayer will want their two cents out of this, and if it were me, I would want money on a recurring basis, not a one shot deal. This could mean that subscribers will be paying a fee above and beyond the subscription to Sirius XM (SIRI).
Third, the service is the Internet feed. This means that not all Sirius XM content will be available to iPhone users. This can cause customer confusion, and confusion is never a good thing. Additionally, royalties on Internet feeds are more expensive. Sirius XM will still make money, which is good, but it could change the dynamics of certain metrics. Particularly if the StarPlayer application is widely popular.
Fourth, the additional features such as album art, and lyrics are awesome. These are features I use all of the time on my Slacker G2 player, and add a whole new dynamic to the music experience. It may not seem like a big deal, but learning a bit more about the artists you are listening to, and being able to read the lyrics makes listening to that artist more compelling.
Fifth, an application such as this could hamper Sirius XM from ever getting into the main Apple Platform. It could also hamper other potential deals. The more compelling the iPhone becomes the harder it is for the next guy to do something unique. What if Sirius were trying to work with Google (GOOG) on their phone with T-Mobile? Or Verizon (VZ) and the new Blackberry Storm?
Sixth, is volume. Will the application be a success? If it is, great! The high influx of subscribers will help the business. If it is not a success, people may consider it a failure on the part of Sirius XM.
The promise of an iPhone application has the potential to dramatically impact satellite radio. Millions upon millions of iPhone users are out there, and the ability to tap into that market can be huge. There is reason to be enthusiastic about the upcoming StarPlayer application, but investors should temper that enthusiasm with the thought that success will not happen overnight. Just my opinion, but after Apple rumors every year since 2003, I consider my optimism cautious. Happy to see the development, but cautious just the same.
Disclosure: Long Sirius XM, No Position Apple.
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This article has 34 comments:
Just think Millions of iPhones with SAT radio. I think fool was very cool.
On top of this why only iPhone and why not NOKIA, BLACKBERRY, SAMSUNG etc.
by putting into chipset.
I think the clarity, access, and cost wise it will be better compared to accessing through internet.
Are there really many people that would listen to SIRIUS all day long and drain the battery on their phone?
IMHO it is not a viable business model.
On Nov 25 11:36 AM LongAAPL wrote:
> I really can't think of a reason that I want satellite radio other
> than traveling in the car. There are already satellite radios for
> cars, some with iPod integration. i don't get why I would need to
> pay more to hear it through the iphone.
>
> Are there really many people that would listen to SIRIUS all day
> long and drain the battery on their phone?
>
> IMHO it is not a viable business model.
>
Apple has historically stayed clear of partnerships with companies of questionable motivation. I give Apple credit for 20 years of solid and mostly moral management.
Sirius is a tainted company with dreadful and dirty management. Apple will stay clear of Mel and Company. For as long as Mel is in Sirius than Apple may never partner. Apple would need a good reason to get dirty before touching Sirius.
Apple has always been fair to stock holders and loyal stock holders have been willing to dig deep into the pocket to save Apple more than once in 20 years. But, unlike Sirius who screws stock holders, Apple has provided royalty for loyalty.
Apple is way too smart to get involved with Sirius or Mel.
HD Radio requires an HD receiver, however, unlike satellite radio, HD Radio is free over-the-air broadcasting.
Personally, I would place more success on "free" vs paid business model if you look at the financial mess we are in and will continue to struggle with for quite some time to come.
Locate your local HD Radio Stations at the following URL:
www.hdradio.com/find_a...
Seriously.
And when you're near a WiFi hotspot, you don't even have to use your minutes.
I started using Pandora recently and it's the first time I enjoyed listening to the radio in about 20 years.
BTW, both programs are available for other phones.
So before we conclude that Apple could be a saviour...please remeber folks..the IPHONES even don't allow you to replace a battery...I'm not sure how long they hold a charge when new and continuosly streaming.
Also I don't see why the need for satellites anymore, since our mobile broadband network is pretty widespread and growing.
Positions: Sold Siri stock at a loss and quit Sirius a year ago..I was unhappy with the number of Non-Live shows days and an increase in Ads on Howard 100. Also there are tons of free music streaming sites out there with higer bit rates than Sirius.
logo on the screen and sell the ad space instead of leaving it blank?
could generate some funds from Sponsors....these guys have a real limited
scope on raising rev.....this wouldnt even disturb your listening with a commercial, the DR Pepper Ad/Logo, or Home Depot, or JC Penney buttons
on the screen ............just a thought
What's up with 25 mil shares traded at the closing bell?
My advice to Sirius, introduce more commercials and sell it to your consumers as a positive by marginally lowering the subscription fee. You can have a daily sponsor per music channel, you got to monetize.
And add more TV channels in HD, plus GPS, radio is pretty much dead
On Nov 25 06:34 PM itsjust$ wrote:
> Do you ever listen to Sirius on Dishnetwork, why dont they put a
> company
> logo on the screen and sell the ad space instead of leaving it blank?
>
> could generate some funds from Sponsors....these guys have a real
> limited
> scope on raising rev.....this wouldnt even disturb your listening
> with a commercial, the DR Pepper Ad/Logo, or Home Depot, or JC Penney
> buttons
> on the screen ............just a thought
markbmark 229 Comments Nov 10 02:44 PM "WHAT A SHAME
People come here looking for true thought about Sirius.
But, Sirius pays people to post trash here.
Crooks, all of them just crooks! Like that guy 163888 wants you to belive Sirius did not try to get protection in aa RECO scam lawsuit to get a setment to protect Sirius from other stock holders.
Come on people. It is court proven raceteering! The Federal Judge ruled and bared the lawyers from practicing in thaat state for 5 years! These Sirius employees posting here whant you to be optamistic. What a joke!!!
*Then I wrote this:*
"Just to clear things up this was posted by Micheal Hartleib at Sirius Buzz. If you read it you will see the case that "markbmark" is talking about were the judge said the lawers could not practice in the state for 5 years was well before the case against SIRI. So one has to ask how a judge would even bring up SIRI at that time, almost 2 years before the SIRI case came in.
hartleib1
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 131 Friday, February 22, 2008
Judge to California lawyers: Don't come backTriangle Business Journal - by Chris Baysden
Print Article Email Article Reprints RSS Feeds ShareThis
: Don't come back [02/22/2008]
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RALEIGH - North Carolina public companies have one less law firm to worry about when it comes to shareholder lawsuits filed in the state.
North Carolina Business Court Judge Ben Tennille has barred the San Diego, Calif., firm of Robbins Umeda & Fink from practicing in the state for five years on a pro hac vice basis. The Latin phrase, which means "this time only," allows an out-of-state lawyer to appear in court for a particular trial even though the lawyer isn't licensed in that state.
The order came as something of a coda to a shareholder lawsuit, Egelhof v. Szulik, filed on behalf of a former Red Hat shareholder against members of the technology company's officers and board of directors.
Shareholder lawsuits are the bane of many public corporations since there are a host of law firms that specialize in filing them on word of bad news from a company.
In 2004, Robbins Umeda & Fink represented a plaintiff in a shareholders derivative case involving Chapel Hill-based Pozen. That lawsuit was dismissed in November 2005.
Press Millen, a Womble Carlyle attorney who helped defend Red Hat's management in the Egelhof v. Szulik case, hopes the victory his side scored will have a positive impact for corporations beyond the case.
"I think it's pretty serious," Millen says of the sanctions. "It's definitely a warning shot over the bow of out-of-state counsels about filing meritless lawsuits in North Carolina."
Sanctions against plaintiff
The order, which was issued Feb. 4, prohibits Robbins Umeda & Fink's lawyers from appearing in the state's courts for five years. It also bars Andrew Egelhof, the plaintiff in the case, from acting as a shareholder derivative plaintiff or a class-action representative in North Carolina litigation for five years.
The Egelhof v. Szulik complaint, which originally was filed in Wake County Superior Court in 2004, included allegations of insider trading and gross mismanagement at Red Hat. Defendants included Red Hat Chairman Matthew Szulik and board members Marye Anne Fox, former chancellor of North Carolina State University, and retired Army Gen. Hugh Shelton.
Tennille dismissed the plaintiff's claims in March 2006 due in part to Egelhof's loss of standing as a stockholder. The defendants later asked that they be awarded attorneys' fees. Though that motion was not granted, it prompted Tennille to examine actions taken by the plaintiff and the law firm.
Tennille asserts that the lawsuit was filed in a "needless rush to court" just 31 days after Red Hat restated its earnings on July 19, 2004. He wrote in his order that the case was filed without an inspection of the company's books and records, and many of the allegations relied on media reports and published analyst opinions.
Tennille also took exception to Egelhof being the fiduciary standard bearer. According to court documents, Egelhof was a 24-year-old Kansas resident when he responded to an Internet solicitation seeking a plaintiff.
While he had a degree in business administration, Egelhof had worked in information technology jobs at Kansas State University. His holdings in Red Hat amounted to 28 shares of stock worth $710.50 that he bought in 2004.
markbmark, Dhaaa, facts are hard to get around aren't they. By the way go ahead and keep posting the lies. Tell me when you have enough rope."
markbmark, I can keep doing this all day long. You forget everything that has ever been written can be pulled back up. It shows ether you or Micheal H. is lying.
On Nov 26 01:09 PM djangophile wrote:
> Satellite radio, but not using the satellite. We call this internet
> radio. Welcome to 1999 and get in line.
Bad omen from the start.
Posted by Timothy Sykes on Wed 26th of Nov, 2008 11:24:30 AM
Sent to TIMalert subscribers early this morning:
Again a ton of potential shorts today, setups are ripe heading into the holidays, a time known for beginner day traders to try their luck, now people are desperate for fast cash so it’s gonna be easy pickings as these fools actually believe message board hype and buy into surging Penny Stocks …hopefully it happens again this year as it’s fun to take $ from dumb people:
BIDZ is a double off its $2ish lows, classic dead cat ounce, will look for signs of reversal to possibly short
RDNT is also nearly a double off its lows
CSUN reported bad earnings, but was probly priced in considering the stock jumped big, no w a double off its lows in just 3 days…I don’t like earnings plays, but I’m watching.
JRCC is also a double off its lows, just a stock that’s gotten wrecked, no other reason, potential short.
SRI was a great short for a 15% gain, $1,700 profit, detailed post coming, now the stock is dead to me.
It is sad that you feel so threatened by debate......