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New XM Inno: RIAA sues, WSJ disses

If a lawsuit by the major music companies doesn't kill XM's new satellite radio,  a review by Walt Mossberg and Katherine Boehret in the Wall Street Journal this morning might do the job. 

"It's hard to overstate the reception problems that plague the Inno," Mossberg wrote.  Detailing is frustration in  keeping the satellite signal in Washington, DC, where no building is allowed to be more than 12 stories tall, the columnist said, "For a device that's primarily a radio, this is a killer flaw.  Walt's column.

Meanwhile, XM is calling the RIAA's lawsuit a bargaining tactic tied to their negotiations for a digital royalty contract.  The RIAA says the $399 radio/recorder has transformed radio broadcasts into a music download service and could hurt music sales.  The labels are asking $150,000 damages for every song a customer records off the satellite and onto the Inno.

Stern to stream; told ya' so

By mid-June, the King of All Media will be live on the Internet.  Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin said it's in the works, "before Father's Day."  Can't you see the holiday gift shopping newspaper ads now?

"We believe this will be another catalyst for Sirius to get new subscribers who will find listening online in their office, home or dorm to be an additional incentive to subscribe," Karmazin said during a quarterly conference call with analysts Tuesday.  Here's a transcript.

The satellite radio service plans two Stern channel Webcasts, one of which will have a live feed of his morning program.  "The goal is to make Howard available on as many platforms as possible," says Hoefer & Arnett analyst April Horace in USA TODAY. "Content providers today are focused on making it available in all media."  H&A issued a report on Sirius yesterday with a "strong buy" recommendation.

Horace's comment rings true.  From execs at ABC to NBC, from The New York Times to Clear Channel Broadcasting, a bean-counter concern about "where's the money?" in new media has begun to give way to "we gotta be there, and we'll work out the money later."  If they've already got the content, the incremental cost of re-recording it, or cutting and pasting or whatever, is small compared to the value of meeting the expectations of advertisers and consumer who expect media companies to be aggressive and innovative.

PS: I wrote this a month ago, pushing for video streaming.  Audio's a start.  Live video's coming.

Disclaimer:  I own shares of Sirius Satellite Radio.

The "universal" satellite radio arrives

Best Buy's weekend flyer in the DC area suggests that the two sat services are already compatible.  The retailer says buyers can use the new Sirius player for XM content. (Click on the photo for a larger, readable, version.)

Sweet! 

It's unlikely Best Buy will get any advertising reimbursement from Sirius for THIS.