Sirius Music

As the much anticipated conference call of Sirius XM CEO Mel Karmazin draws near, you may have missed the lone company press release today regarding a new exclusive Beatles program on Sirius.

I’m sure you are thinking, who cares? Am I right? Of course I am. I too, watched the stock get pounded to new lows today and could not care less about yet another programming announcement. Much less one that dealt with the Beatles.

That is until I spotted a very Interesting notation in the L.A. Times Music Blog. To begin with, it seems this is not a new show but rather a show that has been on terrestrial radio for many years. It also has a decent following, but that’s not the interesting part.

The interesting part is that the Times states that a special waiver had to be granted to Sirius to broadcast the show!

“One reason the show had never been streamed or picked up by satellite radio previously is that Internet radio stations are restricted from playing more than a few tracks from the same album or by the same artist within a three-hour period. A special waiver  was required to allow “Breakfast With the Beatles” on satellite radio.”

Special waiver? Exclusive? Internet? This would also firm up support for iPod inclusion rumors. Speaking of rumors, another new rumor has surfaced regarding Sirius XM inclusion into a new Microsoft Xbox relaunch due on September 25th.

Position: Long SIRI

It would appear that the music of the Grateful Dead is timeless. It is hard to believe, but the Grateful Dead channel on Sirius is getting ready to celebrate its one year anniversary! That right, the Dead have had a dedicated channel for a year, and in satellite radio style, the celebration will offer content that simply is not available elsewhere.

The celebration starts on September 7 at 7 am ET, and will include an exclusive premiere of The Dead’s upcoming release Rocking the Cradle: Egypt 1978. For more information check out sirius.com/gratefuldead.

Position - Long SIRI

Little ditty ’bout a a rock icon that has spanned decades. Whether you know him as John Cougar Mellencamp, John Cougar, or John Mellencamp, you are likely familiar with his music. He has had top hits over the past 30 years that are far more than a flash in the pan, and with a timeless style, his songs enjoy airplay on a regular basis.

For a limited time, The Spectrum (channel 18) on Sirius will become The Spectrum Of John Mellencamp. This is an opportunity for fans to get their S50’s and Stilettos set to record some unique pieces. The special dedicated channel marks the release of John’s new album Life, Death, Love and Freedom. Tune into The Spectrum to hear music, which will also feature rare performances hand-picked by Mellencamp himself from his personal archives, as well as playing music from some of his favorite artists.

Specials such as this often let listeners get an insight into artists, and Mellencamps presence on The Spectrum is no different. Listen along as John shares stories and personal insights about the many classic songs that helped define his 30-year career in music. Mellencamp also gives a personal introduction to select tracks off his latest album, Life, Death, Love and Freedom, which was released on July 15.

Position - Long SIRI

Sirius announced today that Coldplay will take over Sirius’ Alt Nation (ch.21) for ten days. Coldplay Nation will premiere on Friday, June 13 at 6:00 pm ET and will air through Sunday, June 22 to celebrate Viva La Vida, Coldplay’s new album, which will be in stores June 17.

The channel will feature music from Viva La Vida as well as other Coldplay songs but, more interestingly, the channel will include personal introductions by members of the band. They will also select songs by artists who have influenced them over the years and some of their favorite music from today.

Viva La Vida, Coldplay’s fourth album, ” … was fueled by a desire to move from black and white into color,” says Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. “Or, if you like, we decided to let our garden grow a little more unkempt. The bloodhound was let off its leash.” Yeah, um… whatever the hell that means.

Sirius will broadcast a special tribute memorializing the life and musical career of E Street Band organist/accordionist Danny Federici by his longtime friend, rock journalist Dave Marsh.

Dave Marsh will host a two-hour special edition of his weekly show “Kick Out The Jams” in honor of Danny Federici, who passed away Thursday after a three year battle with melanoma. Dave will share his thoughts and memories of Federici’s life and music on his show which will be simulcast this week on E Street Radio channel 10 and SIRIUS Disorder channel 70, Sunday, April 20 at 10 am ET.

This weekend, E Street Radio will play Danny Federici’s final full performance with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band recorded at the Boston Garden on November 19, 2007. This very special fan based recording will air tonight, April 19th, and tomorrow, April 20th at 8 pm ET.

Dave Marsh sat down with Danny Federici in 2005 for a very personal and unique one-on-one interview, which will re-air on E Street Radio on Monday, April 21st at 4 pm ET.

For more information, please visit Sirius.com/estreetradio/

[AP Photo/Backstreets.com, Guy Aceto]

REM is back, and they are serious. The band, which has many fans will be taking over Sirius Spectrum for an entire week beginning March 31st, 2008. Radio REM will feature exclusive interviews, and playlists spanning the 30 years career of the band.

Sirius announced today that R.E.M. will take over its Spectrum channel for an entire week. Radio R.E.M. will launch in conjunction with the release of the band’s 14th studio album Accelerate and feature music from band’s expansive repertoire. The channel will premiere on Monday, March 31 at 7 am ET.

Radio R.E.M., hosted exclusively by band members Michael Stipe, Peter Buck and Mike Mills, will include insights from the band on the inspiration for each song on Accelerate, as well as conversations with R.E.M. covering a variety of topics ranging from the state of the band to their personal worldviews.

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Sirius announced today that it will launch Rolling Stones Radio (ch. 12), an exclusive channel dedicated to rock icons the Rolling Stones. The channel will debut in conjunction with the release of Shine A Light, the Martin Scorsese film chronicling concerts from the band’s 2006 “A Bigger Bang Tour” performed in New York City’s Beacon Theater.

Rolling Stones Radio will give new and longtime Stones fans a comprehensive journey through the band’s 44 year career, featuring music from their catalogue as well as interviews with the band covering a variety of topics including their music, legacy and what it was like for them to work with legendary director Martin Scorsese.

The channel will also preview the 22 track Shine A Light album being released with the film. Rolling Stones Radio, Sirius channel 12, will air March 18 through April 15.

Sirius Canada will be featuring two concerts as part of the celebration of Canadian Music Week. On March 6, 2008 The “SIRIUS Bloc du Rock” performance will feature a collection of Quebec based artists performing in both English and French. The concert will take place at the El Mocambo on March 6th beginning at 9:00 PM EST and will feature Chocolat, Karkwa, Creature, Besnard Lakes, and Les Breastfeeders.

“SIRIUS Bloc du Rock” will also be broadcast live on Sirius CBC Radio 3 channel 94 beginning at 9:00 PM EST. The live broadcast will be hosted by CBC Radio 3 host, Craig Norris as well as Maxime Morin, host of Sirius Bande À Part channel 93.

The “Sirius Songwriters Café” performance will feature exclusive acoustic performances by Canadian singer/songwriters at The Mod Club on Friday March 7 at 7:30 PM EST. The evening will be hosted by Steve Anthony and the performance will feature Faber Drive, State of Shock, Ill Scarlett, and David Usher.

Position - Long Sirius

The Boss will be sitting down for an interview in celebration of the recent decision to continue E Street Radio, the exclusive commercial-free channel dedicated to the music of Bruce Springsteen and the East Street Band, on Sirius Satellite Radio.

Be sure to tune in to E Street Radio (ch. 10) Thursday, March 6th - 4 pm ET for the exclusive interview with Bruce Springsteen and legendary rock historian and critic Dave Marsh. Hear Springsteen discuss the next leg of the Magic tour, the songs on the album and his thoughts on the presidential primaries.

If you can’t make it, there will be a few encores;

• March 6 - Midnight ET
• March 7 - 8 am, 4 pm, & Midnight ET
• March 8 - 8 am & 6 pm ET

To celebrate the release of his 17th album, Good Time, superstar Alan Jackson will take over Sirius Satellite Radio’s Prime Country (ch. 61) for five days. The exclusive channel will be hosted by Jackson and feature a preview of the 17 songs on his new album.

Jackson will also share songs and stories from his celebrated career. Alan Jackson Good Time Radio will premiere on Prime Country, this Friday, February 29th at 5 pm ET and run through Tuesday, March 4th.

The Grammy winner and three-time CMA Entertainer of the Year has built a remarkable career, generating an amazing string of hit records since the 1990 release of his debut album, Here in the Real World. Over 18 years, Jackson has amassed an astonishing 31 number one singles, with an additional 15 top five hits, including his current smash, “Small Town Southern Man.” Good Time, due out in stores on March 4th, marks the first album written entirely by Jackson.

Position - Long Sirius