SIRIUS XM SATELLITE RADIO NEWS

While at first blush this may not seem like news to satellite radio investors, it does involve competitors of Sirius XM, and by extension, Sirius XM investors will want to keep tabs on news such as this. Today it was announced the the FCC, with support from the Justice Department, is appealing a decision made by Second Court of Appeals which stated in a decision that the FCC language on their indecency standard is unconstitutionally vague.

At stake is the ability of the FCC to enforce decency standards that could vary depending on who the alleged offender is, or who is in power at the FCC at any given time. The Second Court ruling came in regard to a suit against Fox which was appealed to a higher court, and then sent back down to the Second Court.

FCC General Council Austin Schlick stated, “The FCC and the Justice Department are today asking the federal court of appeals in New York to reconsider its decision in Fox v. FCC. The three-judge panel’s decision in July raised serious concerns about the Commission’s ability to protect children and families from indecent broadcast programming…The Commission remains committed to empowering parents and protecting children, and looks forward to the court of appeals’ further consideration of our arguments.”

The issues raised in this court battle are the very same arguments Sirius XM’s Howard Stern have been making for years. It will be interesting to see how all of this pans out.

Position – Long Sirius XM Radio

The Electric Zoo Festival will kick off Labor Day Weekend in style in New York City. The festival features over 70 artists playing at four venues and all of the associated after parties. Electric Zoo honors, celebrates and brings exposure to the electric music wave that is gaining in popularity with each passing month.

Sirius XM is broadcasting special interviews with artists that will be participating in the show. The interviews give fans an inside look at electronic music, and a chance to learn about new artists and schedule which shows and venues they want to go to. Sirius XM limited run Electric Zoo Radio takes listeners inside the world of electric music each Thursday up until the actual event.

If you are planning on attending the Electric Zoo Festival then Sirius XM’s Area (Sirius 38 – XM 80) is the channel to tune into each Thursday. For additional information visit the official Electric Zoo Festival page.

Position – Long Sirius XM Radio

In an effort to improve their service Pandora is now allowing genre based station seeding and has launched over 100 genre based stations to their line-up. Station seeding in the past was accomplished through the user providing an artist or song name from which Pandora would begin to customize a channel. The new feature allows for a more general seeding from which users can build a station.

Features such as this should improve the user interface, especially for new users. There is no pressure to think of a song title, or feel pigeon-holed by selecting a particular band. The more general genre based system should give a wide cross section of content that will allow for better music discovery as Pandora caters the station to the users likes and dislikes.

Services such as Pandora have been working on ways to improve their service and increase revenue. If they can make the user experience positive on the free service, they are more likely to convince the user to become a paying subscriber.

Position – Long Sirius XM Radio

In a move that is not really surprising, the national Association of Broadcasters is laying out a royalty proposal that would end terrestrial radio’s long and costly battle with the record labels. The royalty issue has been battled over for a couple of years now, with both sides getting involved in legislation that could become the deciding factor. Rather than risk a bill being mandated that they do not like, the NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith is calling for the radio industry to consider a workable solution stating, “It’s better to shape the future rather than have it imposed upon us.”

Under the NAB proposal, each station would pay up to 1% of their revenue with the industry expected to pay about $100 million per year in performance royalties. For station owners, this is substantially better than the 8% that was originally sought by the MusicFirst Coalition. In addition, terrestrial radio is seeking a better deal on streaming royalties. If they are able to come to terms, the new proposal would have streaming rates reduced by 10% over the length of the six-year streaming agreement that they currently operate under.

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Is acoustic music your thing? Do you like your tunes a bit more mellow, but don’t want to give up that edge rock n’ roll has? The Coffee House just may be your cup of tea then. Coffee House features all of the artists you know and love in an acoustic setting that makes it a perfect channel to listen to while at work.

SIRIUS|XM and the Coffee House channel are giving a lucky winner and their guest the opportunity to MEET and attend a special PRIVATE, invitation-only acoustic performance with the GRAMMY®-nominated Goo Goo Dolls on August 31st at the Troubadour in West Hollywood!

It’s your chance to be part of the studio audience as they perform some of their biggest hits in addition to new music from their ninth studio album, Something For The Rest of Us, which debuts on August 31st.

Grand prize includes airfare for two to Los Angeles, two nights’ hotel, meet & greet passes, and the chance to attend this exclusive SIRIUS XM acoustic performance with the Goo Goo Dolls which will also air LIVE on the Coffee House.

What are you waiting for? Enter for your chance to win!

Position – Long Sirius XM Radio

SiriusBuzz is pleased to announce the third edition of the Satellite Radio Round Table. Join the best bloggers on satellite radio as we break down all of the news, discuss the issues, and offer our varied opinions on all things satellite radio. The Satellite Radio Round Table features SiriusBuzz, Orbitcast, and Satellite Radio Playground and is broadcast live once per month.

Tonight’s show will feature discussion about Satellite Radio 2.0, Howard Stern, the recent analyst opinions of Maxim, auto sales, and the recent delay in the FCC decision about the spectrum leaseback. Listeners can join in the discussion by calling in to the show’s telephone number, 347-945-7995. The show also features a live chat where listeners can interact.

Satellite Radio Round Table begins at 8:00 PM EST. See you there.

It was a bit over six years ago when The King Of All Media signed a blockbuster deal with Sirius Satellite Radio. At that time, the economy was on good footing and Sirius and XM were competing for content deals as if their companies depended on it. Stern negotiated a $500 million deal that brought two channels worth of content including Scott Ferrall, Bubba The Love Sponge, and more. The move was an instant success for Sirius, and delivered subscriber records for the next year while Stern wrapped up his contract with terrestrial radio.

The five year deal is set to expire at the end of this year and the question on everyone’s mind is whether or not Stern will sign a new deal. A lot has transpired since the original deal. The economy is not in good shape, Sirius and XM have merged, and the competitive landscape looks much more different now than it did years ago. With all of that being said, I think Stern will sign again with satellite radio. Now the question is what that will mean.

Sterns second coming will deliver stability to Sirius XM, and has a real potential to once again deliver subscriber numbers that will boost the company to levels that should pass 20 million with ease and by a healthy margin. By signing with satellite again, Stern will be giving his confirmation that the medium is here to stay, and all seeds of doubt about the viability of satellite radio. It is one thing for an upstart company to sign a talent like Stern once, it is a more significant event to sign him to a second deal. When that happens it will tell all of the detractors left that satellite radio is not only here to stay, but can keep and even bring in the type of content that differentiates satellite from any other media company.

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They have been playing for decades and have appeared around the globe and even during the half-time of a Super Bowl. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have kept true to their music, and although they have shifted style over time, they are an American classic with a body of work that appeals to any age. Now Sirius XM is giving away tickets to see the band live from the front row!

Enter for your chance to win two FRONT ROW tickets to see Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 2010 Tour in a city near you! The tour will take the band throughout the country all summer long and will feature the band’s biggest hits as well as cuts from the new album, Mojo, the band’s first studio album in eight years.

Visit Sirius XM for details

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