BlackBerry Announces New Radio App
Research In Motion (RIM) has announced a new concept in audio entertainment apps called “BlacBerry Radio”. The all new app will be prominently featured in the BlackBerry store and feature content from Slacker as well as iheartradio and other streaming stations. The unique aspect of “BlackBerry Radio” is that it will act as sort of an aggregator of audio content from multiple sources all accessed under one umbrella.
This news comes as Sirius XM Satellite Radio’s Howard Stern is in the midst of multiple television appearances to promote the satellite radio company’s apps on Android, iPhone as well as BlackBerry. Sirius XM is trying to make bolder moves in the app world, but even as of this writing their app is not available in BlackBerry App World, where most consumers would look to find it. Stern himself expressed frustration in the lack of company presence in the official BlackBerry site.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the new BlackBerry Radio app is that it will seem to utilize the best aspects of the most popular Internet radio services. The absence of Sirius XM and another big name like Pandora will not go unnoticed. RIM’s attempt at a combined radio experience could well fall short of the desired mark because it does seem to lack some of the preferred choices of consumers. However, it is an interesting step toward getting more than one choice under one umbrella. This could be a sign of things to come throughout the next year in audio entertainment. The current version is still in Beta testing.
Position – Long Sirius XM Satellite Radio – No Position Research In Motion
[Blackberry Blog via FMBQ]
I just dropped XM Online from my account in favor of Pandora and variety was the reason why. The playlists on XM are just painfully shallow and with Pandora I can mix things up as much as I like. If RIM can incorporate a lot of variety and keep the music fresh then they will have a winner. I doubt that it does anything to stop the loss of subscribers, but those that stay with A Blackberry will benefit.
Don’t let the door hit you on the way out. You’ll be back when you realize it is an inferior product or when they start charging everyone or you realize that data plan on your cell service in insufficient and your paying for Pandora even though your bill is not coming from them directly.
Pandora is a good secondary service as an add on to Sirius, but Sirius XM will have similar features soon with 2.0 and send Pandora packing.
Now there’s intelligent retort, and from someone who represents themselves to be a Sirius investor. Get out. Wow.
Ok, on to your other statements. It’s a little tough to follow what you are saying but I will do my best.
1. I never left. I stated that I dropped online from my account. I am still a subscriber.
2. I am already paying Pandora. $36 a year and it is not an inferior product. The music has depth and variety which is something that XM has lacked since the merger.
3. I spend very little time streaming Pandora on my Android phone. I have XM in my truck. 90% of my usage is over home or work broadband.
4. You know what, the younger crowd thinks that Pandora is the perfect primary service. Both of my college age kids have Pandora subs and had me drop them from the XM account. That’s a problem for your stock going forward.
5. You have no idea what Sirius 2.0 will be and you have no way of knowing if the music will be as neutered as Sirius 1.0 is.
6. You have no idea what Sirius 2.0 will coat or if it will even be available as a standalone product.
7. Pandora isn’t going anywhere.
Here’s the problem. Pandora cannot compete and will likely be out of business within a few years because they have no business model. Royalty rates are extremely high over the internet and cannot compete with a company that will have 1 billion in free cash flow in 2011. Sirius can do what Pandora does if there was a business model that worked, but bleeding royalty fees for most listeners that pay nothing is a recipe for going out of business and once they start charging everyone, the so called listeners will either decide against or go to who has the real content. I guess you only want to hear music and you don’t mind hearing the artist you select every 4 songs played or whatever the rule is, not to mention commercials every so often. By the way, I listen to Pandora here and there also over my Blue Ray through my TV and i cost them money, but would never pay them a penny for their service because it is just so limited, meaning the content.
Pandora is not going anywhere is right – lol. You and Spencer will get along very well.
Royalty rates for Pandora are not extremely high. That is complete misinformation.
They are lower than what Sirius XM pays in internet streaming fees.
I’m a long time SIRIUS subscriber and investor. Picked up a new Blackberry yesterday, and guess what, it had a Pandora app pre-loaded. Tried to download the SIRIUS app and, guess what, wouldn’t load. SIRIUS should be clobbering Pandora but would rather remain complacent. Makes me nuts.
Spencer- Does Pandora have a patent on its service? If not it seems like SiriusXM could just add the Pandora type features to its model and even make it better. Then once and for all we can say goodbye to Pandora and other internet competition. I would think Mel would be really working on this.
The method that Pandora uses to select the songs that they feel will interest you is called the Music Genome Project and it is patented. Offering a service that let’s someone type in an artist or album and then builds a never ending playlist around that is also being used by Last.fm, mFlow, Mog, Rdio and probably others as well. If there is a patent pending I am not aware of it.
Any hope that Sirius can do away with the Internet competition with some compelling and innovative new online option that would wipe out Mog, Pandora, Slacker, Rdio and the others is an absolute pipe dream. It would require a level of thought and creativity that Mel has never demonstrated throughout his career. The people at XM that could have made it happen were all let go.
When will the Music Genome Project patent expire?
Well, that’s tricky. It was applied for in 1999 so on the surface it would expire in 2019. Extensions to expiration can be sought for delays so it could be 2021 or 2022.
You posts were somewhat interesting . . . until this:
“It would require a level of thought and creativity that Mel has never demonstrated throughout his career. The people at XM that could have made it happen were all let go.”
Then you revealed your bias . . . and ignorance.
I disagree. Mel is thoughtful and creative when it comes to radio but this company has proven to not be thoughtful or creative when it comes to rapidly implementing revolutionary technology.
This new web player took 5 years to build and puts them at par with 2008. It does not put them ahead of the game in 2011.
They have also been sluggishly slow to implement their streaming applications. A few fans of satellite radio whipped up an app in a matter of weeks yet it takes Sirius XM years to get to market.
That is what scares me about investing in this company. My finger has been hovering on the sell button for the past few months.
“That is what scares me about investing in this company. My finger has been hovering on the sell button for the past few months.”
Hm. Let me think about that for a second.
Today is February 7, 2011 . . if by a “few months” you mean 3 months, the closing price on November 8, 2010 was $1.55
Today’s close price was $1.79 . . . +15.5% (R) gain in 3 months while your “finger hovered.”
Obviously this is not the right stock for you. May I suggest that you hit the sell button immediately and if you hurry, you can still catch the last half-hour of Jim Cramer tonight.
Booya!
God-help-me, where is Relmor when you need him; I’m not cut-out for this!
Careful what you wish for Spencer . . .
Conveniently skip over the main point about creativity/terrible execution and jump to a nonsense point about stock price over the last few months in an attempt to dodge and deflect.
Your point just proves that I smart and have made the right move by holding on to the stock.
When I said my finger was hovering, I meant that I do not like long-term direction of this company or their ability to add substantial growth with their current lack of innovation.
Sirius XM has never lived up to their potential.
What, just name calling? No proof of my ignorance? Mel sold ads. That’s it.
How much more business will cell phones give siri? It seems that this market can be larger than autos.
Bill Carangelo Susquehanna, thinks blackberry is making another bad move.
What exactly are “the best aspects of the most popular Internet radio services?”
From experience, I’ll stick with Sirius thank you.
Wow, the Sirius XM/Pandora battle here is oddly out of place and misguided. I subscribe to both.
As to Blackberry Z10, I was prepared to buy it today but the lack of a Sirius XM app is a deal breaker for me. I commute two hours a day and my Android sits on my dash and hosts Howard Stern for the morning drive and sometimes the afternoon. I will not buy a phone that does not have a Sirius XM app right now. Telling me it’s coming is no help to me. By the time BB has the app, the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One will be out and BB may not look so attractive.
Blackberry: If you want my business (a formerly loyal Crackberry addict), you’ve got to have Howard Stern and Sirius XM.
And boys on the list here: There’s room for both Sirius XM AND Pandora One. Chill out, dudes. This us supposed to be about Blackberry.
It does work in the browser. You have to make sure Javascript and flash are on in the BB browser and it is a little clunky but it is allowing me to enjoy my Z10 to it’s fullest. I have a HTC one with the app on it but prefer my blackberry. I would rather them create a good blackberry app that works great vs rushing to port a android app over.