SiriusXM is naming them as competition because they must carry the rhetoric from the merger forward.
Sounds like to me, from what Im hearing, that Slacker is much better than Pandora. Pandora should be worried. Slacker is THEIR competition.
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertain...s_us_beam.html
Loves it. Brought a customer over in this article from terrestrial radio(competition). He might even use Slacker. But since the article is about a different market, gets no mention. This writer knows the score.
both use satellites in the context of a bent pipe to pass on received signals in the form of digital content. its not a big deal to add live.actually using spare capacity on others birds has been going for ever it a cheap way to to enter a market. go read the fcc license where they define the market clearly as aural or for the ear, enough said! these services are more alike then dislike and as time pass they will all either migrate to unique owned or controlled material or syndicated crap in the form of regional or national material.
and that my friend will set the real operators apart form those that only pretend to be in the audio and video business/sector which includes all digital delivery platforms.
yup. sure thing...slacker/pandora, etc, are competition. But that doesn't mean they are positioned to crush S-XM. Just like coke vs. water or juice. Yes, all beverages. But, very different drinks. Is one mutually exclusive to the other? No way. Sure, there are a few people who NEVER drink coke, and pick 'natural' juice or water. But, the bulk of the market drink all of these. Same with entertainment. Hey, as long as slacker and pandora are 'free', no harm having both of those AND S-XM! If it's free, hell, I'll take THREE! The content is so different that there's no way millions of listeners are going to say I'll use a 'free' music service over S-XM subscription for sports, Howard, etc. Very different....like water and coke. The only similarity is they're both liquids.
Most people that don't subscribe to sXm don't understand is when an someone says "I love Bob Dylans radio hour" ...that it is actually bob dylan doing the talking. and not just Bob dylan songs...
What Ive been trying to say. But calling it "competition" as my point was, is a loose term. Sure, its competition, as you said, as Coke is to water. Sure... They take some dollars away at times. Sentiment shifts from healthy to not so much, etc....
Still doesnt make Dasani a competitor of Pepsi, or Coors.
IF Slacker is a direct competitor to SiriusXM , then so is Blockbuster to DirectTV. Blockbuster offers movies. DirectTV offers movies. Similar services. Yet completely different. Id say Blockbuster doesnt even compete with Netflix... Hollywood Video does, and small mom and pop video stores. Will Neflix, and pay per view kill the Check out video market.... Now thats possible. That would be technology killing then, like a tape player becoming outdated. Netflix competes in the entertainment industry. So Nexflix is also a competitor to SiriusXM then.
Now if you said, the Slacker technology will kill Satellite Radio....
I would say make your case... But I wouldnt agree. Not at this date and time.
This is a rare case, where technology can literally destroy an existing market.
Would the content demands of consumers be filled with Slacker, and Pandora? Dont seem to be able to at this time. So I will say thats not argueable at this point.
Netflix does take money from Blockbuster though. Yet both offer something the other could never offer. Actually Blockbuster is more like SiriusXM like Slacker is to SiriusXM. Netflix is a kind of new service, that is attempting to make the old service obsolute. But Blockbuster does have an online video store now, and will ship you movies. See, they have the infrastructure and the name. ANd the dollars. They can go into that service. Netflix cant do what blockbuster can do. SiriusXM will one day soon be able to provide im sure a personalized play list, or station. But they could never afford to hire Stern. Or have the coverage sats provide. Live sports... etc... I can go on and on..