> > NEW YORK - XM Satellite Radio Holdings will soon begin broadcasting some of > its stations > to subscribers over the Internet, fresh on the heels of the company's > discontinuation > of a receiver for PCs that some users used to circumvent the music > industry's crackdown > on illegal file sharing. > Starting in early October, XM will charge $7.99 for a subscription to listen > to its > 68 commercial-free music stations and about a half dozen other XM stations > on the > Internet, the company said Wednesday. Those who already subscribe to XM's > satellite > service, typically at $9.99 a month, can sign up for XM Radio Online for an > extra > $3.99 a month. > Software currently on the market allows users to record music from Internet > radio > stations onto their computers anonymously - circumventing the music > industry's much-publicized > crackdown on piracy. But XM said it is discouraging subscribers from doing > so. > "We don't condone that type of activity, and in fact that can theoretically > constitute > a violation of the user agreement of our service," said XM spokesman Chance > Patterson. > A program called TimeTrax fueled a surge in demand for XM's PCR receiver, a > PC-based > satellite-radio receiver that went on sale about a year and a half ago. > Using the > PCR and TimeTrax, users can record multiple XM stations at once and store > the programming > as individual songs in MP3 or WAV formats. > But the PCR was discontinued recently as XM prepared to launch XM Radio > Online. > "The PCR had been on the market for more than a year and a half, and so > that's sort > of the typical life cycle anyway of some of these consumer electronic > products anyway," > said Patterson. > Some satellite radio insiders believe the PCR created a big buzz among those > looking > to copy tunes because the sound quality of music from satellite broadcasts > is much > higher than music streamed over the Internet. > Still, analysts believe the chance to listen to about 70 music channels and > about > a half dozen other XM stations online could push more customers toward XM, > which > has more than 2.1 million subscribers. > "There are a lot of people who listen to radio during the workday and this > is a way > to reach those types of consumers," said April Horace, an analyst with Janco > Partners. > "XM has already built a good brand. So for people who want the same content > online, > it makes a lot of sense," said Michelle Abraham, an analyst with > In-Stat/MDR. "Especially > with more broadband connections and new devices that let you take the > content from > your PC to your entertainment center and play it through your home stereo > system." > XM is promoting the new service through a partnership with Dell, offering > buyers > of Dell Inspiron notebooks and Dimension desktops a 30-day trial > subscription to > XM. > XM's competition, New York-based Sirius Satellite Radio, doesn't offer an > Internet-only > subscription, but does lets subscribers listen to its 65 music stations on > the Internet > at no extra charge, and offers 72-hour free trials on the Net. > "It's been a significant reason why people have come to our service," said > Sirius > spokesman Ron Rodrigues. > XM shares rose 30 cents to $29.46 on the Nasdaq Stock Market, where Sirius > shares > fell 1 cent to $2.89. > _______________________________________________ > PC-Audio List Help, Guidelines, Archives and more... > http://www.pc-audio.org >
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