Comment Re:13 bucks a month? (Score 1, Interesting) 334
I think they are launching this with Stern, because the intent is to draw in as many of his fans as possible. Not really the average listener. Else they would make the whole service available as a trial no?
It would also seem logical to me that they could expand their web service by making it a cheap add on for their current subscribers. Otherwise, as you said, who is going to pay almost twice as much as XM or Yahoo!'s Launcast for the same type of service (although Yahoo!'s service offers personalization). Not to mention it would turn current subscribers off since they will be paying the same fee twice just to get the right to blast it on their computers.
Mobile Device support would also be another area they could offer to really expand their coverage (if they aren't already offering this). As with more and more multimedia phones and higher speed wireless (cell-phone wireless) connections it can be seen as a way to offer their service without the hardware investment.
If those two things are not really met I don't seeing the service going too far. I haven't looked at XM's offering in a long time, but when i trialled it about a year ago those were the reasons it wasn't useful to me.
It would also seem logical to me that they could expand their web service by making it a cheap add on for their current subscribers. Otherwise, as you said, who is going to pay almost twice as much as XM or Yahoo!'s Launcast for the same type of service (although Yahoo!'s service offers personalization). Not to mention it would turn current subscribers off since they will be paying the same fee twice just to get the right to blast it on their computers.
Mobile Device support would also be another area they could offer to really expand their coverage (if they aren't already offering this). As with more and more multimedia phones and higher speed wireless (cell-phone wireless) connections it can be seen as a way to offer their service without the hardware investment.
If those two things are not really met I don't seeing the service going too far. I haven't looked at XM's offering in a long time, but when i trialled it about a year ago those were the reasons it wasn't useful to me.
