Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
Sirius XM app soars even without Howard Stern
Sirius XM reports today that the iPhone app [App Store] it released June 18th has become the top free download in the Music Category on iTunes.It has been grabbed more than 1 million times either by Sirius XM subscribers or people who did not have Sirius hardware and simply wanted to pay the US$13.00 a month fee for access to the 120 plus channels available.
"Reaching more than 1 million downloads so quickly is a strong testament to our world-class programming and SIRIUS XM's instant brand recognition," said Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer of SIRIUS XM Radio. "Our goal is to give people access to the best audio entertainment wherever they go with what we think is the best music and audio entertainment application available on the App Store."
The numbers are impressive but the subscribers still can't listen to Howard Stern who is one of the big draws to the satellite broadcaster. Sirius really hasn't had any substantive comment about omitting Stern, but the issue appears to be Stern himself, who wants more money to be offered on cellular devices. On his daily show in June he said "It was a rights thing, a contractual rights thing, It was a rights issue and a whole entanglement thing. So, we're not on it. Maybe one day we will be."
Although the app is a very popular download, it has very negative reviews at the App Store. As of this morning more than 38,000 reviewers gave it one star, more than twice all the other ratings combined.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
mgh_ca said 6:46PM on 7-06-2009
One word. CANADA. Remember us? We're that big country directly north of you. Why would you make this app and not allow Canadian subscribers to log on? In Canada we get the online streaming of Sirius for free. This app would be perfect!
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thwarko said 6:46PM on 7-06-2009
" ...38,000 reviewers gave it one star ..."
I'm sure that there were a lot of people, like me, who downloaded the free app and then instantly deleted it just so I could give it a bad one star rating.
No NFL, No Stern = are you fuckin Sirius?!
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tauw said 8:21PM on 7-06-2009
I'm with commenter #1 -- I only downloaded the app so I could bash XMSirius's lame new lineup, terrible customer service, and general lousiness. If they want to try to spin that into a "strong testament to our world-class programming and SIRIUS XM's instant brand recognition," they're welcome to it, but I'm not alone. XMSirius is no competition for everything else the iPhone can do. I canceled my XM subscription when they removed their internet streaming.
doug said 9:49PM on 7-06-2009
Oh how will we survive without Howard Stern?
I have SiriusXM in my cars, but I am not sure the benefit of SiriusXM on the iphone when there are apps like Pandora available? I already pay close to $40 a month for service, and do not have the desire to pay additional for a streaming version. I will pass.
Tony said 6:47PM on 7-06-2009
Ha!
I actually *cancelled* my Sirius XM subscription when I learned that they wanted to extort another $3/ month from me ... and the app doesn't even get Stern. No thanks.
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svennw said 6:58PM on 7-06-2009
I listen to Stern on Pocket Tunes or record it on my Inno XM receiver or through Pulsar on my Mac which can also record it. Who needs Sirius' app and fee. I downloaded it and deleted it when there was no Stern. Love Howard but he is missing the boat and it is leaving with or without him. Who's the next Howard - there will be one! NEXT?
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macthegoalie31 said 6:59PM on 7-06-2009
I can't believe people actually WILLINGLY listen to Howard Stern. Ew. That was one of the main reasons we initially got XM instead of Sirius. Now that they're merged it doesn't matter, but thank goodness he isn't included in the app.
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Scott said 12:35AM on 7-07-2009
Why would Stern being included harm you in any way? You don't HAVE to listen to him just because he's on the same system. I don't know why you'd want to take that right away from people that DO enjoy him though. That's just twisted.
Matt said 6:59PM on 7-06-2009
They leave out that its only $3/month if you're already a subscriber.
Also, stern is the only thing missing from the sirius app that you can get online. You can't get NFL, or the other sports, online either.
I'm a subscriber but theres no way I'm paying for this until I can get stern. I'll just keep using my iPod.
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Jason said 7:22PM on 7-06-2009
If by programming Mr. Greenstein means content then yes I can agree with him. But if he means the actual programming of the application I have to strongly object. There were far more feature rich clients in the pipeline, "StarPlayr" and "uXM/uSirius", that were crushed just so Sirius could put out their meh app with their lunatic upcharge.
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Alex said 7:46PM on 7-06-2009
It would be far more interesting to find out how many people still have the app on their phone and use it. Downloads don't me sh!t, I deleted it within an hour of downloading it once I found out I couldn't get Stern.
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dagamer43 said 7:55PM on 7-06-2009
The app is good, but I'll keep my $13/month and just stick to local radio.
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David said 8:49PM on 7-06-2009
My guess is most people downloaded thinking it was free serius and when it wasn't they deleted. Most people don't read
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suburb said 8:52PM on 7-06-2009
I'm pretty confused as to how 1 million downloads equates to success. Quantity of a free app is nothing. Just look at the reviews. No sports, bad programming on many stations and an arbitrary subscription fee on top of a subscription fee. Sirius/XM is digging its own grave.
I am a subscriber in my car and have my father in law's portable on my plan, but given their recent assclownery on so many fronts, I am on the verge of canceling. With free apps from Pandora and Slacker letting me really tailor what I want, there seems to be a growing lack of need for a paid satellite service that's gotten much worse after the merger.
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BC said 9:19PM on 7-06-2009
I've been a Sirius subscriber for years now. I agree, they are digging their own grave. It is one disappointment after another. Streaming used to be free with a paid subscription, many of us didn't care about the quality. And the merger was handled poorly by ruining and/or killing some of the best stations. And they paid way way way too much for some of the talent, e.i. Oprah and Martha Stewart. It doesn't matter what you think about Stern, his two channels continue to drive subscriptions. Love him or hate him, without him satellite radio would have been a distant memory by now.
On the other hand, I overheard a co-worker tell another for "only a few bucks more a month" he could get Sirius on his iPhone. He demoed the app and in a few seconds he was streaming right away. He was so happy and thought it was a great deal. Of course, he is also a VP at my company and makes way more than the average person.
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SteveH said 11:28PM on 7-06-2009
I love the sirius|xm app but I already pay for the service and had premium online. I couldn't be happier getting O and A and Ron and Fez on my phone and online. Now, I rarely even use my xm receiver. I would like to see how many people actually paid the extra $3 or $13 for a subscription after they downloaded the free app.
Stern is a complete hack. He already has a half billion dollar contract but somehow that's not enough. All the money in the world isn't going to make him relevant. How long has he been on vacation now? I don't see how a guy this important to the company gets a contract to do a show only 4 days a week and takes month long breaks. If you are going to pull in subscribers with names like stern, oprah, and martha it might be a good idea to require them to do new shows on a daily basis so you keep the listeners. You can only hear so many replays before you want to dump the subscription.
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BC said 7:00AM on 7-07-2009
Dude, they work for the same company now. Why do you have to hate? It's not a Stern vs. O & A thing anymore. If you want any form of satellite radio to survive, you should want as many people as possible to keep their subscriptions.
It's like saying, "Oh man the iPod Touch is such a hack! It doesn't even have a cell phone in it! And no camera too. iPhone is the only way." How stupid.
jbainbridge said 9:20AM on 7-07-2009
What is the big deal about Howard Stern? I really don't get it. I downloaded the Sirius app, tried it for 7 days and loved having "satellite radio" on my iPhone for times like when I'm out on the boat or at the pool and as a bonus when I'm sitting at my desk at work. So at the end of the trial I signed up for the paid service even though I think it is a little over priced.
The lack of Stern obviously has to do with money, someone (probably Stern) must not be getting paid enough money to allow his show to be broadcast to mobile devices, which personally I think is stupid and greedy but it is hardly the fault of the actual Sirius iPhone app!
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Zoom Torrents said 10:54AM on 7-07-2009
This app is cool but there is a hacked version that does pickup Stern. You can get it from Zoom Torrents here http://zoomtorrents.com?file=iPhone-XM-App-SternHack
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Pyrofallout said 10:34AM on 7-07-2009
My only complaint is the incredible delay in the Sirius/XM app's feeds. When I was using PocketRadio it was behind by a few seconds, the audio in the official XM app is behind by several mins. The whole reason I was looking forward to this app is to not miss my shows when I get out of my truck, instead I get to listen to several mins worth over again when I get out my truck now.
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