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SiriusXM's Premier Streaming service is free until May 15th
All of SiriusXM's premium channels will be free to listen to for the next six weeks. The service's biggest name, Howard Stern, revealed on his show the service is making the Premier Streaming plan available at no cost until May 15th. It typically costs $13/month.
Pandora adds podcasts to its web player and desktop app
Last year, Pandora introduced a library of podcasts which has grown from hundreds of shows to thousands. While the service offered many of the most popular series, the sticking point was that support was limited to the company's mobile apps. To make it easier for listeners to catch up with their favorite podcasts, Pandora has added the episodic content to its desktop app and web player, which is available to both free and paid users.
SiriusXM radio finally plays nice with the Google Assistant
Starting next week, SiriusXM will be available through Google Assistant-powered hardware in the US and Canada. That means you can ask "Hey Google, play Howard 100 on SiriusXM or request an artist channel with something like "Hey Google, play The Beatles Channel on SiriusXM." Google says the same commands will work in Canadian French "soon." SiriusXM subscribers will also be able to watch "curated video content," including interviews and in-studio performances, from the company on a Nest Hub or Hub Max -- anything with a screen, really -- later this year.
Marvel is working on a bunch of new podcasts for Pandora and SiriusXM
After producing two podcasts with Stitcher, Marvel plans to greatly expand its audio output in a move the company is describing as its "most sweeping podcast deal ever." Starting next year, the media giant plans to create five new scripted series, in addition to several unscripted ones, for SiriusXM and Pandora.
SiriusXM's student plan only costs $4 per month
SiriusXM thinks it has a simple way to get the back-to-school crowd listening to radio: offer it at an extremely steep discount. The satellite radio pioneer has introduced a Student Premier subscription that offers all the 200-plus music channels (plus talk) of the usual Premiere Streaming package for $4 per month, or less than a third of the $13 you'd normally pay. You could wind down with Kevin Hart's comedy channel or psych yourself up with BPM for about the price of nice coffee.
Pandora adds SiriusXM talk shows as podcasts
Many music streaming services are looking at podcasts as a way to keep listeners increasingly plugged in and listening -- Spotify's recent purchase of Gimlet Media being just the most recent example. Pandora has had podcasts for a while as well, and today the company is announcing an expansion that comes via its new owner, SiriusXM. As of now, almost two dozen SiriusXM shows across a variety of genres will also be available to Pandora subscribers as podcasts.
Netflix comedy specials are coming to SiriusXM on April 15th
The idea of Netflix teaming up with another streaming service was laughable until now. Netflix announced today that it is partnering with SiriusXM to create a 24/7 streaming radio channel that will feature clips from Netflix stand up specials. "Netflix is a Joke" Radio, first promised last year, will launch for SiriusXM's XM Select and XM All Access subscribers starting April 15th. The streaming-only station will be available through the SiriusXM app, online and in vehicles with SiriusXM 360L radio.
Pandora Now highlights trending music as a playlist and SiriusXM station
It's been several months since SiriusXM purchased Pandora for $3.5 billion, and now we're finally getting a glimpse of how the satellite radio company plans to use its new toy. SiriusXM and Pandora announced Pandora Now, a new feature that will highlight popular and trending music for listeners on both platforms. Available starting today, Pandora Now will have a dedicated channel on SiriusXM for subscribers. Pandora Premium members will get to listen to Pandora Now as an interactive station, complete with song skippings and thumbs up and down ratings, or as a curated playlist.
SiriusXM plans original podcasts, shows and more for Pandora
If you listen to Pandora regularly, you might notice new channels, shows, podcast and playlists popping up. Roughly one month after finalizing its $3.5 billion acquisition of Pandora, Sirius XM announced a first-ever, original content team for the platform. As Sirius explains, this is a move to generate music, sports and talk programs as a way of moving the service beyond just streaming music. It's also likely an attempt to take on the likes of Spotify, which recently made its own investment in podcasts.
SiriusXM app is getting Pandora channels later this year
SiriusXM's $3.5 billion acquisition of Pandora is set to close on Friday, and the satellite radio company is already laying out details on how it plans to make the most of its newest toy. In an earnings call with investors held Wednesday, Sirius CEO James Meyer said the company plans to launch Pandora channels within the SiriusXM app.
Amazon and SiriusXM team up to offer free service and Echo Dots
Amazon and SiriumXM have partnered up to bring together streaming radio and the Amazon Echo. Echo owners can enjoy a three-month trial of SiriusXM for free. And anyone who signs up for a new SiriusXM All Access or SiriusXM Premier subscription will get an Echo Dot for free. Current customers who upgrade from SiriusXM Select to Sirius XM All Access will also receive an Echo Dot for free.
SiriusXM acquires Pandora for $3.5 billion
Pandora's search for a buyer is over. SiriusXM, which previously invested $480 million in the music streaming service, is now acquiring it outright in an all-stock deal worth $3.5 billion. It gives the satellite radio company access to Pandora's 70 million monthly users, including the 5.6 million paying members signed up to its Premium service.
Netflix is bringing its stand-up comedy to SiriusXM radio
SiriusXM is adding another comedy channel to its satellite radio lineup: Netflix. Starting next January, the streaming service's radio station will play stand-up 24 hours a day, according to Variety. "Netflix is a Joke," the channel's working name, will also feature original programming from the service's ever-growing stable of signed comics, and things like David Letterman's talk show as well, apparently.
SiriusXM adds streaming-style features to its in-car radio service
In-car listening has come a long way in the past decade. Where satellite radio used to be one of the few ways to get live digital shows in your car, it's now trivially easy to bring your phone into the car and stream virtually anything. And SiriusXM knows it -- the company has launched a new platform, 360L, that brings some of the creature comforts of internet streaming to in-car satellite radio. To begin with, there's simply more to listen to -- you can listen to on-demand shows, not to mention channels that were previously online-only.
Amazon Echo now streams Spotify and SiriusXM to multiple rooms
Amazon brought multiroom audio support to its Echo speakers a few months ago, but let's face it: unless you're a big fan of Amazon Music Unlimited, it hasn't been very useful for on-demand streaming. That changes today. As promised, Amazon has added multiroom support for Spotify (oh, and SiriusXM) to let you play the tunes of your choice across more than one Echo at a time, including groups. You won't have to stop listening to an album just because you've moved from the living room to the kitchen.
SiriusXM now streams radio stations to your Apple TV
SiriusXM is now available on 4th generation Apple TVs and Apple TV 4K. Subscribers with streaming access can use the SiriusXM app to access its over 200 channels, which can be customized with MySXM. Users will also be able to access archived programming on demand and the app's user interface has been optimized for Apple TV.
Pandora's CEO is stepping down as digital music evolves
The rumors were true: Pandora CEO Tim Westergren has announced that he's stepping down from the company he co-founded 17 years ago. He'll remain in the leadership position while the company searches for a replacement. President Mike Herring and marketing chief Nick Bartle are also leaving, the streaming music company says. While Pandora isn't clear about why the executives are bowing out, it comes after efforts to "refocus and reinforce" the firm by selling its ticket business and taking a $480 million cash infusion from SiriusXM. In other words, it's likely looking for fresh blood as it adapts to a changing digital music landscape.
Ask Alexa to play your favorite SiriusXM station
Alexa just got another new skill. Starting today, SiriusXM subscribers will be able to play any of the radio's available channels through their Alexa devices, depending on the package they're subscribed to. Howard Stern announced the news this morning on SiriusXM's The Howard Stern Show.
SiriusXM invests in Pandora to get into on-demand music streaming
Pandora made the leap to on-demand streaming back in March after building on the pieces Rdio left behind. Earlier this month, reports surfaced that the company was looking for a buyer. It didn't find one, but it was able to attract a big investor: SiriusXM. The satellite radio company announced today it's investing $480 million in Pandora, adding a portion of the à la carte music streaming service to its catalog of audio options. The deal gives SiriusXM a 19 percent stake in the company.
Paid streaming services provide a big boost to the music industry
Streaming continues to play a bigger role in music industry revenue and now it's starting to provide some real help offsetting declining album sales in the US. In its mid-year report, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) reports that the industry saw its biggest growth in the first half of 2016 since the 1990s, up 8.1 percent year-over-year to $3.4 billion. In terms of music streaming as a whole, revenue from those services was up 57 percent during the first half of the year and it now makes up 47 percent of the music industry's total revenue. That's up from 32 percent of the total revenue this time last year.