The XM satellite radio is one of the biggest satellite radios existing today. Its services along with Sirius satellite radio spans the United States and Canada, and provides satellite services on a subscription rate basis. A satellite radio is the equivalent of cable TV in TV broadcasting. Its services span different music channels, talk shows, entertainment channels, regional traffic and weather updates, news, and sports.
To date, XM satellite radio has announced its unification deal with Sirius satellite radio to further enhance and combine the two radio services and create a unison satellite radio service covering the US and Canada.
The satellite radio
In order for the customer to take advantage of the satellite radio services and programming, he must first purchase a receiver. The receiver will cost anywhere from $20 to $400 according to the specifications and brands. But there are cases when the receiver comes free in exchange for a longer locked-in subscription fee.
These receivers come in various high-end models, and you can purchase a XM ready home theater system, a car stereo that is equipped with antenna, or a receivers with a plug and play mode. Most of these car receivers used docking stations in each place where they will be used. The latest model they have introduced to the listening public and that has the best innovations so far is the satellite recordings of MP3, which includes playback with pause and rewind, much like a CD player. They even have a tie-up with Napster, one of the biggest MP3 networks in the internet.
The Dispute
Apparently, the Recording Industry Association of America, or RIAA has filed a suit against XM satellite radio, claiming that the new devices that XM has manufactured and are similar to downloading services, which it says is illegal. In defense, XM satellite radio noted that their operation and the device is being protected by the 1992 Audio Home Recording Act, stating that the subscribers can only save their songs in limitation of the radios, and they cannot ask for or request specific songs, programs or artists to be played and recorded.
The subscribers are not even allowed the information to know in advanced what songs will be played, which is much like a video recorder or a cassette player. Furthermore, those songs that the subscribers have recorded have some limitations, and can only be available if the subscriber still has an active account. Once the account has stopped, the recordings that have been made will be terminated and cannot be accessed anymore by the subscriber. The content of the recorded materials cannot be copied or downloaded to a computer or be transferred to a portable device. To this date the dispute is still in progress.
Online Radio
On the internet, XM satellite radio offers a wide array of music stations, songs and products, as it is on their radio receivers. Any Windows or Macintosh computers with internet access can subscribe to XM satellite radio with a $7.99 monthly subscription fee. Those XM radio subscribers are free of charge on the internet radio service. AOL and Winamp adopts a XM satellite radio generic music channel, and serve it free for the listeners.
