XM integrates Napster for radio downloads

Napster and XM Satellite Radio on Monday unveiled a beta version of a joint music offering.

The new service is designed to let satellite radio subscribers access, purchase and download broadcasts on about 70 music channels available over XM, the companies said. In addition, users can access Napster's music catalog and buy tracks from it. The XM + Napster service is available at a new Web site, to be marketed by both companies.

Music downloaded from the service can be played on portable MP3 players available now, the companies said. XM plans to introduce MP3 players that can record and store content from radio for listening later, the company said.

The pay-radio company recently reported a third-quarter loss but reaffirmed hopes of reaching a subscriber base of 6 million by the end of 2005, from 5 million reported in September. The company has recently signed a few content deals to boost its radio offerings.

"XM + Napster greatly enhances the discovery aspect of XM by letting people instantly purchase and download the music they hear on XM Radio Online from Napster's catalog, dig deeper into artists' digital-music collections and use Napster's programming expertise to discover related artists and genres," XM Chief Operating Officer Hugh Panero said in a statement.

[rangdrol]

Lame!

Incredibly lame! Let me count the ways:
1. XM Online is a low-fidelity stream, much lower than their satellite content or than many other online radio stations
2. You can't skip songs, like with other online radio providers
3. You're not timeshifting XM content. You have to find the identical song on Napster, buy it and download it - if it's available.

Want to timeshift XM onto your regular MP3 player? Check out Timetrax at <a class="jive-link-external" href="http://timetraxtech.com/" target="_newWindow">http://timetraxtech.com/</a>

Want to timeshift streaming internet radio onto your regular MP3 player? Check out ReplayMusic at
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.replay-video.com/replay-music/index.php" target="_newWindow">http://www.replay-video.com/replay-music/index.php</a>

The original XM idea was great. The junk that's been coming since -- their clunky personal portable player, low-fi XM online, and this brochure-level integration with Napster -- is awful.