Slacker hopes to entice listeners away from Satellite Radio

Slacker hopes to gain some satellite radio listeners due to the recent programming changes made by Sirius XM Radio Inc and the discontent by some satellite radio listeners. Slacker is a radio internet service that allows users to play a role in building there own music radio station. Slacker has a new device called the G2 that allows users to listen to music from slacker.com. It allows users to update the music on the G2 player anytime you’re in range of an open WIFI spot. Also, the music from slacker.com is totally free. I don't personally have a G2 but most experiences that I've heard about Slacker and the G2 have been positive.

Below are comments made by Slacker Vice President of Marketing Jonathan Sasse as it relates to satellite radio subscriber discontent due to programming changes:

"We're getting direct feedback from listeners who are new to Slacker who are disenfranchised, whether it's subscription fatigue, or their favorite stations are no longer there, or they aren't what they used to be," Sasse said. "We're definitely getting people coming in, and we're getting tremendous feedback from people who have discovered Slacker who have found stations they think are better than before, plus they're able to build their own if they really want to. Some people could pay upward of $60 a month for multiple satellite subscriptions, and they were still getting advertising; they were still getting a limited experience, and they could come to us for free if they wanted to, and listen to us and make their own station.

"Those people really get it. They went to satellite for a better radio experience, something better than what FM was giving them. Now that it's not filling the same void, they're coming to us and getting the next step up: unlimited stations and a very flexible payment structure."

I can respect what Slacker is trying to do but my main problem with the service is that it is only a small subset of the satellite radio universe. Slacker currently has no sports, comedy, news or talk radio. Slacker is just pure music. To entice any significant amount of Satellite Radio listeners it would need to become a valid substitute for satellite radio. At the current time it is not.

Sasse adds that Slacker is pondering the prospect of adding talk-radio options down the road.

"At some point, we'll move in that direction, for sure," said Sasse. "We're aware people want it, but we're going to stick with the music piece for the foreseeable future. I can certainly tell you today: We're not trying to land Howard Stern any time soon."

Since content cost money it would take a serious business model shift for Slacker to lure any significant amount of satellite radio listeners away from satellite radio. At best Slacker can hope to market it's service to satellite radio subscribers who are apt to subscribe to multiple subscription services including Slacker.

As usual it's just my honest opinion but Slacker is probably better than terrestrial radio but inferior to satellite radio and that's not necessarily a bad place to be.

Read the full original article here.

Source - Tucson Weekly