SiriusXM is entering a new generation in which the lines between its legacy satellite streaming radio service begin to blur even more with modern internet-based streaming music. As we learned at the company’s massive press event in November, that new generation begins today with a revamped app and web presence. And along with that comes a simplified price for those who only want (or need) the app and don’t require a satellite subscription.
The new $10-a-month plan gets you everything a traditional satellite subscription gets. That includes the ability to listen nonstop from pretty much anywhere: On a phone. On a tablet. In a web browser. In a car from a phone. In a car, on your stereo via CarPlay or Android Auto, from your phone.
And while that likely makes you wonder why anyone would need a satellite subscription, well, you’re not wrong. SiriusXM has been clear that its satellite service isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and that it’s all about choice, and getting into as many ears in as many ways possible.
The updated app and web experience is just part of that. The really exciting part, at least from a nerdy perspective, is what you’ll see inside cars as part of the “360L” experience that blurs the lines between satellite and IP-based infotainment even further. The built-in SiriusXM experience that comes with a new car (can you even buy a new car without it these days?) will include interactive content. Sirius showed a brief demo of that with beta software in a Cadillac Lyric at November’s press event, but also stressed that what we saw there wasn’t a finished product, and that existing systems can only be updated so much, at least as far as the user experience goes.
What can be extended, however, is content. And to that end, along with the updated app and web experience , you’ll find a slew of new channels, including Alt2K, Flex2K, and dedicated channels from Shaggy, Kelly Clarkson, John Mayer, Dolly Parton, Smokey Robinson, and podcast company Audiochuck.
