Without them, we'd be investing in something foolish like satellite radio or Web grocers.
Pandora can fairly argue that its content costs are much worse than terrestrial or satellite radio.
Most if not all of the time, I was plugged into my satellite radio or my app-filled iPhone, which played a steady stream of commercial-free music catering to my tastes.
If Pandora ran several minutes of audio ads per hour (the way terrestrial radio does) vs. just a few 15 second spots, the percentage of revenues paid out as royalties would be dramatically lower and would be more in line with satellite radio or cable TV.
You can also listen to internet radio via a customized vTuner radio station database or attach an optional Connect-and-Play satellite antenna for XM radio goodness.
And although these products -- iPods, traditional radio, among others -- are not perfect replacements, it does not mean that they aren't choosing them over or in lieu of satellite radio.
CNN: Proposed satellite radio merger: Boon for consumers or monopoly?
"The stock sale was a way for Sirius to gain some financial flexibility at a time when it still faces losses with or without the XM Satellite Radio merger, " said Frederick Moran, an analyst at Stanford Group.
Today tech companies like Sirius, TIVO and HP sell their products on the cheap so that consumers can subscribe to their satellite radio and TV services or be forced to purchase an endless supply of replacement ink jet printer cartridges.
Who can deny the influence of the blogosphere on America's presidential election last year, or the growing clout of satellite radio?
It's too early to tell if subscriber gains are attributable to all this expensive new content, or if the real draw for satellite radio is commercial-free, unique music.
There were no personal computers, and no Internet, no satellite radio, no Cable TV, no news, gossip, fashion, or design blogs, no social media, and alas, no Forbeswoman.
So Rich and I are flying in his shiny, new high-tech airplane, which comes complete with not only XM satellite radio, but (wow, does this company know its market, or what?) a remote control to operate it.
By then, I was also hooked to my family's satellite radio account, which was like terrestrial radio without all of those terrible commercials for car dealerships or rug outlets.
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