Satellite Radio's Real Competition

I just saw this video thanks to the CNET TiVoCast:

Did you watch it?  Good. 

So, it's basically a radio.  My first thought was that this was more competiton for broadcast radio.  But it's really not.  At least, it's not new competition.  Sirius XM should be the ones who worry about a product like this.

The Slacker G2 is more about niche programming on-the-go, which satellite radio delivers.  In fact, that ability has been one of Sirius XM's selling points.  But, services like Slacker, Pandora, Last.fm and the like go one step further and give the listener a great deal of control.  Satellite radio lacks that completely.

And, of course, listening to the Slacker G2 is free vs. the $12.99/month Sirius XM subscription fee.  That's the killer feature right there.

Now, back to broadcast radio.  OK, yes, the Slacker G2 is competition.  This is yet another reason that radio needs to evolve.  

More localism, unique programming and a strong sense of community are no longer ideas to consider for the future.