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Permalink Reply by Adrian Badger on August 13, 2008 at 10:08am

I've looked into this a bit for my business too. The nice thing about satellite is that the ASCAP and BMI license fees are covered (when you get the business service). They also recommend some equipment on their websites, though I believe you can use just about anything you want.

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Permalink Reply by Benza Lance on August 13, 2008 at 12:08pm

janvier said:

Satellite radio feels canned, cookie cutter and forced. It doesn't really make for a great atmosphere. Especially with the silly promos playing all of the time.

I dont mean to go to every thread and disagree with you, but... well, I disagree here. I'm not a big fan of satellite radio myself, but in Temple, it works: Set it for the "jazz" station (read: the most mundane shit you've heard), and the customers are happy. I would prefer different music myself, but then again, I'm usually to busy to really hear the music anyway. We also dont have any ads, but I've heard different services playing these before.
We use DMX. The only problem we've encountered is losing the signal, but that only happens when its super intense windy and rainy. But then again, its a sat signal, so you gotta take that into account.

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Permalink Reply by stephanie crocker on August 13, 2008 at 5:25pm

yeah, I wonder about the licensing stuff...does playing it in your shop count as "broadcasting"?

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Permalink Reply by Brady on August 13, 2008 at 5:38pm

Satellite radio can certainly feel forced and canned, but frankly with so few "real" radio stations around anymore it isn't so different than broadcast (or Muzac). Except of course for the lack of commercials... I'll take the obligatory station id over commercials anytime.

While I killed my XM subscription a few years ago, I do think it is a great option for the non-licensed (ASCAP, etc) shops. We're evaluating it.

Adrian, Is the business service required to get licensing covered or will just the standard service work, assuming your shop meets the "Sonny Bono exemption" requirements?

I don't think Rhapsody or similar online streaming services are ok for non-licensed shops. Could be wrong though.

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Permalink Reply by Adrian Badger on August 13, 2008 at 10:24pm

Brady - I believe the reason the "business subscription" is more expensive is specifically to cover the license fees. The standard "home" subscription does not cover those.

Brady said:

Adrian, Is the business service required to get licensing covered or will just the standard service work, assuming your shop meets the "Sonny Bono exemption" requirements?

I don't think Rhapsody or similar online streaming services are ok for non-licensed shops. Could be wrong though.

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