Georg Szalai The satellite radio company adds 373,000 subscribers in the first quarter, nearly doubles its profit and eyes a price increase, but it keeps its 2011 subscriber target unchanged due to possible supply issues after the earthquake in Japan. read more Hypebot: > Music streaming services like MOG, Rdio and Spotify may be the talk of the industry, but digital radio from Pandora to Sirius XM surpassed them in royalties paid to musicians and rightsholders for the first time last year. According to RIAA numbers, performance royalties from digital radio services grew 60% from $155.5 million to $249.2 million in 2010. Paid music subscription plans revenue fell 5% from $213 million to $200.9 million million despite subscriber growth from 1.2 million to 1.5 million… Read and comment. From hypebot.com. Music streaming services like MOG, Rdio and Spotify may be the talk of the industry, but digital radio from Pandora to Sirius XM surpassed them in royalties paid to musicians and rightsholders for the first time last year. According to... **EXCLUSIVE:** Don Buchwald & Associates, the agency best known for repping Sirius XM Radio's signature star Howard Stern, is joining forces with West Coast-based talent agency Fortitude. Fortitude founders/partners Ben Press and Michael McConnell and DW&A executive vice president Julia Buchwald will serves as co-heads of Don Buchwald & Associates/Fortitude. The consolidated companies will operate out of DW&A's existing space at 6500 Wilshire Blvd. DB&A will remain in its Gotham offices where it has its broadcast, commercial, voiceover, theater, legal and business affairs departments and talent and lit departments. Formed four years ago, Fortitude has lit and talent clients that include Joss Stone, Angela Lansbury, Peter Iliff, Julia Jones, Crispin Glover, Daisy Lowe, Mario Van Peebles, Elle Macpherson, Cymphonique Miller, Cybill Shepherd, Jordan Bridges, Sean Patrick Flanery, Loren Dean, Lolita Davidovich, Romeo Miller and Kathleen Quinlan. DB&A, which is 35 years old, has a talent list that includes Ethan Suplee, Ralph Macchio, Paz de la Huerta, Norman Reedus, Fairuza Balk, Kathleen Turner and Shannon Doherty. Don Buchwald remains CEO/President, and continues to be the exclusive agent for Stern, who just re-upped at Sirius XM. Netflix last week was the object of envy and fear. The firm that's evolving from DVD-by-mail provider to Web video subscription service showed in latest quarterly earnings that it's growing at an astonishing rate. By charging as little as $7.99 a month, Netflix signed up 3.6 million new subscribers in the first three months of 2011 giving it a total of 23.6 million. That's a 69% increase in just one year, and puts Netflix ahead of Comcast and Sirius XM. Still, media executives don't know what to make of the company. Is it friend or foe? Is it just another customer for studio-produced movies and TV shows looking to complement existing broadcast and pay TV providers? Or is Netflix poised to become a competitor to existing channels – and even a formidable new gatekeeper for Internet entertainment? The most realistic fear is that Netflix will amass enough subscribers so it can dictate prices to studios that want to transmit their entertainment over the Web to PCs, smartphones, and tablet computers -- as well as living room TV sets. If Netflix keeps its subscription price low, then it also may devalue all entertainment: A $4 charge for a VOD movie ... The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday granted the NFL's request for a temporary stay on an injunction that lifted an owner-imposed lockout on players. That means the lockout is back on, just a couple of days after a Minneapolis judge's decision had lifted it. Now the appeals court will review briefs by players and the league and could rule on a full stay sometime next week. Whatever happens, it's clear the labor strife handcuffing the league and its players is having an impact on fans. On Thursday, ESPN's coverage of the always-popular NFL Draft drew 6 million total viewers, 1.3 million fewer than 2010's edition, Bloomberg said. The rating for the telecast that covered the draft's first round was a 4.4, a 17% dip. Even players are confused: During last night's broadcast on Sirius XM's NFL Network, the Minnesota Vikings newly drafted quarterback, Florida State's Christian Ponder, said he was heading to camp Friday. He probably showed up just in time to see the padlocks click shut on the Vikings' facilities. (EMAILWIRE.COM, April 28, 2011 ) Minneapolis, MN -- Mega Stock Picks has upgraded Sirius XM Radio (Nasdaq:SIRI) from a hold to buy. The upgrade comes just as Sirius hit $2 a share on Tuesday. That's the highest it has been in nearly three years. Mega Stock Picks has set a price target for SIRI... (EMAILWIRE.COM, April 28, 2011 ) Minneapolis, MN - BioFuel Energy Corp. (NasdaqGM:BIOF) and Sirius XM Radio Inc. (NasdaqGS:SIRI) will go up and we at Mega Stock Picks believe that (BIOF) and (SIRI) will go up sooner, than later. BioFuel Energy Corp. (NasdaqGM:BIOF) is undervalued, way undervalued.... 5% 1% 1 As Sirius XM shares near the $2 level, the time has come to take some profits in the satellite radio company's stock, according to Lazard Capital analyst Barton Crockett. (EMAILWIRE.COM, April 27, 2011 ) Minneapolis, MN - Shares of Sirius XM Radio (Nasdaq: SIRI) hit a milestone during trading on Tuesday. Mega Stock Picks featured the company last year when it was trading at $1. SIRI hit $2 during the trading session on Tuesday. That's the highest it has been... Netflix continues to strengthen the sense of inevitability that it will become a must-have service for Web users who want to watch professionally produced entertainment. It said Monday that it ended the first quarter with a net profit of $60 million, up 88% vs. the same period last year, on revenues of $719 million, up 46%. That comes to $1.11 in earnings per share. In January the company told investors that revenue could go as high as $717 million while earnings would come in between 90 cents and $1.13 a share. Even though Netflix often beats its own guidance, analysts considered that ambitious: The consensus was $703.6 million and $1.08. Most underestimated Netflix's appeal to the fast-growing number of people watching movies and TV shows via broadband. It had 23.6 million global subscribers at the end of March, a gain of 3.6 million so far in 2011 and close to the 23.7 million at the top of the target range it set for itself in January. That makes Netflix the largest subscription entertainment service, surpassing Comcast's 22.8 million subscribers and Sirius XM's 20.2 million. Some 22.8 million of Netflix's customers are in the U.S. Now the ... Filed under: Hip-Hop, Hip-Hop News jpistudios.com I Getty Images Last week, news spread that 'Jersey Shore' star Pauly D was in talks with 50 Cent to join the Queen rapper's G-Unit record label and according to DJ Whoo Kid, it's already a done deal. During an appearance on Sirius XM's Shade 45 morning show on Tuesday (April 19), G-Unit signee DJ Whoo Kid confirmed that Pauly D -- known for his hilarious catchphrases on the MTV hit reality show -- has already finalized his deal with Fifty. According to Whoo Kid, who admitted that he didn't know the full details, Pauly D has signed with 50 Cent's G-Note imprint, a subsidiary of G-Unit Records. "He [Pauly D] has new records that he wants to showcase and since 50 is doing a lot with [rapper] Hot Rod, he wants to broaden the horizon," Whoo Kid explained, referring to G-Note's first official signee. "I guess he wants to get into the club scene and what better way." Ticketing provider Ticketfly has raised $12 million in Series B funding, bringing total capital raised to $15 million. This round was led by Mohr Davidow Ventures with participation from existing investors. The legendary Malaco Records offices and studio were destroyed... Any sports fan subscribed to Sirius/XM radio has likely heard of Dino Costa, who came to Mad Dog radio from Denver back in October of 2009. I sure did. For the past five years, on my 40 plus mile drive from office to home in the evening, I switch my Sirius stations between only three channel's. Channel 120(ESPN Radio), 122(Rivals Radio - F'baum!), 123(Mad Dog Radio - circa 2008, after SNR) and 124(NFL Network). Let's face it, ESPN evening Radio is only... NEW YORK, April 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) announced today that it will launch "Metallica Presents: Big 4 Radio," the commercial-free music channel featuring the music of four of heavy metal's biggest legends: Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer. The chan Hypebot.com posts a roundup of music business news each weekday morning and breaking stories throughout the day. For the latest also also follow @hypebot on Twitter. 49% of Facebook users said that they want to play games on Facebook for... **Rocco Pendola submits:** The updated numbers Pandora provided this week in its latest SEC filing should impress even the Internet radio leader's most ardent naysayers. While Pandora's financial position will likely trigger even greater interest in its upcoming IPO, I wonder how sustainable this growth is, particularly in the face of formidable competition from satellite radio provider Sirius/XM (SIRI), emerging streaming threat Clear Channel (CCMO.PK), the force of Apple (AAPL), and other players. Before getting into how I expect Pandora's main competitors to position themselves, I review key data from the latest S-1: * Revenue skyrocketed from $55,189,000 in FY2010 to $137,764,000 in FY2011. * Advertising revenue rose from $50,147,000 in FY2010 to $119,333,000 in FY2011. * Subscription and "other" revenue increased from $5,042,000 in FY2010 to $18,431,000 in FY2011. * Despite rising content acquisition costs (up from $32,946,000 to $69,357,000 between FY2010 and 2011), Pandora's loss narrowed from $15,549,000 in FY2010 to $321,000 in FY2011. The Complete Story » 