I posted this into an existing thread, but though it deserved its own topic:

I don't think Internet streaming is a big deal as far as piracy goes - the cat's already out of the bag. That ship has sailed.

Sirius is selling a portable player that downloads the show and turns it into an MP3. All you need is the software to "pull" the file onto your hard drive and become a pirate.

There's always going to be the piracy issue - it was a huge deal for Infinity, especially in markets where Howard Stern was not available (i.e., Atlanta). I had a friend there who kept asking me for audio tapes of the show.

I recently sent an e-mail to Sirius and asked them about a Podcast of the show. I listened to a large portion of the show on the go, and a portable satellite player/recorder is going to have antenna issues.

Therefore, I might as well just wait until Howard signs off (11 AM-ish) anyway. Around noon, I would log onto Sirius and download the show from their site. I'm sure they'd prefer that to people logging onto illegal sites and DL'ing the shows.

Of course, there would be no need to buy the equipment - I would drop the file into iTunes and listen on an iPod. But Sirius would get the subcriber fee from me every month.

Any thoughts?

Streaming has already been discussed several times, it's coming. You can always record it once streaming starts or just hook your radio up to your computer and record like that. Then you have your own podcast.

I love the podcast idea, or streaming, why is is that Howard does not believe in the internet really? The show is fantastic though.

A podcast would require less bandwidth on SIRIUS's part.

Instead of thousands of people simultaneously streaming the show, they would be coming in to DL the podcast post-broadcast.

Plus then those people wouldn't NEED to download software and set up to RECORD the stream. It's a hassle for most people. And if the recording fails (and you're not listening)? Then you're SOL.

I freaking LOVE this idea. I'm recording it now, but it doesn't always go well. I don't think security is an issue, really. People could already record the show and post it everywhere if they wanted to.

Maybe then we could stop getting all the "replay the show 4 times a day" threads. :)

As I've posted in other forums - the cat's already out of the bag - Sirius is selling a device that DLs the show and turns it into an MP3 that you can take off that device and put on a computer (i.e., a podcast).

This DOES mean you don't need to pay for a device - but it means that casual listeners don't have to stay glued to their fucking cars or houses because the "portable" device won't record on the go!

This sounds great. It would solve my "I work in a block of concrete" problem :)