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| Click on the links below for answers to many of your frequently asked questions. |
about SIRIUS
products & services
website
SIRIUS internet radio
general questions
contact us
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| 1. What is SIRIUS? |
SIRIUS is a service offering over 130 channels of satellite radio featuring digital-quality music, sports, news and entertainment programming when and where you want it. We use three satellites to broadcast over 130 channels of satellite radio to listeners throughout the continental US and Canada.
SIRIUS delivers the best 100% commercial-free music in virtually every genre. Download our channel guide. (Requires Adobe Acrobat – Download Acrobat)
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| 2. How is your programming different from regular radio? |
The biggest difference is that SIRIUS has 100% commercial-free music channels. What this means for you is that we offer you music the way it should be and the way the artist intended it: without a single commercial interruption.
Our music programming also has a breadth and depth of programming basically unavailable on regular radio. We play the songs that you know and love, and many songs that we know you'll love when you hear them for the first time.
We also have loads of original programming. We host hundreds of exclusive live interviews and performances you won't hear anywhere else and produce many interesting and engaging live talk shows in our national broadcast studios.
We've also partnered with names you trust like the NFL, NASCAR, FOX News, CNBC, NPR and ESPN to bring you the best entertainment available.
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| 3. Where are the SIRIUS studios located? |
The SIRIUS national broadcast studio complex is located in Rockefeller Center, in the heart of NYC. It is one of the largest, most sophisticated, digital broadcasting facilities in the world.
Our complex houses state-of-the-art production studios for our over 130 channels, plus four performance spaces for artists and musicians, and a comprehensive digital library.
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| 4. Where is SIRIUS stock listed? |
SIRIUS Satellite Radio trades on the NASDAQ under the ticker SIRI. For more investor information about SIRIUS, visit our company information section.
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| 5. How can I be alerted to new SEC filings? |
If you would like the latest information on SIRIUS Satellite Radio's SEC filings, please sign up for our email updates.
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| 6. Where does the name SIRIUS come from? |
“Sirius” is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major and the Northern Hemisphere. It was named after the ancient Egyptian god Osirus, who was represented pictographically as a dog, giving Sirius its more familiar name: the Dog Star.
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| 1. Where can I purchase SIRIUS equipment? |
You can buy SIRIUS equipment at most major electronics retailers and most SIRIUS Plug & Play radios and accessories from our online shop.
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| 2. Can I get a new vehicle with SIRIUS already built in? |
SIRIUS has agreements to install AM/FM/SAT radios in Ford, Chrysler, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Volvo, Mazda, Dodge, Jeep®, Volkswagen and Audi vehicles.
Please see our Auto Dealer Locator page for more info on which models have satellite radio available today.
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| 3. What equipment do I need to get SIRIUS? |
There are many ways to get SIRIUS. You can get SIRIUS installed in your car or you can take SIRIUS from your car to your home, office, boat and beyond with our Plug & Play and Portable systems.
Find out more about our radios.
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| 4. How do I know if my radio is SIRIUS-Ready? |
SIRIUS-Ready radios are usually identified by the SIRIUS dog symbol appearing somewhere on the radio itself. A SIRIUS-Ready radio is a radio that may require the purchase of a SIRIUS tuner in order to be activated.
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| 5. How do I activate my SIRIUS radio? |
Once you have installed your SIRIUS radio, activate your radio by calling Customer Care at 1-888-539-SIRIUS (7474) or activate online. In many cases you may also activate your radio at the retailer where you purchased it or it installed.
There is a one-time $15 activation fee. Taxes may also apply.
For more information on activation, visit our Activation Checklist.
For information on our subscription options, view our Subscription Plans.
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| 6. I want to listen in my home or office. How do I get the best signal? |
Read our Home Antenna Placement Tips.
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| 7. Can I block channels that I don’t want on my radio? |
Many of our radios have the capability to lock, password-protect, and hide channels with content that you would prefer to not be accessible from your radio. Please refer to your radio’s manual for instructions on how to remove channels from your channel lineup.
We have manuals for many of our products posted here.
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| 8. Why has my radio lost its signal? |
While we do have an extensive network of ground repeaters (towers that rebroadcast our satellite signal to help give maximum coverage) in many metropolitan areas, factors such as microwaves and physical obstruction (bridges and tunnels) can still temporarily disrupt your radio’s reception.
However, this problem is largely held at bay by the four-second buffer created by slight broadcasting delays between our two satellites orbiting over the continental United States and our extensive ground network of repeaters.
Read our Car Installation Tips to get the best reception in your vehicle.
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| 9. Does the FM Frequency I choose in my car affect my reception? |
Yes. For best results, visit the My SIRIUS Frequency Finder tool. Enter your Zip Code in the form to receive a list of suggested FM frequencies for your area.
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| 10. I want to listen to SIRIUS online. How do I access the online SIRIUS Player? |
Click the "listen" icon in the top right corner of any page on sirius.com. When prompted, enter your SIRIUS Account Username and Password to access the SIRIUS Player. If you have forgotten your SIRIUS Account Password, click on “Forgot Password” to have your password sent to the e-mail address we have on file for your account.
For more information on the SIRIUS Player, read the SIRIUS Player FAQ.
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| 11. Can I pay my (SIRIUS) bill or manage my account information online? |
You can pay your bill and manage your account online by visiting the manage account section of our site or call our Customer Care Center at 1-888-539-SIRIUS (7474).
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| 12. My radio is broken, why I’m still being charged for service? |
SIRIUS has no way of knowing if your radio is operational or not. If you are having technical problems with your hardware, please contact the manufacturer or consult your Owner’s Manual.
If you would like to cancel your service, please contact our Customer Care center at 1.888.539.SIRIUS (7474).
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| 13. Can I get SIRIUS for my business? |
Get the best 100% commercial-free music for your business. With SIRIUS Business, you won't have to deal with the hassles of long-term contracts, buying expensive hardware, and paying for costly installation.
Please visit our SIRIUS Business section for more info.
Online streaming access is not available for SIRIUS Business customers.
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| 14. Can I get SIRIUS service for my boat, plane, RV, or truck? |
Yes, our Plug & Play systems let you listen to SIRIUS virtually wherever you go: at home, in your car, on a boat or truck and more. See more information on our Plug & Play radios.
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| 15. Does SIRIUS provide a traffic navigation service? |
SIRIUS Traffic integrates with your vehicle’s navigation system. Find out more about SIRIUS Traffic.
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| 16. Does SIRIUS provide marine weather service? |
SIRIUS Marine Weather delivers weather reports and forecasts directly to your chartplotter. Find out more about SIRIUS Marine Weather.
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| 17. How can I find out more information about the Service Terms & Conditions? |
Read our Service Terms & Conditions.
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| 18. What countries is SIRIUS service available in? |
SIRIUS is currently available in the continental US and Canada. For information on our Canadian service, please visit www.sirius-canada.com.
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| 19. How do I get in touch with SIRIUS Customer Care? |
Contact SIRIUS Customer Care by completing this form or calling 1-888-539-SIRIUS (7474).
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| 1. What are the basic hardware and software requirements for using the SIRIUS website? |
For the best experience, we recommend:
- PC – Windows 2000, XP and above.
- Mac – OS 9.0 or higher.
- Connection Speed – ISDN or higher.
- Browser – Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher, Firefox 1.5 or higher, and Safari 1.0 or higher.
- Flash – version 8.0 or higher. For the best experience, please download the latest version.
- Windows Media Player – Windows Media Player Version 9 or greater is required. Download it here.
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| 2. What are the hardware and software requirements for the media player? |
To listen to our music channels online, we recommend a high bandwidth internet connection (T1, DSL or ISDN line, or a cable modem), Windows Media Player version 6.0 or higher, and either Netscape 7.x or Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher. Unfortunately, we are unable to fully support other browsers at this time.
You can download the Windows Media Player by visiting Microsoft's Download Center.
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| 3. Does your site require Macromedia Flash? |
Flash is not required for using our website, but we do suggest that you download it to enhance your overall viewing experience on Sirius.com.
Download the latest version of Flash.
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| 4. Does the SIRIUS website use cookies? |
SIRIUS does use cookies in certain sections of the site where it helps specific applications on our site function properly. If you have deactivated cookies for your web browser, you will need to reconfigure your system to accept them if you wish to fully experience our entire website.
For information concerning privacy, please read our
Privacy Policy.
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| 5. Is there a separate website for SIRIUS Canada? |
Yes. Take a look for yourself at www.sirius-canada.ca.
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| 1. Will I hear the same thing online as I hear on my satellite radio? |
Except as provided below regarding licensing restrictions, subscribers get access to the SIRIUS Internet Radio lineup that corresponds to their SIRIUS Satellite Radio package. See our Packages/Services pages for details.
All of our US-based 100% commercial-free music channels are available online and are the same as what SIRIUS listeners hear via satellite. Due to licensing restrictions, we are unable to make all of Sports, News, and Entertainment channels available online at this time.
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| 2. Can I just subscribe to SIRIUS Internet Radio without a radio? |
Yes. You can get an online-only subscription to SIRIUS Internet Radio.
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| 3. What will I hear if I only listen online (I don’t have a radio)? |
If you only listen to SIRIUS online, all of our US-based 100% commercial-free music channels are available and are the same as what SIRIUS listeners hear via satellite. Due to licensing restrictions, we are unable to make all of Sports, News, and Entertainment channels available online at this time. Select talk and sports programming is available. You can see the SIRIUS Internet Radio channel lineup here.
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| 4. Why have you changed the online listening product? |
The Online listening platform has been upgraded to a higher quality digital audio and is no longer included as a part of a base subscription at no charge. The upgrading of this service allows for customers to listen at near CD-quality sound (128k) for a better listening experience. In the future this will also allow customers to access the online listening platform from a variety of electronic devices.
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| 5. When will I be impacted by the price changes? |
Current customers are not impacted by the most recent price increase or benefit change until their next renewal date.
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| 6. Can I get multiple logins for online listening? |
SIRIUS Satellite Radio subscribers with select subscription packages can get a second subscription to SIRIUS Internet Radio for only $8.99/mo (includes near CD-quality audio (128K). Eligible packages include: SIRIUS Everything Plus The Best of XM, SIRIUS Everything, Family Friendly Plus The Best of XM, Family Friendly, and SIRIUS Internet Radio (online only account).
Non-subscribers and subscribers with any other package can get SIRIUS Internet Radio for $12.95/mo.
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| 7. Why have multiple subscription discounts changed? |
We have changed our discounting structure for multiple subscriptions. As of March 11, 2009 multiple subscriptions will be discounted at the same rate as traditional primary subscriptions. For example if you purchase a 2 year multiple subscription plan you will receive 3 months free, a three year plan will get you five months free. This means that customers who chose a longer term plan will save even more than the 30% off our regular $12.95 monthly rate.
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| 8. What is the recommended hardware and software for using the SIRIUS player? |
For the best experience, we recommend:
- PC – Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista or higher
- Mac – OS 9.0 or higher, including Mac OS X
- Connection Speed – ISDN or higher.
- Browser – Safari 1.0 or higher, Netscape 7, Firefox 1.5 or higher, and Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher, AOL version 5.0 or higher
- Flash - version 7.0 or higher. Download it here.
- Windows Media Player –
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| 9. Why do I have to enter the letters and numbers from that wavy image when I try and sign in to your website? |
This helps to prevent fraud on our web site and allows you to use the services on our website without interruption. This is known as CAPTCHA, and you can read more about it at wikipedia.org.
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| 10. Why won’t the Player work on my Mac? |
The SIRIUS Player is Macintosh-compatible and works with the latest versions of Safari and Firefox on both Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X. Microsoft no longer directly supports playback of the streaming .WMV format on the Mac; continued development and support has been picked up by a company called Flip4 Mac. If you do not have the latest version of the “Flip4Mac WMV" plug-in installed, you may receive a "The playlist format is not recognized" error message.
You can check whether you have it the latest "Flip4Mac WMV" plug-in installed (and which version) by opening System Preferences and selecting Flip4Mac WMV on the 'Other' section. With the Flip4Mac preferences window open, select the 'Update' tab and locate the version number at the bottom. If it is lower than version 2.1.3.10 then you need to update it from that same window. If you don't see Flip4Mac WMV in your System Preferences at all, then you need to install it from Flip4Mac download page.
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| 11. Why do I get the message "The playlist format is not recognized"? |
You may see the message above if you are on a Mac and don’t have the latest Windows Media Player plug-in installed. “Flip4Mac WMV” is the plug-in that supports Windows Media Player playback on the Mac (Microsoft no longer directly supports playback on the Mac). You can check whether you have it installed (and which version) by opening System Preferences and selecting Flip4Mac WMV on the 'Other' section. With the Flip4Mac preferences window open, select the 'Update' tab and locate the version number at the bottom. If it is lower than version 2.1.3.10 then you need to update it from that same window. If you don't see Flip4Mac WMV in your System Preferences at all, then you need to install it from the Flip4Mac download page.
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| 12. Is the "Last 5 Songs You Heard" for the last 5 songs on the current channel, or last 5 songs I actually listened to while surfing around? |
These are the last five songs you've actually heard from beginning to end. In order for the song name and artist to enter the "Last 5 Songs You Heard" list, you must listen to a song from the very beginning. Otherwise, the player will not add the song you heard to the list.
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| 13. Why don’t I see a song title or artist name in the player? |
Song title and artist name data is married with the stream of music by the Windows Media Encoder. When this data arrives at your PC, it is displayed using an ActiveX control. However, because all Macintosh browsers and PC browsers other than Internet Explorer do not provide ActiveX support for the Windows Media Player, that information cannot be displayed when those browsers are utilized.
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| 14. What's an ActiveX control? |
ActiveX is a set of technologies created by Microsoft for sharing information among different programs. The ‘control’ is simply the use of ActiveX. In the case of sirius.com, the ActiveX control is sharing song and artist data found in the Windows Media Player plug-in with your browser. It is similar to a Java applet, except that ActiveX controls have full access to the Windows operating system only—they do NOT work with Macintosh browsers and certain PC browsers.
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| 15. What do I do when the player buffers and then displays the message "100% of 1K" but nothing plays? |
If you see the message above while trying to listen, please upgrade to the latest version of Windows Media Player.
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| 16. Why does SIRIUS Internet Radio reload every time I touch a button or change a channel? |
Due to the way our media player operates, it is necessary for the player to communicate with the server every time you change what channel you are listening to.
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| 17. Why does the player say it’s “ready” when I click on a channel, but no music is playing? |
Part of our security system for the player uses a system of digital keys. These keys are valid for only a short period of time. In order to ensure that your browser doesn’t keep and try to use old and invalid keys, you must set your browser to cache pages either automatically or to never cache them at all.
To do this in Internet Explorer, go to your browser's "Tools" menu, click on "Internet Options," then "Settings," then select "Never" or "Automatically," click "Apply" and then "Okay." This should resolve the problem.
For Netscape on Windows, go to your browser’s "Edit" menu, choose "Preferences," select "Advanced," then select "Cache." Under "Compare the page in the cache to the page on the network" select "Every time I view the page" for best results
For Internet Explorer on Mac go to your browser's "Explorer" menu, choose "Preferences," then click on "Advanced." Under "Update Pages" select "Always" for best results.
These settings may vary from browser to browser.
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| 18. Why does SIRIUS Internet Radio tell me that I need to download the Windows Media Player even though I already have it? |
There are a few possibilities:
One, it may be that you are not using version 6.0 or higher of the Windows Media Player. If this is the case, please visit Microsoft's Download Center in order to download the latest version.
Two, the Windows Media Player is not compatible with all browsers. If you would like to listen to SIRIUS online we recommend that you use either Firefox 1.5 or Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher.
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| 19. Why does the channel I’m listening to keep re-buffering? |
Re-buffering is something that is experienced with all live internet streaming. Most often, the reasons for this are because of your Internet connection speed (56K or lower) or because of excess Internet traffic. You can try waiting a few minutes or accessing the channel later when there might not be as much traffic.
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| 20. Why does the channel I’m listening to keep closing down? |
This is most likely because of network traffic. If this problem continues or occurs frequently at certain times, please contact Customer Care.
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| 21. Okay, it still isn't working. |
There may be several reasons for this. We suggest:
1. Disable all pop-up blockers (the Google toolbar, Norton Internet Security) at the moment you attempt to launch SIRIUS Internet Radio.
2. Upgrade Windows Media Player to the latest version available.
3. If you are using Real Networks’ Real Player, disable it for the duration of your listening.
All of these things can potentially interfere with SIRIUS Internet Radio.
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| 22. Why do I get a “You’ve Been Logged Out” message when I try to listen to the Player? |
Your username and password is being used in another location. Your username and password can only be used at one computer at a time. This may have happened if you have shared your login information with friends or family. If this is unauthorized usage, please contact Customer Care.
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| 23. Why do I get a notice that asks me "Are You Still Listening?" |
Every 90 minutes, we check to see if you're still there and to make sure that you're still listening to the player. If you're not, the player will shut down after five minutes of the message being up there. If you are there, all you have to do is click the button and you can continue listening. We do this so that we're not streaming to computers that have no listeners, to maintain optimum performance for active listeners.
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| 24. Why does the player turn off every 90 minutes or so? |
Every 90 minutes if you do not interact with the player, we display a notice and play a small audible alert to ask if you're still listening to the player. If you're not, the player will shut down after five minutes of the message being up there. If you are there, all you have to do is click the button and you can continue listening. We do this so that we're not streaming to computers that have no listeners, to maintain optimum performance for active listeners. You are probably not sitting at your computer when this message pops open which is why you get interrupted.
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| 1. Where can I find out more about the US Music Royalty Fee? |
For more information on the Music Royalty Fee please click http://www.sirius.com/usmusicroyalty.
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| 2. Am I able to get my local radio stations if I have SIRIUS? |
SIRIUS will not prevent you from listening to your local AM/FM radio stations; all of our plug and play radios work with your existing radio without requiring complex installations.
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| 3. What if I want SIRIUS in more than one vehicle? |
There are a couple of options to choose from: if you decide that it's better to have your satellite radio fully integrated with your existing car radio, you will need a separate subscription for each vehicle. The good news is that your 2nd through your 4th subscriptions are only $8.99/mo and you can put all of your subscriptions under one account and receive one bill.
If you decide that a plug and play radio is the right choice for you, you can easily move it from car to car and from car to home. See our plug and play radios.
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| 4. What can I do if I sell my car and want to transfer the service to my new vehicle? |
You can either remove your SIRIUS radio from the old car and install it in the new car or if you have a plug and play, you can just install a new car docking kit in your new car and move your radio into the new car.
For more information about transferring your service to another vehicle, please contact Customer Care using this form or by calling 1-888-539-SIRIUS (7474).
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| 5. How can I become a SIRIUS retailer? |
Find out how to become a retail partner in our Become a Retailer section.
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| 1. How do I contact SIRIUS? |
Contact SIRIUS by completing this form calling 1-888-539-SIRIUS (7474). Visit our Contact Us page to get a listing of emails by department.
Our corporate address is:
SIRIUS Satellite Radio
1221 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
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| 2. How do I find out about careers at SIRIUS? |
To find out about employment opportunities at SIRIUS, please see our Careers section.
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