Zing, the company behind the Sirius Stiletto's WiFi technology, as received $12.5 million out of a $13.41 million third-round funding that it is raising, according to a regulatory filing.

IDG Ventures Boston was joined by return backer Redpoint Ventures.

The first Zing product was the Sirius Stiletto, though notably they've received more recognition from the soon to be release Sansa Connect (pictured). The SanDisk Sansa Connect won CNET's Best of CES 2007 award and features 4Gb of memory plus the WiFi connection so you can listen to Internet Radio.

[PEHub via PaidContent] 

Sirius Satellite Radio is finally streaming CNN through their online internet radio service to subscribers. Of course Sirius also broadcasts CNN on their regular satellite radio service as well (ch 132).

Regular Sirius subscribers, as well as Sirius Internet Radio (SIR) subscribers get to receive the CNN channel online. While Sirius airs CNN Headline News on its satellite radio service (ch 133) and CNN en Espanol on channel 182, neither CNN Headline News or CNN en Espanol are available online yet.

Still this is great news as news channels are severely lacking on the online offering of both satellite radio services.

[Reuters] 

A new survey from the Digital Media Association found that 60% of digital music consumers are listening to more music since they started using an "online music service" (this includes Internet radio and digital music downloads).

Over 60% said they have discovered "some new artists" while 25% said they found "a lot of new artists." Add to that, over 35% said they now talk about music more than before, and more than 75% have recommended an online service to someone else. 15% of online music fans say they are now attending more concerts.

The results aren't really surprising because the act of seeking out and accessing an Internet radio service (or downloading digital music) is a far more of an interactive experience, than simply listening on the radio. Probably more so on the digital download side, than the Internet radio side, because once you find your "favorite" Internet radio station you'll just let it play (much like your favorite Sirius or XM channel).

I'd assume that these listeners - especially downloaded digital music listeners - are far more likely to listen to music in the foreground, or actively, rather than just passive listening like in regular radio. Satellite radio likely would see similar results as Internet radio, containing a combination of "active" and "passive" listeners.

It's these "active" listeners - the engaged audience - that likely will seek out a more interactive environment. Interactivity is key in competing with the iPod and other digital mediums. So how can satellite radio fulfill this need?

[DiMA Survey via FMQB]