How To Develop An App Like SiriusXM: A Complete Guide

With innovation, we have shifted to an era where technologies and digital platforms are effective in addressing a variety of issues among people. 

One of the challenges that has been addressed is streaming music via apps. SiriusXM is among the top apps to consider for targeting the audience who loves to listen to music along with catering to their needs of listening to radio. 

If you are an entrepreneur looking forward to entering the music streaming app industry, it’s significant to learn about it. 

Now, the question is “How to make an app like SiriusXM?”

Well, we have evaluated and examined all the essential points to build an app like SiriusXM in this blog. 

Are you ready to explore it all?

SiriusXM Facts and Statistics

Let’s begin by understanding the concept of SiriusXM, its related facts and statistics. 

SiriusXM is the leading audio entertainment platform in North America with a portfolio of audio businesses that further comprises of flagship subscription entertainment service SiriusXM. 

The platform has reached a combined monthly audience of approximately 150 million listeners. Additionally, the app offers a wide range of content for listeners around the world.

Here the users tune in with a distinguished mix of live, on-demand, and curated programming across news, sports, music, and talk. 

It is the largest radio company which is measured via revenue and has more than 30.6 million subscribers. Over the app, the users can get closure to their favorite stars with the new and improved listening.

From the trending music to SiriusXM original podcasts, the users can go deeper and may even discover more with the type of content tailored for them.

According to the source, it can be estimated that in the year 2019, SiriusXM Holdings’ programming and content amounted to 10.83% of the total subscription revenues.

This figure is further expected to rise consistently by around 0.2% each year. 

When we came to the number of downloads, in the third quarter of 2024, SiriusXM had 33.16 million subscribers.

The subscriptions have reached its peak with 34.91 million subscribers in the final quarter of 2019. 

Well, you can consider the above-stated stats as a significant parameter and as a reason to build an app like SiriusXM.

Other than this, you need to evaluate that an app can be helpful to make money through diversified methodology. 

Now, let’s consider the working procedure of an app like SiriusXM in the following section. 

How Do Apps Like SiriusXM Work?

If you want to develop an app like SiriusXM, it’s important to know the working procedure of the app. 

Here’s a series of steps to continue with.

1. Install and Make a User Profile

The prime step in this protocol is SiriusXM, here all you need is to install the app and then make a user profile.

Here all the users are required to make the profile by stating all the details related to the types of songs they prefer to listen to over the profile. 

2. Set Up the App With an Internet Connection

Here one of the crucial segments that all the users need is the internet connection.

With this connection, they can set up and build their profile by adding the types of genres and categories of songs that they prefer to listen to. 

3. Stream Favorite Music

Now, users can stream their favorite music through an internet connection. Along with this, they are provided an option to buy subscription plans for listening to ad-free music.

This helps the users to have uninterrupted music. 

4. Add Features or Subscriptions

Users can add features within the app through in-app purchases which provides them an effective experience to use it. Additionally, they can buy the subscription plans accordingly.

The users need to manage their subscription plans according to their needs. 

5. Review and Feedback

With an app like SiriusXM, the users can fill in the reviews and provide feedback. These reviews and feedback assist apps like SiriusXM to successfully address the core issues of users and enhance the overall performance of the app. 

These are all important steps that can be helpful for you to successfully design the user persona of the target audience. 

Now, let’s move ahead with the features to include within an app like SiriusXM in the next section. 

Features to Include in an App Like SiriusXM

What are the features to include within an app like SiriusXM?

Here’s a list to proceed with music streaming app features.

► Audio Streaming

You should add high-quality audio streaming within an app like SiriusXM to provide the users with an exceptional audio experience.

The Feature works by breaking the audio file into small chunks. 

► Social Sharing

With the social sharing feature, you can allow the users to share their favorite music-streaming artists, or live streaming music with their friends and family.

This feature enables users to share songs, albums, and playlists with their friends through diversified social media platforms. 

► Navigation

You need to add a navigation feature within the app to provide the users with an ideology to use it without any barrier.

The app must require to be simple and intuitive to use. This feature with a clear interface and navigation makes the users feel at ease of using the app. 

► Recommendations

Good recommendations within the apps can help provide the users in helping them boost their experience with the business.

A personalized recommendations feature within a music streaming app like SiriusXM can enhance the connection of the users. 

► Collaborative Playlists

A collaborative playlists feature is important for fostering social interaction with their friends and family.

It is one of the great ways to swap podcast recommendations, share the latest music discoveries, and even build a perfect playlist. 

► Content Upload

Uploading the content is a severely important feature to include within an app like SiriusXM. You should give priority to the users for assisting them in uploading the content as per their preferences.

This is one of the effective ways to reach potential artists and provide them with a platform to connect. 

► Create and Manage Playlists

It is important to provide access to the users to manage their playlists according to their preferences. Here you will allow them to successfully manage the preferences of the users.

It is an excellent way to help them to have a personalized experience with an app like SiriusXM.

► Push Notifications

Push notifications is a feature that assists the users to connect with current updates on music. It is a feature to engage the users with the app in the long run.

Here the users can receive any updates over the application such as any new songs of their favorite artists, and much more. 

Including such features within the app can help your app to be updated as per the current trends. 

Now, let’s answer your question of “How to build an app like SiriusXM?” with the following section. 

Steps to Develop an App Like SiriusXM Music

How to create a music streaming app?

If you are the one who wants to enter the world of music streaming and desire to create an app like SiriusXM, you should go through the following steps.

Step 1: Value Proposition

It’s significant to identify the top value of your app in this diversified market. You should evaluate the mobile app idea in this competitive era through market research. 

You can conduct the market analysis by following diversified methodologies such as conducting interviews, surveys, or any other procedure. 

This will help identify the gap that exists in the market and then address the user’s demand by building a great idea.

You can identify the value of your idea and may find ways to reach more users. 

Step 2: Identify and Implement Potential Features

Another major step that you cannot avoid is identifying the top features for your app and then implementing them. The features should add value to your app.

It should be added according to the user’s demand and current market competition. 

Features lay the foundation of your app, thus, it needed to be effective to reach the core issue and then mitigate it with a few simple steps. 

You can select the features by examining what type of issue you need to address. These features should not be overburdened to avoid app crash. 

Step 3: Create MVP Version

Do you know about Minimum Valuable Product (MVP), and its requirement for your app? Well, if not, then it’s a great chance to proceed with the same. 

An MVP version of your app like SiriusXM can help save your high cost and helpful in identifying the value of your product in the market by launching a version of it. 

Here all you need is to launch the MVP version of your app by adding essential features within the same.

After launching a version of your app, you can identify the actual demand of your target audience and what you can add or subtract within the app to enhance its value or usability in the competitive market. 

Step 4: Build an Engaging Design

Now, as we proceed further, you should build an attractive UI/UX app design. Here design is all about color, theme, and identifying the user persona or how the actual audience will proceed with your app. 

Here you should visualize the app by creating a structure of your design. Thus, this is the process to proceed with the wireframe and prototype of your dream app like SiriusXM. 

A music streaming app design is all about adding effective transformation, and navigation which will make the user’s experience more enhanced and engaging. 

Step 5: Develop an App and Select the Tech Stack

Now, it’s time to proceed with the app development process, where all you need is to define the backend process along with selecting the effective technology stack. 

The tech stack is all about the selection of potential technologies for building your complete app.

It’s all about the type of technologies which will enhance the performance of the app and can support all the varieties of features, you are trying to include. 

After deciding on the technology, now it’s time to create the app of your dreams by completing all the steps successfully. 

Step 6: App Testing

You can conduct mobile app testing by including diversified tools and proceeding with diversified testing protocols.

Under the steps to build an app like SiriusXM, you can proceed with diversified testing methods such as functional testing, usability testing, compatibility testing, performance testing, etc. 

You should conduct this process to reduce all the errors and issues within an app, successfully. It will help optimize the app’s performance. 

Step 7: Deployment, Launch, and Maintenance

Are you ready to deploy the app? Well, now it’s time to do so. You should select the platform among Android, iOS, and Hybrid, then can continue with the process accordingly. 

Now, let’s launch the app on the decided date. This will enable you to remain ahead of the competitors if you launch it on time. 

App development doesn’t end on launch, now you have to process with mobile app maintenance.

Here, you have to learn about the app maintenance importance, which will help sustain your application in the competitive market. 

These were all the important steps to create an app like SiriusXM. Now, before going ahead, if you want to evaluate more about the key technologies to be used for building an app like SiriusXM, we have done it for you. 

Let’s check it out in the given section. 

Key Technologies For Developing an App Like SiriusXM

What are the top technologies to include while building an app like SiriusXM?

Here’s a list to consider for the music streaming app tech stack. 

These were some of the technologies that you might include while building an app like SiriusXM. 

When you proceed with creating an app, there are multiple areas where you can face issues and errors.

If you are well aware of such errors and issues, then it can be simple to deal with them at an early stage. 

Let’s discover them all in the following section. 

Challenges in Developing an App Like SiriusXM

What are the top challenges that your app might face?

Here’s a list of music app development challenges.

♦ Poor Recommendations Algorithm

While creating an app, it’s important to provide personalized recommendations to the users. If your app is not able to do that, the target users tend to shift towards competitors. 

♦ Data and Security Issues

Are you implementing effective technologies for protecting the user’s data? Well, data is a sensitive aspect, and avoiding it can lose the trust of the users of the app.

It can result in losing potential users along with damaging the reputation of your business. 

♦ Scope Creep

If you’re not clear about the objective and aim of your app, then this may lead to nowhere. The unclear objective of your app will result in resource wastage and even damage the brand’s reputation before it comes into the market. 

♦ Device Compatibility Issues

Does your app have the capability to comply with all the smart devices? A music streaming app like SiriusXM possesses such quality.

It may affect the user experience and can shift them towards their competitors. 

♦ Selection of Poor Technologies

Selecting poor and ineffective technologies can further result in creating an app that can’t be run properly.

If you select an improper tech stack then it will impact the complete development process to build an app like SiriusXM. 

♦ Overburdening of Features

Are you including too many features within an app? Well, a lot of features in an app can lead to crashes and poor performance.

This might confuse the actual users for performing significant tasks. Thus, this can result in a challenge to avoid while building an app like SiriusXM. 

Other than this, you need to select a leading team of developers, along with proper design, and prepare strategies accordingly. 

After examining the strategies to build an app like SiriusXM, you should identify the type of resources. 

Relax, we have already done it for you. Let’s learn it all in the following section. 

Cost to Develop an App Like SiriusXM Music

What’s the cost to create a music streaming app?

The average cost to build an app like SiriusXM Music can vary from $20,000 to $150,000 depending on different variables. 

You need to consider the factors like selection of developers, app design, technologies, security, and many others. 

Here’s a brief to consider. 

What are the Factors Impacting the Cost of Developing an App Like SiriusXM?

When you evaluate the cost of developing an app like SiriusXM, it’s essential to identify the factors impacting it. 

Thus, here’s a list to evaluate.

➤ Team of Developers

You need to hire mobile app developers who can successfully create an app like SiriusXM. Here, you can evaluate their skills and location from where they belong. 

The cost can vary from $20,000 to $150,000 if you hire experts from an Asian location.

On the other hand, professional developers in the United States can cost you much higher. 

➤ Complexity of Features

The type of features and their complexity impact the complete cost to build an app like SiriusXM. Complex features such as AI or integration of AR can increase the cost. 

On the other hand, a simple feature can decrease the cost. All you need here is to identify and implement the types of features that are significant to address user’s growing demands.

The cost here can vary from $3000 to $20,000. 

➤ App Design

The cost to design an app can vary from $5000 to $15,000 depending on the type of font, color, typography, and more. 

You should identify the current trends in design and then ask the developers to include them in your app accordingly. 

➤ Technology Stack

The types of technologies to include within an app can impact the complete cost. If the technologies are complicated, then the cost can be high and vice-versa. 

Here the cost can vary from $5000 to $20,000 depending on the type of technologies required to create an app like SiriusXM. 

➤ Choice of Platform

The cost to create an Android App or the cost to build an iOS app can impact the complete cost of creating your dream app. Cost estimation can be from $5000 to $15,000.

Here all you need is to identify and evaluate the right platform to reach a potential audience. Thus, it will assist you in learning and selecting the technologies accordingly. 

➤ Security and Maintenance Cost

You should identify the security and maintenance cost which will be based on the total cost to make an app like SiriusXM. 

Here the security and app maintenance cost will be 15% to 20% of the overall cost. It will depend on the type of technologies to include while securing the data of the users and maintaining the app. 

Till now, we have discussed the concept of the app, reasons to create it, features, steps, cost, and its related factors. 

Now, let’s examine the top monetization strategies in the next section. 

How Does the SiriusXM App Make Money & What Strategies Does It Follow?

App monetization is all about finding ways to earn money through creating an app. 

After identifying the cost to invest in creating an app, you should know the medium to earn money. 

Here’s a list of top music streaming app monetization frameworks.

• Fees Charged For Paid Promotion

You should charge a regular fee for the type of promotions performed for other brands. Here you can charge for self-pay and even for paid promotional subscriptions.

This is a permanent source of income for apps like SiriusXM. 

• Subscription Plans

Music streaming apps like SiriusXM include a variety of subscription plans to attract and retain users in the long run.

You can include a monthly recurring revenue model that will be useful for making a regular sum of money via your dream app. 

• In-App Purchases

You can include multiple features in the app that can be helpful to the users to enhance their experience.

All you require is to sell the premium features at a reasonable price. These features should add value to the user’s life. 

• Data Monetization

As a music streaming enterprise, you can collect a vast amount of data about the users that might contain, their favorite artists, songs that they prefer the most, and what kind of subscription plans they buy often.

You can sell this data as reports to other brands to earn an amount. 

• Crowdfunding

Through crowdfunding, you can help the developers tap into larger and potential audiences that can support your business.

It is an excellent way to earn income as well as to inject funds into a venture. You can pay a respective amount of dividend to the investors in return. 

Well, after considering the strategies, if you want to learn more about how you can proceed with your dream app, connecting with an experienced team of developers can help. 

How Nimble AppGenie Can Help You Develop an App Like SiriusXM?

You don’t need to wander to select an effective and leading app development firm. 

Partner with Nimble AppGenie and convert your dream of a music streaming app into reality. With our team of developers, you can successfully discuss all your issues and errors in building an app like SiriusXM. 

We are the leading Music Streaming App Development Company, that can develop and maintain your app in simple ways.

Our team understands your core app’s users and frames the features or strategies to build an app accordingly. 

The experts are well-skilled in all types of computer languages, coding, and other elements that will make your app lead the industry.

Conclusion

When you enter the music streaming app industry, it’s vital to know the climate and market. With the leading revenue industry, the apps are gaining significant popularity.

One of the apps is SiriusXM with millions of users and helpful features. 

If you want to create an app like SiriusXM, going through the steps beginning from market analysis, selection of features, and creating MVP that ends on launch is crucial to study.

Along with this, you should identify the type of resources to build it. 

The cost to create an app like SiriusXM can vary depending on different factors including complexity of features, app design, technology stack, and much more.

You can avoid the challenges of poor design, scope creep, or overburdening of resources through implementing suitable strategies.

FAQs

Niketan Sharma

Niketan Sharma is the CTO of Nimble AppGenie, a prominent website and mobile app development company in the USA that is delivering excellence with a commitment to boosting business growth & maximizing customer satisfaction. He is a highly motivated individual who helps SMEs and startups grow in this dynamic market with the latest technology and innovation.