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I added a new app to my iPhone this week: A nifty item called “Livio Car Internet Radio.” Best part? It was (in part) made in Michigan.

Ferndale-based Livio has always been ahead of the game, working with major players like NPR, Grooveshark and Pandora. Now, this little company that could is adding Apple’s wickedly amazing telephone to its list of accomplishments. Yup, and it was – and it bears repeating – made in Michigan.

Meet Jake Sigal. Let’s just say I’m a fan of his work and his decision to work here. He founded Livio in 2008, mostly to allow people to listen to Internet radio at home. He’s from Columbus and graduated from Ohio University (let’s not hold that against him).

As background, Sigal got was a DJ in college – he loves music. He got his first gig there. To borrow from his bio: Then he joined Stanton DJ as a product guy and engineer. After Stanton DJ, there was Numark. After Numark, there was XM at Delphi. After XM there was Myine Electronics. After Myine, he started Livio.

I’d say Livio is going to give XM/Sirius a serious run for their money. That is mostly because of this new Car Internet Radio thingie. With it, you can listen to more than 45,000 AM/FM and Internet-only radio streams from around the world using your Android, iPhone or iPod Touch through a Wi-Fi or 3G/Edge connection.

And it’s not just me that thinks so: It was already named a Top 20 finalist at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show’s Mobile Apps Showdown. If you’re looking for an affordable alternative to SIRIUS / XM satellite radio and have an iPhoneor iPod Touch, give the Livio Car Internet Radio a try.

Sigel and I traded emails and such recently – here’s a portion of what we talked about.

Q: What is new at Livio?
A: Car, car and car. We are covering the car in three areas. The first is retail with a car kit that plugs into your 12V adapter and puts Internet radio from your phone directly into your FM radio. The second is an aftermarket black box that just started shipping from DICE that will replace your current satellite radio with Internet radio that works with your car’s factory stereo. The third is our OEM system for cars in 2013 and beyond. All of these systems use the Livio Connect API to connect to our award winning Car Internet Radio application and other apps that use Livio Connect.

Q: How does the national exposure to your company help your growth in Michigan?
A: Google “Car Internet Radio”… That’s what the national exposure has done for us I think that we have grown organically and have taken a good position in the space for Internet radio delivered in vehicle. Michigan is an great place to grow a company; cheap housing, combo of urban and rural living options, major Delta hub to fly nonstop to just about anywhere in the world. Also over the last few years there are a lot of good programs to provide access to seed capital to start a business.

Q: Do you ever have challenges with having your base here, and how do you overcome them?
A: Yes, of course. The hardest challenge is being taken seriously by companies on the East and West coast. We overcome them by keeping our heads down in the office and engineering state of the art products. We don’t talk the talk; we create the products our competitors try to copy.

Q: What advice do you have for other entrepreneurs here?
A: If you build it they will come. Don’t waste your time pitching investors until you can answer this question: “my product solves the problem of _________, and we are the only product that can _________, and customers care because it ___________.” Instead of trying to raise cash, try developing a prototype and selling your prototype to customers.

Q: What’s next for Livio?
A: Helping radio stations go from current spots (audio ads) to a clickable audio billboard system. Basically smart ads that you want to listen to and can get coupons sent to your phone to save money while listening to your favorite jams.

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I visited the Detroit Historical Museum today, to celebrate 309 years of Detroit. Sure, it’s an inauspicious odd number, but think about how much has happened since 1701. For instance, we’ve changed countries multiple times since then (Detroit was originally French).

Wandering through the exhibits (if you want a review of the place, look for another blog, this writer is too hopelessly biased because I’ve been going since I was a kid) there was a theme – and although I knew it logically before, the reality set in.

We’ve been here before. And we can build a diverse economy. In some ways, we’ve always had one.

Here are some industries you may or may not know about, and part of the diverse economy we had:

Shipbuilding. Cigar making. Stoves. Pharmaceuticals. Beer. Railroad cars.

Automobiles happened here because we had the skills from things like making stoves to put to use matched with tinkerers (we’ve got tinkerers, and more popping up regularly). Today, a lot of the new technology initiatives happening are companies adapting their car-making past into the future for uses like windmills and aerospace.

We’ve historically had an entrepreneurial spirit. Henry Ford got started in a garage – so it makes sense to me that we shouldn’t be surprised of such entrepreneurship today, with companies such as Livio Radio, GSTV, EcoMotors and many others already here breaking out of the garage, getting funding, and happening – companies, that frankly, could be located anywhere.

Oh, and Henry Ford was a proponent of urban farming, too. So it shouldn’t surprise folks that’s one of many ideas that will be part of Detroit in the future.

The rumors of the death of the Detroit auto industry are also false – Ford is making a profit, GM is roaring back and Chrysler is moving forward.

Wayne State is doing some innovative things with bioscience and energy (not forgetting the new Oakland University med school or Medical Main Street); TechTown and Automation Alley are opening the doors to international investment through their programs.

Let’s not forget music. And lots of it. We were the home of Motown (in my mind, will always be – the soul of that sound is here); our Hard Rock downtown has walls littered with memorabilia from big name acts throughout time, not to mention the oft-cited Eminem and Kid Rock of today. We also have the largest country music event in the nation in the hoedown.

Our indie scene is alive and well, and we can’t forget the international impact electronic and techno have made.  By the way – another region, San Francisco – was known for it’s music way before there was a Silicon Valley nearby. In some ways, it was part of the creative genesis of some of the brightest companies ever (Apple founder Steve Jobs’ main possession for awhile, before he owned a couch, was a giant hi-fi system for a reason).

However, we’re told by whomever that we can’t. And there’s something to perception. People, when told things are a certain way, that something is horrible, downtrodden, or bad, studies show they tend to be colored by that information (not just about Detroit but just about everything). That’s why it is important to get the complete story of Detroit out. We know you want to hear it, and share it. We know the thousands of people (thank you!) who read these words are affecting change from Midtown to Madison Heights to Milford. And the media, who take the time to stop by, we appreciate you giving us the opportunity to show the real region. A city with challenges, but also a city with love, hope, forgiveness, passion, creativity, work ethic, and more.

So the birthday gift we all could give Detroit – and in some ways, ourselves – is to share the experiences that have had an impact and why you’re here with someone else. Someone who maybe doesn’t expect it. Or someone who has given up. I know from personal experience that sometimes it takes a little encouragement to keep in love with the D; and some come to love it later on.

So let us bring people into the fold by telling the real Detroit story. Outreach, whether they’re here or not. Mend fences. Put the words of division behind. Tell the story, and as our growing social media community says, “if you’ve got it, share it.”

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