var json_comments = new Array("
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Illusio26
January 21, 2009 4:43 PM
Moderate | Flag for review

Only way i'm locking in rates is by dumping them when my year is up (unless they give me the $77 a year offer again)

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2 replies
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buckfutt
January 22, 2009 12:39 AM
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@darkjedi26:

Threaten to cancel, and you'll get the $77 rate again. Works every time.

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battra92
January 21, 2009 4:54 PM
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@darkjedi26: Exactly what I did. When XM kept calling to renew my trial (it came with my car) I repeatedly said that I liked their service but it was not worth the price and eventually they offered me a really cheap deal.

I'll probably cancel it again in 2 years when the contract is up.

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Brain.wav
January 21, 2009 4:45 PM
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Yay for monopolies!

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9 replies
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u1itn0w2day
January 21, 2009 7:11 PM
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@Brain.wav: I agree as far as satellite radio goes it's a monopoly .There are alternatives but there are not for satellite radio companies .Since the airwaves are regulated and that's what were talking about here a particular use of the airwaves it should be treated/regulated as a monopoly .


Many argue that this is not a monopoly since you can listen to music on an I-pod but what if you bought it for talk radio or news,politics,finance etc-that material is time sensitive and a best of collection will not sufice .


The 'not a monopoly argument' is like saying you can buy a gas generator to get your power or use walkie talkies instead of a phone but yet both phone and power are treated/regulated as a monopoly when there is no competition for their services .


But I really don't expect much in the way of a monopoly argument since many probably fell the Cramer diatribe of how terrestial free radio was afraid of satillite pay radio-isn't that apples and oranges ?

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AirIntake
January 21, 2009 5:27 PM
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@Brain.wav: Please, that's like saying that De Beers doesn't have a monopoly on diamonds because rubies and sapphires exist. There might be alternative ways to listen to music, but none offer the same service as satellite radio. These alternatives are not equivalents:
1) Free radio with advertising - it has advertising for one, and isn't available everywhere. I live in Canada, and if you're not by a major city, you really don't have much for radio choices. Try driving through the mountains and see what choices you have.
2) Pandora/Slacker over mobile devices - relies on WiFi or cell service being available. See my comment on driving through the mountains.
3) iPod/MP3 players - I use radio as a way to discover new music. I'm not going to hear anything new on my iPod
4) Compact Discs - see the iPod argument
5) Cassette tapes - see the iPod argument
6) 8 tracks - see the iPod argument
7) Voices in my head - again, see the iPod argument, I've already heard everything the voices have to say.

So the only way to hear new music is: FM Radio, Satellite radio, the internet, or MTV. It's tough to pick up good FM radio where I work and camp, and I don't have cable or internet when I drive, so satellite is the only way to go. Sirius doesn't have a monopoly on playing music, but they sure do have a monopoly on satellite radio.

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Froggmann
January 21, 2009 10:10 PM
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@AirIntake: Where have you been? MTV doesn't play music anymore. It's just all stupid reality shows.

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AirIntake
January 21, 2009 11:07 PM
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@Froggmann: I've been in Canada and don't actually get MTV. I just call Much Music MTV because it's a TV station that plays music (sometimes).

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Oranges w/ Cheese hates what Christmas has become
January 21, 2009 6:38 PM
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@AirIntake: This. Satellite Radio is the only nation-wide available anywhere radio service. I'd say they have a monopoly, alright. If you have a SatRad in your car, you have no choice but to use SiriusXM. That's a monopoly.

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Collie
January 21, 2009 5:15 PM
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@Brain.wav: Not a monopoly, lets count the alternatives:

1. \"free\" radio with advertising
2. Pandora/Slacker over mobile devices
3. iPod/Mp3 players
4. old school - compact discs
5. really old school - cassette tapes
6. one foot in the grave - 8 tracks
7. mentally disturbed - the voices and music in your head

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Bog
January 21, 2009 7:06 PM
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@Collie:

Err, compact discs aren't old school.

Your forgetting LP's, 45's and 78's!

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sleze69
January 21, 2009 5:05 PM
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@Brain.wav: So you have no other audio entertainment in your car/home/office? Wow.


They are not arbitrarily raising rates on a whim. They lost 90% of their stock value because of the delay in the approval of the merger. If they DON'T do this, they will die.


I am probably going to lock in my rate (because I drive a lot and it is worth it) but will have to think about my fiance's account.

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nighttrain2007
January 21, 2009 4:55 PM
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@Brain.wav: Yeah because we know there's no such thing as free radio, podcasts, HD radio, other online radio...all controlled by Sirius and XM...oh wait they're not are they? I do believe I can receive streaming versions of much of the same content elsewhere, and for free no less.

It is not a monopoly and it is simply false to claim so. They have cornered ONE aspect of the streaming audio market. You don't want to pay the charge that Sirius/XM charges for their service then don't. But you are not entitled to their service either.

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Trai_Dep
January 21, 2009 7:45 PM
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@nighttrain2007: Don't forget humming merrily to oneself. You forgot humming merrily to oneself!
(If you define any category broadly enough, all monopolies magically disappear)

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Anonymous
January 21, 2009 4:49 PM
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so this would increase my sub by 8 bucks a month with a loss of internet radio unless I sign up for a 3 year contract.

Guess I have to call and stop the sub. This was just what was needed to push me off the wagon.

Reply
1 replies
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Anthony Bradford
January 21, 2009 10:37 PM
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I'm with you. I'm dumping my service. My iphone has so many excellent music stream applications, XM doesn't have anything unique to add to the mix anymore.

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BrandonOBrien
January 21, 2009 4:49 PM
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Glad I never jumped on that bandwagon. MP3s ftw.

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2 replies
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Raiders757
January 21, 2009 6:39 PM
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@BrandonOBrien:


I with you on that. I have a huge music library, and having a 30GB MP3 player allows me to have my own custom radio station of 3,700 songs on rotation, commerical free. If I get tired of a song, I can swap it out for another.


Better yet, I don't have to pay a monthly fee, sign any contracts, and the music is ten times better.


When XM dropped the XM Music Lab and a few other decent stations, for more \"mainstream\" fair, they went way down hill. The entire point of satellite radio, was to get away from the mainstream garbage on corporate FM stations. Now they're no different.

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SybilDisobedience
January 21, 2009 10:27 PM
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@Raiders757: Yep. 2,300 songs on mine, to listen to at my whims, without commercials. I keep up with new music through social networking sites like MySpace, so I can hear the tracks for free from artists I know and new ones I find before I ever plunk down the cash.

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GIZisGOD
January 21, 2009 4:50 PM
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Is it me or does that dog look like it is farting?

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3 replies
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fatcop
January 21, 2009 6:38 PM
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@GIZisGOD: No, that's stock value falling out.

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rpm773
January 21, 2009 6:07 PM
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@GIZisGOD: Yeah, but he's sending it into the cushion. Good doggy.

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azntg
January 21, 2009 4:52 PM
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@GIZisGOD: Nah, it looks like it took a dump instead.

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SWBLOOPERS
January 21, 2009 4:54 PM
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Whether it is or not, I still think Sirius smells. Seriously.

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BuddyGuyMontag
January 21, 2009 4:54 PM
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To be honest, I don't see a problem. I love XM/Sirius, I have a portable receiver that I can use in my car or home, and I don't mind paying 36 bucks a year to stream if it means keeping the company in business and I can be entertained at work.

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3 replies
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snowburnt
January 21, 2009 5:34 PM
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@BuddyGuyMontag: I'm sure the business doesn't need the 36 bucks a year to stay in business.

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Spinfusor
January 21, 2009 5:48 PM
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@snowburnt: Doesn't need it? Sirius XM has more than a billion dollars in debt...

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Sidecutter
January 21, 2009 7:07 PM
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@Spinfusor: Interesting that a company with 20 Million subscribers can't turn a profit at their current rates though, isn't it?

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BuddyGuyMontag
January 21, 2009 5:39 PM
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@snowburnt: One million people at 36 bucks a year is 36 million dollars. You were saying?

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quail
January 21, 2009 4:55 PM
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Before the XM / Sirius merger weren't reps telling people to \"lock\" into their cheap rates now because prices could go up?

Can't wait until HD World Band Radio gets ironed out. FM quality from broadcasters anywhere in the USA and Canada. Suppose to be available soon in Great Britain and Europe.

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2 replies
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Anonymous
January 30, 2009 12:38 AM
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@quail: HD = Hybrid Digital(not High-Definition), and it sucks!I am a broadcast engineer, and I can tell you it's a failed technology. IBOC, the company who licenses Hybrid-Digital will push for a pay for local radio business model if they get their way.

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fatcop
January 21, 2009 6:39 PM
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@quail: Um, no. Mel Karmazin went before Congress and said the rates would remain the same.......

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BuddyGuyMontag
January 21, 2009 4:56 PM
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BTW, Ben, stop telling Carey to identify this as a monopoly. It's not. if the merger didn't happen, both companies would be out of business. Or, worst case scenario, CBS radio or Clear Channel makes a play for the company.

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7 replies
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pmcpa2
January 21, 2009 7:38 PM
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@BddyGyMntg: THNK Y! Smn ls s's tht Bn dsn't lk stllt, nd mks t clr wth vry pst. Hpflly ths prsnl vws wll b \"rnd t\" nw tht th cnsmrst s WND BY LRG CRPRTN tht s knwn fr wrtng gd rvws fr $$.

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coren
January 21, 2009 6:21 PM
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@BuddyGuyMontag: Yes, it is.

If the merger didn't happen, aside from being a pointless exercise, doesn't make them more or less a monopoly.

Tell me, where in my car can I hear commercial free radio? Radio isn't the same as an MP3 player or any other form of music storage, and the commercial free aspect is a factor as well.

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BuddyGuyMontag
January 21, 2009 6:35 PM
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@coren: So do you expect to get commercial-free radio... for free?


That's the thing people are missing. Sirius and XM provided essentially the same service at the same price point. The only difference was the exclusive content.


It's the same concept as getting HBO or Showtime. Commercial free uncensored entertainment that you pay a premium for with exclusive content on each brand.

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coren
January 21, 2009 6:52 PM
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@BuddyGuyMontag: Did I say I did?

Everyone is saying that FM Radio is an alternative. And it might be a substitute good, but I'm pointing out it doesn't have the same features, not suggesting that I should get them for free. And that's even assuming you're in range of strong signal.

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BuddyGuyMontag
January 21, 2009 7:05 PM
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@coren: But that's just it - you have an alternative. It may not be exactly the same, but it's an alternative. No monopoly.

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coren
January 21, 2009 9:06 PM
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@BuddyGuyMontag: Yes, but satellite uses frequencies not available to others, and is different enough than any alternative that it qualifies as a monopoly. Sure, if you look at it broadly enough, anything's an alternative. I could sing in the car! That doesn't mean it's an alternative to radio or an MP3 player.

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FireflyPunk
January 22, 2009 4:56 AM
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@coren:
Those satellites aren't publicly owned. SiriusXM own them.

And they aren't preventing any competition from shooting their own satellites into orbit and using the same tech to start a service.

There's room for competition. It's not SiriusXM's fault that no one else has entered the market.

Don't say that they already have a dominant market share that prevents competition either. They don't.

I don't disagree with you entirely though. It would be best to evaluate this situation after the fiscal year.

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larrymac808
January 21, 2009 6:27 PM
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@coren: Assuming you're in the US, the frequencies between 88.1 and 91.9 are generally reserved for non-commercial stations. Whether or not those are stations you would choose to listen to is another thing completely.

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coren
January 21, 2009 6:36 PM
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@larrymac808: From what I can tell, NPR is the only station habitating that area that is actually in range. Well, I take that back, but the rest of the stations are always coming over top of each other because there's about 20 jammed in that section and NPR is the only one that comes through clearly.

Even if they came through, it's all variety and top 40 and \"college\" (whatever that means), so it's not as if there's any sort of selection.

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friendlynerd
January 21, 2009 5:08 PM
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@BuddyGuyMontag:
Monopoly, noun:
1 : exclusive ownership through legal privilege, command of supply, or concerted action
2 : exclusive possession or control
3 : a commodity controlled by one party

If the shoe fits...

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BuddyGuyMontag
January 21, 2009 5:14 PM
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@friendlynerd: You can still listen to music via terrestrial radio, etc. Sirius has exclusive products (Howard, O&A, R&F, etc.) that you pay a premium for.

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Smashville
January 22, 2009 2:50 AM
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@BuddyGuyMontag: I guess Standard Oil wasn't a monopoly because you could buy a horse.

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friendlynerd
January 21, 2009 5:18 PM
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@BuddyGuyMontag:
By that definition, Ticketmaster isn't a monopoly either since you can choose not to go to a concert.

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IphtashuFitz
January 21, 2009 6:14 PM
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@friendlynerd: Not even close. You can turn on any terrestrial radio and hear virtually the same music, news, etc. for free. The only thing you won't hear on terrestrial radio are things like Howard stern, etc.

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BuddyGuyMontag
January 21, 2009 5:41 PM
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@friendlynerd: The best definition is HBO. You can watch movies on other sources, but if you want to watch the Sopranos, etc. you'd sign up. Same deal.

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supercereal
January 21, 2009 5:33 PM
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@friendlynerd: The difference is you can listen to music from many different sources, but you can rarely buy tickets from anyone but Ticketmaster.

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TheFuzz53
January 21, 2009 4:57 PM
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I have Sirius now and am an additional account on my father account and I pay yearly. Will I keep getting internet radio service for free then?

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zentec
January 21, 2009 4:57 PM
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I haven't been happy with the product after the merger. Traffic has always been bad, but now they merged Detroit and Las Vegas on the same channel. As if I want to wait for a totally irrelevant traffic and weather report before getting to a mostly useless traffic and weather report for my area.

Loss of channels, new channels that are just bad and the decades channels are filled with ex-MTV jocks that drone on about the irrelevant (how many times can Alan Hunter give the date in one break???).

It's over for me. My wife can keep her subscription, but an extra $2 is the incentive I need to kill my subscription.

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3 replies
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12-Inch Idongivafuck Sandwich
January 22, 2009 12:45 AM
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@zentec: Sirius always had two different cities on the same station. From what I recall Las Vegas was always with Detroit...

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sporks
January 21, 2009 10:06 PM
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@zentec: Same here. My radio has been basically borked since the transition and hasn't acted normal, the station lineup now sucks, and I'm unhappy with the service now. The extra two bucks is less than $25 extra a year, but it's a waste of my money to keep on being unhappy with my radio. Goodbye, XM. I guess I'll start listening to Slacker whenever Woot! offers one for cheap.

I knew this would happen.

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Saboth
January 21, 2009 4:59 PM
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Fortunately for them, I have only one radio, and my plan isn't going up, or I'd be locking in at $0 for eternity.

Their station selection sucks now, their djs talk too much, and there is competition at cheaper price points from Slacker, Zune/Napster.

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1 replies
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Collie
January 21, 2009 5:12 PM
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@Saboth: It is only cheaper if you already have a data plan or phone that will work, plus it is a pain to install through the receiver in your car, unless you use one of those crappy fm modulators. Plus with spotty cell coverage it just is not practical for most users.

Plus I am sick of them being called a monopoly, since they are so many options, especially all of you that are canceling, you obviously have an alternative to turn to. I do think it is a BS move to raise the rates as soon as the merger was completed by going through a loop hole, and really makes them look bad in the eyes of the users and general public.

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Collie
January 21, 2009 5:06 PM
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Though I am unhappy with the Sirius merger, they ruined my XM \"experience\", the reason I have satellite radio is
1. NHL - every game plus NHL talk radio, can't get NHL centric info anywhere in the US, rarely mentioned on ESPN unless there is an \"incident\"
2. No commercials for music
3. Greater variety of music choice
4. Multiple news channels
5. Uncensored comedy and talk
6. No bonehead DJs interrupting my music

OTA radio still cannot touch any of the above reasons, except now I have to put up with DJs talking over my music, but I still have everything else.

They took away my Lucy, Fred and Ethel, and Comedy 150, but at least I don't get commercials every six minutes like FM. I will probably not cancel over a $2 increase, though I am not happy about it. If they would dump the high priced talent (stern, etc.) and all the stupid DJs, and stick to music they could save some coins.

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8 replies
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Raiders757
January 21, 2009 6:52 PM
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@Collie:


I feel lucky that I have the NHL Network being provided by my cable company. I am also able tolisten to any game I want on the internet, but that doesn't do one much good when not at home. The NHL has been getting the shaft in the U.S.


ESPN? That station is crap anymore, and has been for a long time. I can't even watch it. They are guilty of irresponsible reporting, as well as making crap up out of thin air. Worthless is all ESPN is.

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LuzioFantazmic
January 21, 2009 5:16 PM
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@Collie: Unfortunately XM is sounding more and more like FM.I have been hearing teasers for upcoming songs more and more on some of the channels like The Pulse and 70's. Almost like Mel is taking payment for popular songs to get them on the air, just like FM.

ANd they now have DJ's who offer useless chatter over the beginning of songs now. I see no point in that. I don't care if it is Elton John's birthday. Just play the music like they used to.

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Sam Wille
January 21, 2009 5:20 PM
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@LuzioFantazmic: I guess to capture the people already familiar with that on the FM side. Personally, if I was paying for radio I would not want commercials, DJ's speaking over the music, etc. The only thing that has had me ever thinking about it is the NHL stuff.

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Collie
January 21, 2009 5:24 PM
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@Sam Wille: I can not live with NHL Radio, it is my lifeline done here in the South. It is worth twice what I pay just to get real sports talk about the NHL and the great sport of hockey.

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my_imaginary_friends_bore_me
January 21, 2009 5:13 PM
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@Collie: I never understood why they have DJs on the music stations, your radio display tells you the artist and song title.

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Trai_Dep
January 21, 2009 8:52 PM
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@my_imaginary_friends_bore_me: Err, you DO realize that good - even decent - DJs do far more than simply chiming in with the artist/title, right?

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Applekid
January 21, 2009 7:08 PM
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@my_imaginary_friends_bore_me: DJs would be great if they actually, you know, selected the music. It's all done by computer now via playlist generators anyway.

Which is why when I do listen to terrestrial radio, I generally stay pretty glued to the college stations. If I'm going to tune to the hours DJ SpicyPantsu is on it's nice to know I'll be listening to the set they put together. Preferably on a napkin.

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mac-phisto
January 21, 2009 5:57 PM
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@my_imaginary_friends_bore_me: i used to like lu brutus on fungus b/c he was an \"alternative\" dj. he would tell you a quick story about how he hung out with the ramones & then tell himself to shut the f- up & quickly get into a track. it was never about telling you what you were listening to - it was about providing the backstory, which i always thought was cool.

@LuzioFantazmic: they're commercializing the airspace. when metallica released their new album last year, they got a station. when ac/dc released their album last year, they kicked fungus & started ac/dc radio. don't be fooled - record execs are paying big money to satellite to push this new music. it's just one step closer to hearing big bob tell you to come on down for a killer deal on a new car.

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coren
January 21, 2009 6:39 PM
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@mac-phisto: And since satellite is up to it's eyeballs in red, they're gonna cave (not that they wouldn't anyway, but still)

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Collie
January 21, 2009 5:21 PM
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@my_imaginary_friends_bore_me: Probably some suit did a \"focus\" group and thought people liked them. I don't need to know what girl some singer is doing, or what drug clinic someone just checked into. Just play the damn music and shut up. When I buy a CD no one blares out to me, \"it's track 3, by the Hoodoo Gurus\", I hate uninvited guests.

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MrsLopsided
January 21, 2009 5:10 PM
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As part of the merger agreement regular subscription rates are not going up - but Sirius found a loophole where they can raise rates on internet radio and on additional subscriptions on your account

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Verucalise (Est.February2008)
January 21, 2009 5:10 PM
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I cancelled our subscription in December. I'd rather load my favorite tunes on an Mp3 player.... cheaper, and exactly what I want. I had ours for a year, I gave them more than enough time to impress me.


I'm not quite sure what this company's intent is anymore, like every other company. Which leads me to conclude that staying away from them is probably the best idea.

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1 replies
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wagnerism
January 21, 2009 8:25 PM
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@verucalise:


I canceled last year because their computer had problems billing me properly. (prepaid a year for two radios, canceled one radio a few months in and got a bill!). Don't give this company any means to auto-deduct what they want from your account.


Now that I read above that Fred, Ethel, Lucy and Comedy 150 are gone... I'm definitely not going back. Does anybody know if they replaced those with other feeds?

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klwillis45
January 21, 2009 5:14 PM
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If those are the only 2 things going up, I'm sticking. I don't use either of those and don't plan too.

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illtron
January 21, 2009 5:17 PM
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Hey Consumerist, did you know that your polls don't really work right in Safari? Just sayin'. As a Safari-using consumer of the Consumerist, I thought you might like to know.

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4 replies
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Anthony Rinaldi
January 22, 2009 3:03 PM
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@illtron: People use Safari? I thought that was just a joke from Apple; people using it on a REAL computer and all. Ha Ha Apple, you slay me!

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2719
January 21, 2009 7:15 PM
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@illtron: You and your two friends need to dump Safari and use Fireox.

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Xkeeper
January 22, 2009 5:04 AM
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@2719: sigh


It doesn't work right in Opera, either. You can vote, but the results show up incorrectly.

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backbroken
January 21, 2009 5:44 PM
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@illtron: Not true. I was able to respond to the poll right after killing that White Rhino.


Oooohhhhh. You said IN safari. My bad.

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Alex Duzik
January 21, 2009 5:20 PM
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I bought a car at the end of October, so the free three-month trial of XM is about to end. I've been getting harassing phone calls demanding that I pay up for the service. And now, they want higher prices. No thank you.

Folks, iPhone + iPod adapter + Pandora is both free and better than satellite radio.

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3 replies
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wiretapstudios
January 21, 2009 7:56 PM
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@Alex Duzik: I have an ipod as well as a direct rca input into my car. I have been using that for about 4-5 years now, and have had Sirius for about 3 months. Your solution makes no sense. An Iphone costs a decent amount, and so does the cell plan if you can even get ATT in your area. I also use pandora, and although I like it, it doesn't compare to hundreds of channels of music, sorry.

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Collie
January 21, 2009 5:30 PM
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@Alex Duzik: I disagree that Pandora is better than XM. Will Pandora get you around a traffic jam, can it stream live NHL/MLB/NFL/Golf etc, How about CNN or Fox news, can I listen to Opie and Anthony? How about talk radio?

You may be happy with Pandora, but it only feels part of my needs.

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MrEvil
January 22, 2009 12:30 AM
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@Collie: I agree. Not to mention the fact that some of us live in the middle of nowhere where there is no high speed cellular data around that will support high quality streaming.


I'm also too lazy to move my MP3 player from the car to my PC and back into the car. My XM Radio even though I have the mini-tuner just stays in my vehicle and I'm LUCKY if I bother to move that to my truck when I switch.

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hellinmyeyes
January 21, 2009 5:20 PM
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Before anyone gets carried away with the whole ordeal, do a risk/reward analysis to see if you'll benefit from having a multi-year subscription at the current price, even if you have to charge it and pay a little interest. If having the multi-radio and Internet services mean that much to you, take a little time to think about it. You might come out on top.

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hellinmyeyes
January 21, 2009 5:22 PM
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@hellinmyeyes: I should add that that's one of the reasons they attempted this, Im betting, since Sirius desperately needs cash to help renegotiate their debt coming due this year. Like I said, if you are happy with the service and you'll come out on top, go for it.

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tmed
January 21, 2009 5:20 PM
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The Stern and other costly jocks experiment hasn't worked. It brought in subscribers, but not enough to pay for the ridiculous salaries.


I bought stock in both of these companies as soon as I bought a radio, then dumped it as soon as they went to a high-priced talent model.


The people I know who love this service have a commute more than 1/2 an hour each way, are sick of DJs and commercials on FM and like listening to news, sports, and talk shows.


I ama single radio subscriber, so the increase doesn't affect me, but the product has such potential to be great, and the people running the show keep screwing it up.

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ezmobee
January 21, 2009 6:34 PM
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@tmed: I can't agree with this more. Satellite radio had the potential to be so awesome. I just isn't.

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sleze69
January 21, 2009 5:25 PM
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@tmed: To justify Stern's $500,000,000 contract (most of which was stock that is worth a LOT less), he needed to bring in 3 million listeners over 5 years. He brought between 8 million and 12 million.

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BuddyGuyMontag
January 21, 2009 5:42 PM
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@sleze69: 8 and 12? I don't believe that. Stern brought in a lot of listeners, but he didn't bring in 1/3 of the current Sirius audience. Do you have a source on that other than Stern himself?


The deathknell for this was the Oprah and Martha Stewart contracts, NOT Stern.

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mac-phisto
January 21, 2009 5:22 PM
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i killed my service back in september when they pulled fungus to promo ac/dc's album. bought a zen micro for $50 & filled it with a bunch of punk music - don't miss xm at all. plus, it's saving me $165/year.

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MrEvil
January 22, 2009 12:32 AM
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@mac-phisto: They didn't just pull Fungus, they pulled the XM Boneyard which IMO was the BEST Rock station on XM. It just came back, but it's just not the same.

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mac-phisto
January 22, 2009 1:52 AM
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@MrEvil: oh man! boneyard was awesome! i remember they used to have a sat nite show...i forget what it was called but it used to play (taped) live music - \"wasted but there\". the intro to that show made me laugh every time i heard it. XD

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Ssscorpion
January 21, 2009 5:24 PM
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A monopoly taking advantage of its customers?

I'm shocked! Shocked, I say!

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3 replies
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BuddyGuyMontag
January 21, 2009 5:42 PM
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@Ssscorpion: IT'S NOT A MONOPOLY

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FLConsumer
January 21, 2009 5:58 PM
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@BuddyGuyMontag: Absolutely is a monopoly. It's no different than cable TV in that aspect. Sure, one can go without it, but if you want to watch more than the local crap, you're stuck with the local cable co. When there's only one company providing a particular service and your options are take it or leave it, that's a monopoly.

/as an aside, why do electric companies run adverts? It's not like we have a choice to avoid their service.

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nybiker
January 21, 2009 6:32 PM
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@FLConsumer: Yeah, about the electric companies and their ads. I used to wonder about Con Ed's \"On It\" ads. Like if maybe they would stop the ads our electric prices might not go up so fast (they'd still go up of course, just the rate would be smaller). But then I remembered that Con Ed is no longer my only electric generator, and that other electricity providers are out there and I allowed to choose one of them; so their ads are designed to influence me to keep them as not only the delivery mechanism but also my supplier. Not because of the ads, but they are still my supplier. The other guys' prices for a fixed price contract have always been way too high for me to jump at.
Of course, if your user id reflects your location, them maybe Florida doesn't allow you to choose an electricity provider. Con Ed here in NYC is one of a bunch of them.
Back on topic of satellite radio: Not gonna use 'em. I burn copies of my CD and fill up the CD player in the car and I am good to go for about 6 hours or so before they repeat (or I have to change 'em).

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MrEvil
January 22, 2009 12:35 AM
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@nybiker: I think electricity is one area where the free market can't work either. I have only one electric company to get power from, they buy from other sources, but I can only have them as my provider. I pay a third per kWhr that my sister does down near Austin and she has four or five providers to choose from. All deregulated power does is increase prices to the end users to cover the marketing budgets that a monopoly doesn't need. My Electric company NEVER advertises except for PSA's about working near high voltage transmission lines.

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BuddyGuyMontag
January 21, 2009 6:22 PM
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@FLConsumer: You're telling me I can't turn on a radio and get something for free? I can't get music into my Ipod?


Cable isn't a monopoly because you can go with DirecTV, Dish, FIOS if available, etc.

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coren
January 21, 2009 6:40 PM
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@BuddyGuyMontag: Your iPod is not at all the same as radio - if Apple was the only game in town and bought up the rest, \"turn on the radio\" wouldn't be a counterargument to them being a monopoly.

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thebluepill
January 21, 2009 5:27 PM
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I was an early adopter of XM, Paid $400 to buy the gear to integrate it with my Alpine. In the begining it was great, and affordable after the initial investment.


After several years, it really started to turn to crap, they would add channels and the bandwidth for existing ones would go down to the point where it sounded like garbage on my high end system.


So I canceled about a 2 years back.


It sounds like they are digging their own graves completly..

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tange1
January 21, 2009 5:30 PM
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Does anyone know if this affects XM online listening or just sirius online listening?

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Trey Mahaffey
January 21, 2009 5:31 PM
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Some of you don't think this is a monopolistic corporation...

from wikipedia...

In economics, a monopoly (from Greek monos , alone or single + polein , to sell) exists when a specific individual or enterprise has sufficient control over a particular product or service to determine significantly the terms on which other individuals shall have access to it.[1] Monopolies are thus characterized by a lack of economic competition for the good or service that they provide and a lack of viable substitute goods.[2] The verb \"monopolize\" refers to the process by which a firm gains persistently greater market share than what is expected under perfect competition.

The first subsection is a little shaky only due to the phrase \"a lack of viable substitute goods\" but the second subsection describes XM/Sirius exactly.

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parad0x360
January 21, 2009 8:20 PM
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@Trey Mahaffey: They have a valid argument that they have plenty of competition.

Hell their main competitor is 100% free aside from the cost of a radio. They can say they also compete with ipods or other mp3 players as well as television and any other form of entertainment.

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coren
January 21, 2009 9:18 PM
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@parad0x360: I think that it's too broad a brush to paint anything but radio as a competitor, but even if you take iPods into that, TV? That's like saying walking is competition for the automobile industry.

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rpm773
January 21, 2009 6:29 PM
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@Trey Mahaffey: Good job. Good research. What's your point?

Keebler has a monopoly on the production and sale of Chips Ahoy. Perhaps Congress and the FDA should look into it.

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coren
January 21, 2009 6:47 PM
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@rpm773: But not chocolate chip cookies, which are what Chips Ahoy (at least regular) are. Viable substitute product =/= monopoly - Otherwise Sirius and XM were monopolies before they merged, and every product ever is a monopoly.

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rpm773
January 21, 2009 7:01 PM
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@coren: Ahh, but I say Keebler has a monopoly because there is no comparison to the chocolatey goodness of Chips Ahoy, whereas you tell me they're just like any other chocolate chip cookie (and therefore not a monopoly).


On the other hand, others say that Sirius is not a monopoly because there are other forms of music entertainment to be had, whereas you say Sirius is a monopoly because...well whatever you said above.


So it depends on one's reference point. I think Sirius is a monopoly, but I really don't care. For me, the alternative is to drop it and just listen to my Ipod, regular radio, or nothing at all.

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coren
January 21, 2009 9:11 PM
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@rpm773: There's a difference between preference and features, that's the point I'm arguing from.

I don't use satellite radio either - I just can't see how it's not a monopoly.

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BuddyGuyMontag
January 21, 2009 6:52 PM
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@coren: But you can bake your own chocolate chip cookies... and you can program your own MP3 player. Or listen to internet radio to find breaking bands.


Chips Ahoy vs. your own cookies vs. Wal-Mart Brand vs. Mrs. Fields


is to...


FM radio vs. MP3 player vs. Internet radio vs. SiriusXM

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BuddyGuyMontag
January 21, 2009 7:06 PM
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@coren: Wi-Fi, Wi-Max. It's coming. That's what XM is truly afraid of.

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BuddyGuyMontag
January 21, 2009 6:36 PM
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@rpm773: Earl, I'm starving. We got any Chips Ahoy back there?

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Erwos
January 21, 2009 5:54 PM
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@Trey Mahaffey: The thing you're missing is that there are substitute goods - they don't need to be the same exact thing to be substitutes. Your iPod loaded up with music is a substitute. Your FM radio is a substitute.

I have a degree in economics. We covered the topic. You are wrong, at least from an academic perspective.

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Trai_Dep
January 21, 2009 9:16 PM
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@Erwos: There are people here with Masters in Business Administration who'd take issue with your overly broad definition of \"substitute\". So from an advanced academic perspective, you're wrong. :)
The key thing is, from the consumer's perspective, are the products equivalent? If so, Sirius made a fundamental error, since who'd pay subs for a product available elsewhere for \"free\", or for an \"identical\" solution they're already locked into? Obviously, Sirius and XM felt their products were fundamentally different, otherwise they wouldn't have entered the market to \"obviously\" saturated with \"similar\" products where their only difference was that they cost $300 + $200/yr (forever) more.
Not a very compelling value proposition, that. Right?
The fact that they did indicates they felt theirs was a compellingly different product, until it became inconvenient to do so.

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coren
January 21, 2009 6:25 PM
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@Erwos: An Mp3 player is entirely different from radio. FM Radio is arguable.

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BuddyGuyMontag
January 21, 2009 6:26 PM
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@coren: No it's not. It's portable personal music content. The only difference is that you're programming it vs. someone else.

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coren
January 21, 2009 6:46 PM
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@BuddyGuyMontag: Yes it is. I have to use my computer for any Mp3 player I want. That's not a difference? Anyway, the product here is just that, non-self programmed music content. Not to mention, how does one become aware of new content on a self-programmed device? One doesn't.

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BuddyGuyMontag
January 21, 2009 5:50 PM
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@Trey Mahaffey: Define perfect competition.


XM has competition from regular radio, internet radio, Ipods, etc.


It's not like XM has exclusive music you can't hear anywhere else. The difference is the uncensored content, which the FCC doesn't allow.

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Trai_Dep
January 21, 2009 9:03 PM
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@BuddyGuyMontag: Sigh. So Microsoft lacks an OS monopoly since there are other OSs out there, and Ticketmaster since scalpers exist.

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tange1
January 21, 2009 5:34 PM
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@MrsLopsided:Is this only for Sirius or for XM also. I haven't found that out yet.

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oneliketadow
January 21, 2009 5:38 PM
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Up next, a $3.99 bankruptcy legal team fee. Why would anyone pay for radio when most cars have an \"iPod input\" in their car?

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akronharry
January 21, 2009 5:40 PM
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I know I will receive some slack about this but why would you pay for radio? With all of the technology out there in regard to downloading and listening to music, why bother? Just keep feeding the machine folks.

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3 replies
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parad0x360
January 21, 2009 8:23 PM
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@akronharry: Well first off I pay because of Howard Stern but for the non Stern fan...

The music selection is beyond 100x better then normal radio. There is multiple channels of music for everyone. The music is not edited for content and there are no commercials.

Also lets say you are taking a road trip. Normal radio stations have very limited broadcast range while Sirius will stay on from coast to coast which is nice.

They also have tons of talk radio which is broken down into every category you could think of from comedy to religion.

Its worth the price of admission, even more so if you drive alot. You can also buy radios that work in a car and in your house which is also nice. Oh and if you like sports you cant beat their offerings for sports radio.

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MadameX
January 21, 2009 5:53 PM
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@akronharry: I listen to Sirius NFL Radio a lot during football season, plus the ability to listen to any of the games that we want on the way to our home games.

The music channels are great but I think a lot of subscribers are sports fans.

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Saboth
January 21, 2009 5:51 PM
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@akronharry:

Well I do it to be exposed to new music I wouldn't hear normally. If you simply bought music you knew about, you'd never find anything new.

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craptastico
January 21, 2009 5:40 PM
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the reason XM/Sirius will go out of business is the same reason DMX(Digital Music Express, anyone remember this gem?) went out of business. there's very little demand for pay radio considering the options of free radio available. If someone's really into music they're probably throwing in their MP3/CD

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chipslave
January 21, 2009 5:42 PM
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I called in yesterday and got my 1/2 price rate ($77) for another year. After that is up I will probably just ditch it, or sign up under my parents account ;)

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Pselig
January 21, 2009 5:42 PM
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I canceled my Sirius subscription this past December because I had a feeling that Sirius/XM would try to raise rates after all of the radios given as gifts were \"locked-in\" to a contract.

However, I must say that trying to cancel my service made me certain that I made the right choice. They have the absolute worst IVR system that I have ever had the opportunity to use. Even the CSR's laugh about how bad it is. Once I was able to find the \"cancel service\" option, I was finally transferred to the cancellation department.

You would think that their cancellation department would be like those at other (successful?) companies. Not at all! On my first four tries, I was dropped from the hold queue after 30-45 minutes of waiting. On my fifth try, I actually reached a live person, who was very pleasant and was able to cancel my service. I just told her to \"hold the spiel\" about what they will do for me if I stay and just cancel my service.

Total time on the phone spent trying to cancel my service: over four hours!

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ChiSwede
January 21, 2009 5:42 PM
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Goodbye sirius internet radio! Hmm, where am I ever going to find something to listen to on the internet. Sigh.....

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BuddyGuyMontag
January 21, 2009 5:46 PM
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Can I ask a really, REALLY dumb question for everyone complaining?


SiriusXM is a failing company. They are deeply in the red. The delay on the merger hurt the company, and both companies were hurting BEFORE the merger.


What did you expect them to do? Seriously? Just fail? They've already cut talent, consolidated buildings, and are doing as much as they can to stay afloat in order to keep 10% of america (30 million people) entertained.

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parad0x360
January 21, 2009 8:26 PM
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@BuddyGuyMontag: They are deeply in the red for 1 single reason.

They are still paying off debt from development of their quite high tech radios and the launching of many satellites. They bring in a metric ****ton of money every month but until they pay their debts which is expected to take another couple of years at the minimum they wont turn a profit.

Its a fairly new tech and its going to take at least another 10 years for it to be truly mainstream. They have pretty much just now ironed out all the bugs.

Also now that they no longer compete (XM and Sirius) they can stop spending insane money on exclusive deals like who gets to broadcast sports or who gets Howard Stern and now they can focus on just quality product.

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Rectilinear Propagation
January 21, 2009 6:10 PM
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@BuddyGuyMontag: Why did the delay in the merger hurt them financially?

What did you expect them to do? Seriously? Just fail?
I'm not a SiriusXM customer myself but it seems like people got pissed off when they cut stations. Maybe they should have kept those stations and just raised prices. Maybe they should have let listeners vote on which stations to keep.

Whatever they do it's got to convince customers that the higher price is worth it.

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BuddyGuyMontag
January 21, 2009 6:17 PM
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@Rectilinear Propagation: They couldn't get under one roof and start consolidating until the merger was approved. So all that operational overhead hurt.


People got pissed when they cut stations because they didn't understand that Sirius and XM had the same station and they consolidated it. Some stations took the XM branded name, some stations took the Sirius branded name. Fred and Ethel became Octane and something else... but because people were undereducated, they lost their minds.

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mac-phisto
January 21, 2009 6:40 PM
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@BuddyGuyMontag: they're not the same stations. i was an xm subscriber & listened to sirius at a retail store that sold their radios - there was a HUGE difference. the programming for sirius was very shallow on many of their rock stations - ESPECIALLY octane (a/k/a coldplay 24/7). they also had fewer genres.

i did like one of their country stations though (& i really don't like country). i forget if it was roadhouse or outlaw, but it had all the classic \"walk into a saloon, drink the bar dry & shoot the barkeep\" type tunes. always wondered why new country shelved the guns in favor of tear-flavored beer... *shrugs*

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mac-phisto
January 21, 2009 6:34 PM
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@Saboth: sirius blew a lot of money on infrastructure & equipment before the merger (they were trying to make their radios hip, feature-rich & new every year as opposed to xm which is still peddling 10-yr old radio designs), so they're heavily loaned out. plus, their infrastructure is not just satellites - xm installed terrestrial repeaters to bolster the signal (& to push their handheld satellite radio that never really took off). the cost of installing & maintaining those has been high.

i'm also having a hard time understanding how this wasn't a viable revenue source, but i think both companies were just managed poorly. if you have 1 in 10 americans subscribing, that should be plenty to run a profitable business.

it just seems to me that they made some very poor choices in how to increase their market share.

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BuddyGuyMontag
January 21, 2009 6:38 PM
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@mac-phisto: Agreed. Poor management to start. Mel Karmazin was brought in and he started going to work.


BTW, I thought it was the other way around - XM had the good radio tech (MyFi, etc.) where Sirius had the outdated, bulky designs.

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mac-phisto
January 21, 2009 7:17 PM
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@BuddyGuyMontag: well, myfi certainly was a big step, but sirius brought the ability to record to the table on almost every model, larger displays that allow 5-7 lines of info, browsing capability, feed info for sports, etc. plus they came out with the universal boombox which fit a bunch of different models - i thought that was kind of cool.

up until the merger, most xm radios were still 2-3 lines of diplay, with few of the features that sirius offered & designs weren't continuously refined. my radio - the commander - didn't change for 8 years, the roady had only minor changes from year to year...i forget their other big seller.

all in all, i think sirius put a lot more effort into their independent product line whereas xm focused on integrating their service into factory radios, aftermarket head units & home receivers.

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MagicJewball
January 21, 2009 6:24 PM
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@BuddyGuyMontag:

The stations are NOT the same. There was some overlap but it wasn't total. In some cases, having a station like Fred, which played deep New Wave cuts, replaced by First Wave, which is essentially 80's Alternative hits, is worse than just yanking the station completely.

Give people a little credit. If you listen to a station every day, you know what has changed. If you go to XM forums, people are up in arms and can specifically name the differences between the XM stations and the Sirius stations they \"merged\" with.

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BuddyGuyMontag
January 21, 2009 6:28 PM
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@MagicJewball: Fair enough. I listen to the decades channels and the classic rock channels.


Programming a station isn't perfect right off the bat. You have to tweak it a bit to get the right audience.

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StutiCebriones
January 21, 2009 6:04 PM
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Plenty of businesses fail, BuddyGuyMontag. One example is when a company comes up with a really great idea but faces insanely high startup costs that it can never quite get a hold of. See business fail. Fail, business, fail. Maybe sometimes the right thing to do is to fail quickly and honorably rather than leech their few supporters for nickels and dimes in the pretend hope of forestalling the inevitable.

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Saboth
January 21, 2009 5:52 PM
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@BuddyGuyMontag:

I'm curious as to why they are doing so badly? High interest loans on their satellites? Lol...I mean...1 guy could pretty much program all the stations right? It's not like they are a huge corporation spread out all over like walmart with huge overhead.

Liscensing fees to RIAA, etc, I suppose?
What are their costs?

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BuddyGuyMontag
January 21, 2009 6:20 PM
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@Saboth: No, one guy couldn't program 200 stations. They are doing badly because all the operational startup costs were so expensive. Plus Sirius has a very expensive lease on a building they don't need, but are stuck in the lease.


They have to build their own tech. That could be one part of it.

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rpm773
January 21, 2009 7:32 PM
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@BuddyGuyMontag: I think it's not just the equipment startup costs, but the costs that each (XM and Sirius, seperately) undertook to acquire new subscribers.


The NFL, Oprah Winfrey, Howard Stern, The MLB...All very expensive products. It's like each company was taking turns wacking the other one in the head with a baseball bat. Finally, they were so weakened they had to join forces, but sum is far less than the parts were in their early days.


It would be interesting to see where XM and Sirius acquired more customers: From install deals with new cars or from big-name, expensive content, or from walk-ups - people who just wanted to try it out (like me).


They have a ton of subscribers - people are willing to pay for a good product. I just think both XM and Sirius have mismanaged themselves into oblivion.

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beernut
January 21, 2009 5:48 PM
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Any word on a la carte prices?

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2 replies
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Saboth
January 21, 2009 8:53 PM
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@beernut:

I think the word is \"no\".

Honestly I was hoping for something like a $5 a month plan so I could just pick 2-3 stations to listen to. The best I got was the 9.99 a month \"music only\" plan, which still seems to have things besides music, while in fact...cutting out some music stations.

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beernut
January 22, 2009 12:08 AM
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@Saboth:
Sirius has an a la carte for $6.99. You can choose 50 music channels.

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MakGeek
January 21, 2009 5:51 PM
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I hope those that voted cancel do truly cancel. Make em pay for this. Was a dedicated XM'er with three radios, cancelled all three after merger and now despise the industry.

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corinthos
January 21, 2009 5:57 PM
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XM came with my car like 3-4 years ago. I paid for it and continued to use it and got it for my girlfriends car too when they merged. Most likely just going to cancel them and just blutooth with my ipod music and pod cast.

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snobum
January 21, 2009 5:58 PM
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Is the $2.99 online fee per radio? Cause that means 2 radios would be more expensive than 2 full-priced subsriptions are today.


I think it's time to say goodbuy to XM. They kept saying how good it would be for the consumer to merge and they've managed to do the 2 things subscribers didn't want: changed their channels and jacked up the rates.


Loophole or not, I don't see how this doesn't raise the rate of the base package. I'll be paying more to get the same service. Complete BS.

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kc2idf
January 21, 2009 6:10 PM
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I can only make snarky remarks because I am not a subscriber.

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IphtashuFitz
January 21, 2009 6:11 PM
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There's a missing option in the survey:

I already paid for lifetime service so these changes don't affect me. Roughly one more year of use and it's paid for itself, so Sirius will effectively be free for me from that point on.

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suburbancowboy
January 21, 2009 6:18 PM
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I have Sirius mainly for Stern.
My dad has Sirius too. He is not very tech saavy. he will never be able to figure out how to load music on an ipod. He lives on Long Island and the only music he really likes is old school country music. The NY metro area doesn't have any country stations, let alone one that'll play oldies. Sirius is perfect for him.

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rpm773
January 21, 2009 6:22 PM
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Count me as one who's tired of reading the complaints centered on the fact that Sirius/XM is a monopoly. While it may fit the dictionary definition of monopoly, who cares? And why should that be illegal? It does not provide necessary service, and it plunked down the expense to provide its service. Is there anything stopping anyone else, with available capital, from doing the same?

I'm a soon-to-be former subscriber of Sirius/XM (XM previously). Luckily, we're not talking about gasoline, heating oil, or electricity here - I don't need it to survive and I plan to voice my dislike of their product by cancelling my subscription.

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fatcop
January 21, 2009 6:48 PM
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@rpm773: It should be illegal because: THEY WERE GRANTED THEIR LICENSES BASED ON THE STIPULATION THAT THEY ---->NEVER<---- MERGE.

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buckfutt
January 21, 2009 6:22 PM
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You can get $77/year for XM--no idea about Sirius--by calling and threatening to cancel. The Retention rep will give you the deal. It's basically half off the old annual rate. You don't have to sign on for three years (and given their financial status, I sure as hell wouldn't).

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heyfergy
January 21, 2009 6:36 PM
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I canceled my service this morning! No way am I going to pay MORE for a service that already got rid of all of my favorite stations. Bah.

XM radio really did help make my life as a pizza delivery guy much more tolerable though.

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fatcop
January 21, 2009 6:36 PM
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Good lying to Congress, Mr. Karmazin. They bought it!

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piratebull
January 21, 2009 6:50 PM
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I just called to cancel my truck radio bc i don't use it anymore b/c im driving a different car (radio was directly connected to my pioneer readio). Guy gave me a free stratus to put in my honda and I locked in one of my radios for life time..

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ZukeZuke
January 21, 2009 6:56 PM
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With their subscriptions on the decline, this isn't business suicide. Naw, couldn't be...

Lemme know how that works out for ya, SiriusXM...

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David Overstreet
January 21, 2009 7:04 PM
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I just called XM to ask if there was a way to block internet radio so I wouldn't be charged the 2.99. They didn't know anything about it. So I guess not ALL of the customer service reps are confirming this information.

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Karl Kvalvik
January 21, 2009 7:15 PM
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I REFUSE to let a monopoly push me around. I Canceled yesterday and even recorded it to post later on the web for fun.


There are reasons to own satellite radio yes, but there are pod casts and terabytes of mp3s to download and listen to, so why settle for being pushed around to listen to your favorite show?

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thrid001
January 22, 2009 12:28 AM
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@Karl Kvalvik: How can it be a monopoly if you have all these other options? Oh thats right, it ISNT a monopoly.

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Karl Kvalvik
January 22, 2009 6:43 AM
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@thrid001: Sirius+XM are now 1 company, and they are the only real viable option for Satellite listening in your car. They can now raise rates (as we are seeing) without worrying about leaving them to go to the next leading competitor. To me... that is a monopoly. You can call it what ever you want.

The threat of customers canceling is not as great as switching to their competitor. They know that there is no where else to go, therefor they are going to give customers the finger with support, pricing, and introduce more commercials. You just wait, it is coming.

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theblackdog
January 21, 2009 7:22 PM
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I'm just waiting until the dual service radios appear in stores, then I'm upgrading my account anyway so it won't matter.

Besides, if the service price with the dual receiver really is only $20 a month, it is so worth it.

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Anonymous
January 21, 2009 7:24 PM
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just called them and confirmed they are indeed raising their prices. I asked if they were lying when they agreed to not raise their prices for 3 years per the merger agreemnt, and the csr actually said \"yes we did sir\". we'll ive been a customer for years and i'm ready to cancel before the march 11 price raise, they csr really didn't care and said \"go ahead\"

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wiretapstudios
January 21, 2009 7:53 PM
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This story needs to be updated. The FCC ruled Sirius / XM cannot raise the normal rates for the 3 years following the merger. This only affects you if you have a second subscription, etc. If you have just one radio, not a big deal. On top of that, I wouldn't like it, but a dollar or two rate hike would be fine with me as long as it keeps the company afloat. There does need to be some changes in the management, but 3 people in my office and two of our sig. others got Sirius in the last few months, and everyone is loving it. It's a welcome break to the terrible cesspool that FM radio has become.

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mdoublej
January 21, 2009 7:56 PM
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As one of those \"annoying FM DJ's\" I'd like to say...

1. We're still free!

2. Next time you would like some free promotion for your fundraiser or community event, call Sirius/XM and ask if they'll announce it for you.

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JRock
January 21, 2009 8:14 PM
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I don't really get all the hate here - everybody's raising prices on everything these days, it seems. To be honest, I'm surprised that the prices stayed the same for so long. I've been a Sirius subscriber for almost six years and it's always been less than $13/mo. This pricing change actually works in my favor - I checked with Sirius, and if I lock in the current pricing with a year or two subscription, I won't be charged for Internet radio during that time (which I listen to at work every day), but it'll be the 128k stream (he said they're dropping the 32k stream altogether).

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vastrightwing
January 21, 2009 8:15 PM
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Sirius/XM is & isn't a monopoly at the same time. It's monopoly where they offer content not available anywhere else. They have exclusive rights to stream/deliver proprietary content.


It's not a monopoly where they deliver most music content.


I dropped Dish network that delivered Sirius to my home when prices went up. I substituted Sirius content with Pandora. This works for me. I also have enough music I don't need Sirius/XM to deliver entertainment while I drive.


So, if you listen to Howard Stern or Opie and Anthony or several other proprietary channels, then Sirius/XM is a monopoly from your point of view and you have to decide if having that content is worth the price. For me, NO!

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parad0x360
January 21, 2009 8:17 PM
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If they want to charge for internet radio for normal users fine BUT they shouldnt be able to if you are using a Stilleto because thats one of the main features of the damn thing and it says right on the box that its included at no additional charge.

Also what rational do they have raising the rates of normal customers by $2? Is this extra $2 what its going to take for them to turn a profit? How can they raise it when they said to the SEC and everyone else including the subscribers that they would not raise rates?

Something is off here either in the way its being reported or somewhere else cause it just doesnt make sense.

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Snarkysnake
January 21, 2009 8:17 PM
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I just wonder...

I wonder if this new economic reality (unemployment up/credit possibilities down) will make consumers take a second (or third) look at luxuries like satellite radio and decide that it is an expense that they can eliminate and still find happiness and fulfillment in their lives...

I wonder if anybody really wants to pay even more money per month to pay Howard Stern the kind of money that a Major League MVP makes...

I wonder if satellite radio really delivers anything that modern technology doesn't provide right here on earth (MP3/Terrestrial \"Free\" Radio) without an ongoing $$$ commitment and a contract.

Cancel it. One less bill to pay.

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axiomatic
January 21, 2009 8:18 PM
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Sick of the lies Mel.

Killing stations (like the Punk channel) that represented a GENRE of music to be replaced with another channel that offers only a fraction of a genre of music is lame as well.

You email replies to me said no one was listening to the Punk channel anyway so my comments don't matter is crap too.

The censoring of music is is a big turn off as well. I'm paying for uncensored and commercial free music. If you can not see beyond that then why bother doing anything other than regular terrestrial radio?

Your continued receipt of my monthly payment is in jeopardy... what are you going to do?

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parad0x360
January 21, 2009 8:18 PM
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Here is another question. Why raise the rate for additional subs by $2? If thats the case you could just pull one radio off your account and give that second radio its own account thereby saving you the stupid $2.

wtf!?

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JRock
January 21, 2009 9:08 PM
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@parad0x360: IIRC additional radios are $6.99/mo (soon to be $8.99/mo), so it'd still be cheaper than having two separate subscriptions.

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quail
January 21, 2009 8:27 PM
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A quick note to those who say Sirius / XM is not a monopoly. I returned to the DFW area after an extended absence. While there I discovered that the only channels my terrestial radio would pick up were NPR, a couple of oldy radio channels, and 8 Latin stations. All of the other stations I was told had jumped to only HD radio broadcast.

As to my comment earlier, it doesn't matter what a CEO says. Before the merger the sales reps were reported as telling customers that they should buy long plans just in case of a price increase.

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thrid001
January 22, 2009 12:30 AM
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@quail: How does tha tmake Sirius a monopoly? Because the old-school radio stations failed or decided to go to HD makes that Sirius XM fault? You dont have to pay extra for HD radio

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menty666
January 21, 2009 8:50 PM
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I currently have two subscriptions that were pre-paid on a yearly basis. When one's up I'll let it go and keep the other one. I have a built in receiver in my car and I have a portable sportster receiver. I'll just let the built in sub drop off.

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fuzzymuffins
January 21, 2009 9:16 PM
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i won't participate due to the horrifically limited playlists....

while visiting my mom ....she has sirius/xm in her car)..... i heard 3 songs at least 3 different times over 4 days on the '1st wave' channel. it's not like i had it on 24/7 for this to happen... just a typical day in a car!

if i'm going to pay for a service, you'd expect a far expansive playlist from them.

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JustinD2515
January 21, 2009 9:31 PM
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I've never used streaming xm and only have one subscription so it really doesn't bother me too much. If only Sirius XM would use their heads and dump crap like Oprah that costs them way too much money for what they are getting.

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Anonymous
January 21, 2009 9:41 PM
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I voted to cancel and that's what I plan on doing when our 3 months is up. Anyone who buys a lifetime subscription is a sucker. Sirius won't make it through the year, and you guys will be last in line to collect anything from the subsequent liquidation of the company. Mel has ruined the company, and a price increase will be the straw that finally breaks the camel's back.

I wonder if Sirius wil be deducting the $2.99 online fee from everyone unless you \"opt-out\" or somesuch. Seems like a sneaky way to get an across-the-board price hike if you ask me.

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Justinh6
January 21, 2009 10:09 PM
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Here's what I did.

Got a receiver added to my buddies plan, he charged me 6 bucks per month.

I did that for a year, I would pay a year in advance.

I didn't renew. It wasn't even worth the six bucks a month to me.

The only time it was worthwhile was a long trip in the car. Other than that, I found most of the music stations to be on a 8 hour loop, playing the same songs at the same time every day. It was funny..

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ras_d
January 21, 2009 11:04 PM
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I jumped on the sirius thang about a yr before Howard came aboard. I got a 'lifetime' subscription. after 2 years, one with Howard, I was bored to death with it. The music rotations are short and weak, and I lost interest in Howard. Really, I have my own life - I could give a fuck about that panel of losers. In short...I havent used it in a long time, and dont miss it. they are going to price themselves right out of peoples lives

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echyone
January 22, 2009 1:00 AM
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I bought the lifetime subscription when Stern moved over and have not regretted it one bit. Now that rates are going up I m happier than ever!!

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Hybriddeathdealer
January 22, 2009 1:25 AM
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This IS a monopoly. The competing companies could have done many things besides merge and everyone knows it. Let's investigate the fearless FCC leader while we're at it. I really cannot stand people who stand by and make excuses for business abuse and corruption. So many have come to expect a good screwing, so naturally, they get it.

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cheesebubble
January 22, 2009 1:39 AM
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I've given satellite radio a shot. My complaints are bigger than my satisfaction. The channels might be commercial free but if you listen long enough they sure get repetitive. And I'd appreciate some album cuts that run deeper than the obvious hits. I guess the decision to dedicate a channel to a specific artist is alright - but how many people can tolerate the likes of Jimmy Buffet around the clock?

If they want to pump more monetary support out of listeners, then they need to assess and respond to audience feedback more appropriately.

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yikz
January 22, 2009 2:44 AM
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There's nothing worse than executives who come up with a brilliant idea, \"Let's have a merger!\" Then, lie to everyone and say that it will lower prices and give the consumers a better product. After the merger, raise rates, jack the consumers around, and then take massive bonuses. I predict the current set of executives will rape and pillage the company over the next couple years, pocket truckloads of cash, then leave as the company dies a painful death, leaving consumers with nothing.

I'm a firm believer in putting executive bonuses and stock option revenue in a 5 year escrow account. Let them borrow against it, but they can't touch their bonus until 5 years has passed. If they don't like it, don't do the job. Wall Street doesn't respect long term investment. The stock market is so volatile because there is no trust, there's no respect for long term investments. It's short term, or nothing. So the executives are prodded into performing exactly to that level, and nothing more.

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tworld
January 22, 2009 3:20 AM
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WHY WOULD ANYBODY PAY FOR SIRIUS RADIO WHEN YOU CAN LISTEN TO LAST.FM FOR FREE?

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LittleEnosBurdette
January 22, 2009 4:54 AM
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Damn. I sure hope my ex-wife doesn't cancel her subscription or change her logon name. I won't be able to listen to O&A every morning (Ef Stern!) for free anymore.

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Anonymous
January 22, 2009 5:37 AM
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As an employee of XM, I just want to point out something for everyone that's frustrated about the long wait lines to speak with the cancellation department. There A LOT of people doing the $77/year request without any intention to actually cancel the service - many telling us outright that it's thanks to Fatwallet, Consumerist, whomever. We do spend a lot of time processing just those requests. I'm sorry if you have a legitimate complaint and are having trouble getting through to us, but that department is rarely out of queue. There's no real good time to call.

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ageshin
January 22, 2009 7:15 AM
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Over the air radio is good enough for me. I can't see using the serve of a monopoly whose sole purpose is to relive me of my cash is not a good thing.

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hardtoremember
January 22, 2009 3:30 PM
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I haven't liked the service as much since they changed it. Two of the main channels I listened to are barely recognizable.
The rate hike is exactly what I needed to get me off of the commercial-less crack.

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nevets68
January 22, 2009 6:13 PM
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I had XM for about 2 1/2 yrs or so.
I canceled last August and was told by a CSR since I was such a \"good\" customer I was receiving 3 months free.

Sounds good right?

Well then I started getting bills from XM and then from their friends @ CCA (collections company of America) saying I owe for the 3 FREE months.

Google about CCA and XM.

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Steven Andrews
January 30, 2009 6:18 PM
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Bailed on them today; 3 radios, been a customer since 2001. They didn't even try and keep me. Pfft! Yeah, I know, would only have been $4/mo more for the extra 2 radios but they told the FCC they weren't raising rates; keeping that little loophole about extra radios not being part of base-rates is a lie not matter how you slice it.


Nice job, real nice job there XM.

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shibainu33
February 4, 2009 2:01 PM
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Here is the web page they put up to describe it:

[www.sirius.com]

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Anonymous
June 26, 2009 5:18 AM
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For those of you cheap penny pinching liberals all I have to say is that because of you the price is going up on the services. Those of us who love the services that Sirius offers a two dollar hike is nothing, I have wrote to sirius and expressed my disgruntlement of merging with xm. XM brought very little to the table as far as programming and just put sirius into debt. XM people that didn't like merging with sirius just remember one thing, sirius would not need to increase in price if it wasn't for the big debts that xm had. I do not work for sirius nor have any intention to work for them. I have been a loyal listener since their inception and that's enough for me.

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