XM and Sirius merge, and the result is . . .
November 16, 2008
Confusion.
Last week, I checked out the “Best of Sirius” and passed (don’t need Howard Stern, thanks), and figured that was all the combining for now. Boy, was I wrong. Like everyone else I woke up last Thursday to the “new lineup” foisted on us with no notice. Some channels gone, others “replaced.”
There’s lots of teeth gnashing by XM subscribers at places like here and here .
Anyone paying attention (and yes, I guess that should have included me) should have noticed that duplicate channels — or at least those perceived to be — were going to be gone . But the real loss is that less commercially oriented music offerings on XM were pared down in favor of more mainstream fare on Sirius. (To be fair, we did get new channels from Sirius, such as the marvelous “E Street Radio.”)
I’ve had XM from its start, and loved “X Country” (now former XM 12). It played deep into alternative country, zydeco, and so on. Steve Earle, sure, but also Townes Van Zandt. Cross Canadian Ragweed (not a fan) but also the V-Roys. It’s where I first heard the Drive-By Truckers and Jon Dee Graham. I’d chatted with their program director months before they even got underway. In this restructuring, the channel’s gone and “replaced” by Sirius’ “Outlaw Country.” From its artist lineup, it looks like there will be a lot more yee-haw, a lot less No Depression. Man, am I bummed.
Well, at least it was good to hear I’m not the only one. I feel the pain of those who mourn the loss of Fred and Lucy (XM’s ’80s and 90s alternative offerings), which were way better than the pap that replaces them. And XMU? “Sirius XM U,” which “replaced” it, is no adventurous college radio station.
I’m not likely to cancel (the news offerings alone justify a subscription), but with tons of alternatives to satellite radio out there, it’s extremely disappointing to see Sirius-XM veer toward the commercial mainstream. Last.fm will now get more and more of my music time.
Comments
One Response to “XM and Sirius merge, and the result is . . .”
Your input is more than welcome . . .
I’m coming at the merger from the other side - a Sirius listener still pondering the XM side. I listen mostly to the classical or jazz channels on Sirius, and I’ve been happy with those. Where I was hoping for improvement was in the news lineup. I’ve often enjoyed NPR Now, but CNN and Bloomberg aren’t my favorites.
I will have to take a little time to see what’s come over from the XM side to Sirius. It’d be nice if there were some nice additions.
And yes - E Street Radio is great. But I too listen to Pandora on my computer, not the Sirius radio streams.