SIRIUSXM: Still Lazy After All These Years (1 Viewer)

[David Willow]

Welcome to our forum!

That's an odd response given the fact it's obvious you haven't sampled DASH RADIO.

It's not an ad. I have no affiliation with any music service. It's a personal recommendation. Additionally, since my write up is several years old there are even more alternatives to the repetitious music of SiriusXM.

Years later and I still like DASH. You can't beat free

What else have you found that's decent?

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Years later and I still like DASH. You can't beat free

What else have you found that's decent?

I think head-to-head with SiriusXM, DASH RADIO is the best alternative. In fact, in many ways, it exceeds SiriusXM in that it plays deeper tracks (at least on the Decades channels), extended versions of songs, has no DJ babble, less promoting from within (and most of all) has better sound quality as it uses Internet bandwidth.

The downside of DASH RADIO is that you have to rely on your data plan. If your phone offers unlimited data you are GOLD. However, there are still many out there with limited data plans, and using it for music burns through that data fast.
Another downside is the Apple CarPlay app. It's pretty bad. The songs change, but the cover art freezes to the first song it played when you connected. I sent multiple emails to customer support asking if they were going to fix the app issues and they never responded. That generally means, no, they aren't interested in fixing anything.

But you asked about alternatives...

APPLE MUSIC has quite a few channels of music tailored to various tastes. The problem with the channels is that they are more like playlists and they aren't updated frequently. So, like SiriusXM, you are hearing the same music over and over again. The quality, however, on a good car stereo system, is excellent as it's lossless with a wired connection.

The same could be said about most music services like SPOTIFY, AMAZON HD, etc. My favorite service was QOBUZ, which offers premium lossless quality. They had member-contributed playlists where anyone who was a subscriber could put together their own favorite mix and share it with the entire community. I always found something interesting to listen to on that service and the sonic quality of the music being fed to my car stereo was just spectacular.

iHEART RADIO may not be everyone's cup of tea given the fact it consists of live radio stations. However, I have found a few stations I enjoy listening to. One of them is a channel devoted to Casey Kasem's American Top 40 which consistently plays countdowns from the 70s and 80s. I hear a lot of songs from that era I haven't heard in a long time.

 

[TonyD]

I have about 2 months left on my cars 3 free and 3 for $2 a month and I’ve already started getting the $5 a month for platinum.

My wife’s sub ended so we put that deal in her name.
Unfortunately it’s only for the app. If she wants car too it goes up to about $15 a month.

The $5 deal after fees is $6.14 a month.

 

[Dennis_H]

I have about 2 months left on my cars 3 free and 3 for $2 a month and I’ve already started getting the $5 a month for platinum.

My wife’s sub ended so we put that deal in her name.
Unfortunately it’s only for the app. If she wants car too it goes up to about $15 a month.

The $5 deal after fees is $6.14 a month.

I've always been able to get $5/mo deal for the car going to cancellation dept. That comes with the app that we use occasionally playing through alexa speakers at home. If it is worth $5, I'd go that route. Certainly isn't worth $15/mo for me.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

SiriusXM to lay off nearly 500 workers amid slowdown in business

SiriusXM will lay off nearly 500 workers, or about 8 percent of its workforce, its chief executive confirmed in a memo.

thedesk.net

This is not surprising.

I am not sure if you are aware (I didn't backtrack in this thread to see if I mentioned it), but subscription costs and the attached additional royalty fees went up again at the start of this month.

I have already gone into rant after rant as to why subscribers don't want to pay over $200 a year (unless you know the tricks) for a car subscription and streaming combo when the same music is being played over and over again.

As someone who cares about music -- and listens to it daily in my vehicle and home -- it would be interesting to see what would happen if SiriusXM put an effort into doing things differently after decades of running like a paid FM radio service. There should be programmers curating these channels, keeping the music fresh, and rotating songs in and out so there isn't this level of repetition that dates back to the same playlists that were playing two decades ago.

One can only hope that these declining subscriptions show the need for change to happen.

 

[Malcolm R]

I'm shocked that 500 employees only represents 8% of their workforce. Why do they need so many people and what do all these people do?

 

[Bryan^H]

I wonder if Sirius will work hard to get certain podcaster(s) that have a massive audience?

I haven't listened to Howard Stern since 2017.

 

[Capt D McMars]

SiriusXM to lay off nearly 500 workers amid slowdown in business

SiriusXM will lay off nearly 500 workers, or about 8 percent of its workforce, its chief executive confirmed in a memo.

thedesk.net

This is not surprising.

I am not sure if you are aware (I didn't backtrack in this thread to see if I mentioned it), but subscription costs and the attached additional royalty fees went up again at the start of this month.

I have already gone into rant after rant as to why subscribers don't want to pay over $200 a year (unless you know the tricks) for a car subscription and streaming combo when the same music is being played over and over again.

As someone who cares about music -- and listens to it daily in my vehicle and home -- it would be interesting to see what would happen if SiriusXM put an effort into doing things differently after decades of running like a paid FM radio service. There should be programmers curating these channels, keeping the music fresh, and rotating songs in and out so there isn't this level of repetition that dates back to the same playlists that were playing two decades ago.

One can only hope that these declining subscriptions show the need for change to happen.

I just keep on waiting until the price jumps and cancel and wait for the $5 a month rap and resign. Pandora is my main station, XM in the car. You're right the limited playlist is a big stumbling block for many!! Push come to shove, I have a thumb drive and load 30-50 albums on it and I'm good to go!!

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I wonder if Sirius will work hard to get certain podcaster(s) that have a massive audience?

I haven't listened to Howard Stern since 2017.

That seems to be their bread and butter.

I am not into podcast celebrities nor know what's out there, but they recently acquired Conan O'Brien's podcast for their service. So, I think this is something they are actively pursuing.

I also think Howard Stern remains the core attraction for their service which is why they pay him an incredibly insane multi-million dollar salary for taking a lot of vacation time (he's now off all Summer).

I don't think music is the primary draw for SiriusXM anymore. Can't say that for certain, but with what seems to be no curation being done across many of its music channels, I can't see repetitious music being a draw for subscribers paying upwards of $200 a year.

The only reason I am still a subscriber is for the following reasons...

1. Howard Stern, who I really don't listen much to anymore

2. The streaming channels that are exclusive to the app. There is a much wider variety of music with no DJ blabbering and a better bitrate (for better sound quality) when streaming in the car. The app offers an immense amount of additional channels that you can't get on your dashboard. Yes, these channels are also repetitious, but at least they cover a wider variety of music (60s-80s, 90s and 2000s, 80s instrumentals, etc.)

3. I have locked in the lowest price I will pay per year and SiriusXM always comes down to it when I threaten to cancel. No matter how many price increases, they have met the rate I have asked for. And, it's unfortunate this is a game that has to be played and unless you know how to do it, the subscription playfield is not level for everyone. A lot of people are paying way too much for the service and it's sad.

 

[David_B_K]

Because I listen to classical music 99.9% of the time, I am not bothered by Sirius/XM's "laziness". I listen to Symphony Hall when driving and I listen via the app when at work or a waiting room, etc. I used to carpool with someone who played the Tom Petty and Pearl Jam stations and a couple of others and it was definitely the SOS over and over. I do not find that they do this as much on the classical stations. I also like some of the extra classical stations on the app (Holiday Pops, Strings, etc).

I occasionally flip over to the Sinatra channel, but not often. I have all of Sinatra's Capitol albums in chronological order on a thumb drive that is always loaded, so I can switch to that when I need a change.

My subscription expires mid-April. If they do not do the $5 a month deal again I'll drop it. With the new cost-cutting measures I wonder if they will drop classical altogether.

 

[RBailey]

If only more of the offerings were like Little Steven's Underground Garage (Ch. 21). A wide variety of rock and soul music from the fifties to today.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I just keep on waiting until the price jumps and cancel and wait for the $5 a month rap and resign. Pandora is my main station, XM in the car. You're right the limited playlist is a big stumbling block for many!! Push come to shove, I have a thumb drive and load 30-50 albums on it and I'm good to go!!

Todd, perhaps you can help me out with this...

What is the Pandora Station on SiriusXM? Every time I turn it on it sounds like current rap music and I quickly change it.

However, I know there is a standalone Pandora service that you can subscribe to (or use on a FREE tier) and customize your music. I also know SiriusXM owns Pandora.

If you are a SiriusXM subscriber, are you also now a paid Pandora Subscriber? If so, does tailoring your music tastes on the Pandora app in any way translate over to the Pandora channel? I am guessing no, as it's a live radio feed, but I was wondering what the purpose of that channel is.

Because I listen to classical music 99.9% of the time, I am not bothered by Sirius/XM's "laziness". I listen to Symphony Hall when driving and I listen via the app when at work or a waiting room, etc. I used to carpool with someone who played the Tom Petty and Pearl Jam stations and a couple of others and it was definitely the SOS over and over. I do not find that they do this as much on the classical stations. I also like some of the extra classical stations on the app (Holiday Pops, Strings, etc).

I occasionally flip over to the Sinatra channel, but not often. I have all of Sinatra's Capitol albums in chronological order on a thumb drive that is always loaded, so I can switch to that when I need a change.

My subscription expires mid-April. If they do not do the $5 a month deal again I'll drop it. With the new cost-cutting measures I wonder if they will drop classical altogether.

I don't think they will drop classical music. It's essential to have a diverse amount of music available to its subscribers. I do know that the Movie Soundtrack channel has been moved over to the app so you can only listen to it there while streaming to your car.

If only more of the offerings were like Little Steven's Underground Garage (Ch. 21). A wide variety of rock and soul music from the fifties to today.

I keep hearing about that channel. It's not music I would listen to all the time, but everyone has said that it's the one channel that gets a lot of attention when it comes to curation. There seems to be someone actually keeping that music updated and fresh. That's a rarity on SiriusXM.

 

[Bryan^H]

Because I listen to classical music 99.9% of the time, I am not bothered by Sirius/XM's "laziness". I listen to Symphony Hall when driving and I listen via the app when at work or a waiting room, etc. I used to carpool with someone who played the Tom Petty and Pearl Jam stations and a couple of others and it was definitely the SOS over and over. I do not find that they do this as much on the classical stations. I also like some of the extra classical stations on the app (Holiday Pops, Strings, etc).

I occasionally flip over to the Sinatra channel, but not often. I have all of Sinatra's Capitol albums in chronological order on a thumb drive that is always loaded, so I can switch to that when I need a change.

My subscription expires mid-April. If they do not do the $5 a month deal again I'll drop it. With the new cost-cutting measures I wonder if they will drop classical altogether.

If you get away from the main channels, and into the niche channels Sirius is an amazing value.
I listen to the easy listening channels like Spa, Escape, and Symphony Hall. None of those channels have a repeat track problem. For those channels alone, Sirius is more than worth it to me. I've pretty much given up on most of the popular channels.

 

[Capt D McMars]

Todd, perhaps you can help me out with this...

What is the Pandora Station on SiriusXM? Every time I turn it on it sounds like current rap music and I quickly change it.

However, I know there is a standalone Pandora service that you can subscribe to (or use on a FREE tier) and customize your music. I also know SiriusXM owns Pandora.

If you are a SiriusXM subscriber, are you also now a paid Pandora Subscriber? If so, does tailoring your music tastes on the Pandora app in any way translate over to the Pandora channel? I am guessing no, as it's a live radio feed, but I was wondering what the purpose of that channel is.




I don't think they will drop classical music. It's essential to have a diverse amount of music available to its subscribers. I do know that the Movie Soundtrack channel has been moved over to the app so you can only listen to it there while streaming to your car.



I keep hearing about that channel. It's not music I would listen to all the time, but everyone has said that it's the one channel that gets a lot of attention when it comes to curation. There seems to be someone actually keeping that music updated and fresh. That's a rarity on SiriusXM.

Yeah, I was thrilled until I heard it, Meh!! It's like the difference between having the real Live Streaming TCM or the HBO+ version with just the movies and no interaction...Pandora, you can make your own stations set by genre or specific artists that you love and the AI learns when you thumbs up or down the tunes live. I buy the $99 a year and can mix or match whatever I want...nice options!!

SX is ok for the car, because I don't do a load of driving, but I as long as I'm going through a deep canyon I can rely on Pandora...XM only shines when artists guest hosts a program.
And push comes to shove, I always have my thumb drives, I have 4 with about 85 albums each and can listen to what I want when I want.
I was given XM when I bought my Audi Q7, the dealership tossed in 2 years FREE, how could I say no.
The approach to music between Pandora and XM are two different reasonings. XM goes with the AM Radio approach talk shows Sports and one or two "Deep Cut" channels. Pandora, on the other hand, gve the listener more indepandent freedom to make the choices for them selves. I always like the latter of these options, but for $5 a month I'll keep it....that's just about what it's worth to me anyway!!

 

[Mike Frezon]

I just danced the dance.

My promotional deal was set to expire today. I had to do an online chat with a rep as their phone service is closed on the weekends. But once I explained I was cancelling the account because my promotional deal was ending and it was too expensive to renew at the higher rate, "Enzo" offered me the $5.99/month deal on the Music & Entertainment package right out of the box and I took it. Easy peasy.

They had actually already deducted my first payment under the higher rate this morning. So now my first three months are already paid for. (They DID give me the option of a refund.)

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I just danced the dance.

My promotional deal was set to expire today. I had to do an online chat with a rep as their phone service is closed on the weekends. But once I explained I was cancelling the account because my promotional deal was ending and it was too expensive to renew at the higher rate, "Enzo" offered me the $5.99/month deal on the Music & Entertainment package right out of the box and I took it. Easy peasy.

They had actually already deducted my first payment under the higher rate this morning. So now my first three months are already paid for. (They DID give me the option of a refund.)

Excellent!

You have to be careful to put the expiration date on the calendar and call them a few days before it to renew or cancel again.

You did quite well. Despite the fact their prices keep going up, if you go in firmly with a price you are willing to pay, they will meet it most of the time. If they don't, you cancel, and you can bet they will send you the offer you wanted (or better) in the mail.

They do not like losing subscribers.

 

[Jason Goodmanson]

My brother has had SiriusXM for years - over 10 if I'm remembering right. I've been a subscriber for about 6 or 7 I think.

My wife really wants to buy a house this year (I know, I know . . .) so we are trying our damnedest to budget, and the $23ish a month for SiriusXM was really hard to swallow. I've enjoyed my subscription because when I first got it, I was commuting over 5 hours a day and HATED terrestrial radio (the DJs are horrible and I haven't found morning shows interesting in years) but now I have an 8 minute commute each way, and maybe hear two songs at the most each way, plus the 20ish minutes when I'm playing through the app in the morning while I'm showering and getting ready to work.

So I did an on-line and chat and said I wanted to lower my bill - it was the easiest thing I've ever done - they immediately offered me $5.99 a month for 12 months, and since I just paid, my first three months or so are already paid for.

I listen almost exclusively to Turbo and Octane (rocker dude here who also loves Carbon Leaf and Taylor Swift) and while there isn't as much variety as I'd like, there is a ton more than what I was used to from regular radio.

I figure the $6 is a good deal. I also don't have unlimited data so streaming services are not an option for me. But I do have a ton of music in my iTunes library on my PC (I prefer to own music rather than rent.)

 

[jim_falconer]

If only they hired a person on their music channels to ensure the same song is not played within a 14-period, how refreshing would it be enjoying this service. As it is, my yearly subscription is up next month, and I’m definitely canceling. The continuous replay of the same songs day after day is mind numbing.

 

[Capt D McMars]

If only they hired a person on their music channels to ensure the same song is not played within a 14-period, how refreshing would it be enjoying this service. As it is, my yearly subscription is up next month, and I’m definitely canceling. The continuous replay of the same songs day after day is mind numbing.

At least with Pandora, it has several settings like the classic or discover with in each artists channel and being able to up or down vote the selections is a plus. It seems SeriusXM is NOT serious and is set in thier ways. I just cancel and then come back for $5 a month....at that price it's almost worth it!! $2 would be better,LOL!!

 

[Jeffrey D]

Due to the upcoming album 72 Seasons, released next Friday, SiriusXM has the Mandatory Metallica channel on (channel 105). Crank it up!