would all sinatra on a sub work

[TheBigA]

SXM will lose their dashboard advantage and have to compete on programming alone except in areas of poor or no cell reception where they'll be one of the fall-back options.

There is no "compete on programming alone" to my own personal playlist. We learned that 30 years ago.

People want what people want. No outside music curator can program to everyone's personal taste.

 

[JBraddock]

There is no "compete on programming alone" to my own personal playlist. We learned that 30 years ago.

People want what people want. No outside music curator can program to everyone's personal taste.

But if you're not competing on programming, how are you competing? SXM is offering programming that they think most of their subscribers want. I just think that with 200 channels available, they could offer more variety on some (as they do with Deep Tracks and Underground Garage).

However, when it comes to the bottom line, it may not be worth it to do anything more varied than they are now, especially if those bandwidth wasting single-artist channels are delivering guaranteed monthly revenue.

 

[TheBigA]

But if you're not competing on programming, how are you competing?

Here's what you said, and what I responded to:

I have easy access to hundreds of streams that are programmed more to my liking than SXM.

Does that truthfully represent how you feel? Everyone has access to the exact same hundreds of streams that you do. Yet 32 million people pay at least $15 month to receive SXM. If you prefer the streams, then your decision has been made. Save your money. SXM is not going to change their channels to suit one person, especially if you're not a subscriber.

As I said, if you're basing what you want from radio on personally programmed streams, you will always be disappointed or unhappy with someone else's curated playlist. Your homemade spaghetti sauce will always taste better than Ragu. That's how things work. The difference is that Ragu saves you the work. Same with SXM or FM. It's not better, it's easier. That's part of the decision-making process.

Specifically to your question, there are lots of ways to compete: Compete on price, compete on convenience, compete on compatibility, compete on service, or any number of things.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

Here we go again with the “same old” and “lowest common denominator” faux superiority stuff.

I subscribe to satellite to hear my favorites, not things that aren’t played because few people want to hear them. Sure, among the hits are still going to be tune-out entires, and some of my favorites won’t make the cut. So be it. I can fill in the gaps with my collection. But there is no way I’d pay for a lot of things I don’t like on a regular basis.

 

[wibgradio99]

Apparently not. If SXM management is right, the average subscriber is happy listening to the same old stuff, but without the commercials. (See my previous comment regarding how SXM management isn't always right).

I don't stream in the car, but at home I have easy access to hundreds of streams that are programmed more to my liking than SXM. As such, my SXM listening is limited to the car where SXM has convenience and reception superiority over streaming.

Eventually when in-car streaming becomes a single-button operation, SXM will lose their dashboard advantage and have to compete on programming alone except in areas of poor or no cell reception where they'll be one of the fall-back options.

From what I experienced, internet streaming has superior sound and stereo separation compared to satellite which is flat. I bought a 2021 ford explorer 4 months ago, I did not want HD, I specified, due to the junk on the subs, all my previous cars I ordered had it but I learned my lesson. Anyway, the new car came with 3 months free Sirius/XM, they used to give you 6, but the channels after 200 would drop constantly, in some cases they never would come back, you would receive a no signal available message. I believe they gave you 700 or something like that but after 200 they were useless.

 

[Miguelito]

I think it's fair to say that just about no one will ever be 100% satisfied with a library that someone else put together. If that's what one wants to listen to (that is, for instance, what I want to listen to), that's when it's time to put together your own library. I have tons of what would be called "oh wow" songs that pop up on a regular basis. They would never work on radio station in 2021--terrestrial, satellite, or internet.

A programmer's struggle is to include as many songs as possible that in-demo listeners want to hear while trying to avoid any songs that offend even one person in that group. Imagine how hard that must be! What programmers must do will never truly line up with exactly what any one person wants to hear. That's just the reality of it.