Say that again! How Much?

[SKIPPER]

O.k.
so I bought this car last year in September... I got a 3 month free trial of XM. I had the XM Everything Pack and it was good. I liked what I was heard. But, Christmas rolled around and my wife gave me an I touch. Holds tons of music. The XM free trial ran out so I decided with the I touch I'd just program my own music and save the monthly charge. I let the XM expire.

BUT WAIT THERE IS MORE....

I start getting calls from XM ... come back... sign up.. at the time the packages 12 to 16 bucks and some change. I told them no thanks.

so we rock on to this past weekend and I get a call from XM and they want me to sign up... I explain to the lady that I just don't want to spend the extra money.. and she says.."well we love to offer you the XM everything package for 23 bucks and some change for 5 months"

I thought she was saying 20 bucks and some change a month for 5 months... but no it was 20 bucks and some change for 5 months of service.. that's a little over 5 bucks a month? WOW.. a big change from the 16 to 20 bucks a month they used to get... I wonder if it's a sign of the economy... if they are making deals like that to get twenty per customer on the books.. times must be tight.
I took that deal. LOL

 

[FRR]

I've posted this before, but that's how you have to deal with those folks. If you threaten to leave them, you get some good deals, but you have to get to that Dept that can help you. My subscription will expire in early April, and it I don't get the deal, I'm gone. With the way that XM has limited the library on the stations I listen to, I've got more tunes on my Ipod. The merger, which I initially endorsed, has been a disaster for the listening public. They didn't do ONE THING that they promised when they had their application under consideration, and no one will make them. Most folks who post here say the same thing. It makes you wonder what the future will be in Sat radio, or if there will be one. Glad you got the deal...Hold them to it when it expires.

 

[FRR]

I've posted this before, but that's how you have to deal with those folks. If you threaten to leave them, you get some good deals, but you have to get to that Dept that can help you. My subscription will expire in early April, and it I don't get the deal, I'm gone. With the way that XM has limited the library on the stations I listen to, I've got more tunes on my Ipod. The merger, which I initially endorsed, has been a disaster for the listening public. They didn't do ONE THING that they promised when they had their application under consideration, and no one will make them. Most folks who post here say the same thing. It makes you wonder what the future will be in Sat radio, or if there will be one. Glad you got the deal...Hold them to it when it expires.

And I renewed last week for $88.00 for the entire year. Go figure

 

[YEKIMI]

I don't care how much they lower the price, why should I give them one thin dime when I can hear EXACTLY the same songs on my FM stations for free? Sure, no commercials but that's not enough to keep me paying. When it was XM alone, I heard songs on the decades channels, and particularly, 60s on 6 that I had not heard since they were first out in the 60s. Sirius ruined XM, the few times I've listened since I canceled [friends, car rentals, stores] has not made me change my mind about resubscribing. Mel keeps screaming about how many "new" subscriptions they've gotten, me wonders how many are actually re-subscribers, people that have ordered a 2nd radio or are replacing one with a new radio?

 

[JohnnyElectron]

70's on 7 was great when John Clay ran the ship, but he indicated that as the merger approached, he was forced to pare down his 3000 song library to half that, and cut the TV theme songs out, the artists' birthdays and the "CB" show where a listener got to program a whole hour on Saturday before AT40 once a month. And AT 40 was on during a late weeknight as well. Damn, XM used to be great, now it barely passes the FM sniff test.

 

[FRR]

I just read a posting on another thread from AZJoe who said that the 60 channel has added 400 title in just the last couple of months. I listen everyday, and I'm not hearing them. I have heard a couple of tunes that they used to play 3 or 4 yrs ago that I hadn't heard in a while, but no where near the number that gentleman said. I really hate that I can't hear them on my computer without shelling out more cash.

 

[CTListener]

70's on 7 was great when John Clay ran the ship, but he indicated that as the merger approached, he was forced to pare down his 3000 song library to half that, and cut the TV theme songs out, the artists' birthdays and the "CB" show where a listener got to program a whole hour on Saturday before AT40 once a month. And AT 40 was on during a late weeknight as well. Damn, XM used to be great, now it barely passes the FM sniff test.

'70s on 7 never played anything close to 3,000 songs. It was the least imaginative of all the decades channels during the John Clay years, devoid of personality and heavy on the sort of "so bad it's good" material like "Shannon" and "The Night Chicago Died" at the expense of the great rock and R&B that hit the charts during that decade. I don't hear a great deal of difference between XM's version of the channel and Sirius XM's version.

 

[tomservo]

The current SXM situation can be summed up thusly:

Sirius is run by suits.

XM was run by music lovers.

The suits won.

:'(

 

[rallen13]

I really don't understand what is going on. I originally signed on to XM in December, 2007, at the old $12.95 per month rate. In February of 2009, I added a second radio for the Frau's car at $9.95 per month. In March, 2009, I added best of Sirius to mine for the NFL and NASCAR, as well as adding Internet. I am billed quarterly for my service, always have been. Last month, my bill was STILL $102.30 for three months. Minus the taxes and fees of $7.25 per month, I am STILL paying only $26.85 a month, same as March, 2009. And at NO time have I been asked to renew any of my subscriptions. Of this I am quite glad, obviously. However, why is the whole world being asked to renew or having their rates increased, while I, and no one I know personally (about 8-9 people) who has SATRAD is being asked to do so?

 

[YEKIMI]

You've slipped through the cracks. Eventually they'll find you and your buddies and remedy their mistake. Wouldn't be surprised if they billed you retroactively for all the months you didn't pay what everyone else was/is paying.

 

[SKIPPER]

I'll enjoy my Deep Tracks and Elvis Radio for $20 for 5 months.. if they give me another 5 months for 20 bucks i'll do that.. but if they wont... I'll be back on my I-touch. I can program almost everthing deep tracks does after being in Radio for 30 years.

 

[nutballgazette]

I called to cancel because My Car got wrecked so I no longer had a Radio, They sent me a New Radio for $20.00 and 2 Years for a total of $199.00
I Got a friend to install it for $50.00. I got my XM Back. They want to keep people

 

[DonTheTrucker]

The current SXM situation can be summed up thusly:

Sirius is run by suits.

XM was run by music lovers.

The suits won.

:'(

Love of music doesn't pay for offices in midtown Manhattan or billions in equipment orbiting the Earth. The 2001-2003 era XM music channels were great, but it's not a good business model. Unfortunately, radio costs money to produce. Satellite radio costs a LOT of money to produce. This is the problem that Sirius has. People don't buy the units just to listen to music. That's what iPods are for. So their decision to make their music stations sound like terrestrial radio isn't a bad one once you understand what's involved.

People smash the guy, but Mel Karmizan has forgotten more about the business of radio than most of us will ever know.

 

[tomservo]

Love of music doesn't pay for offices in midtown Manhattan or billions in equipment orbiting the Earth. The 2001-2003 era XM music channels were great, but it's not a good business model. Unfortunately, radio costs money to produce. Satellite radio costs a LOT of money to produce. This is the problem that Sirius has. People don't buy the units just to listen to music. That's what iPods are for. So their decision to make their music stations sound like terrestrial radio isn't a bad one once you understand what's involved.

People smash the guy, but Mel Karmizan has forgotten more about the business of radio than most of us will ever know.

It doesn't cost that much to put all the stations on voicetracking and jukebox. All the money is being spent on talent. I think XM's downfall was trying to lure Rosie and Oprah and the MLB. They got into a talent bidding war with Sirius and lost even though personally, I think the MLB and Oprah are better picks than the NFL and Martha Stewart.

Karmazin may know a thing or two about a thing or two when it comes to entertaining talk radio, but I don't like what he's done with the music channels, which is why I'm no longer a subscriber. Last I checked, Sirius' numbers were down, not up. Has that changed recently? If not, it would seem people were voting against his moves, not for them.

 

[DaveBayArea]

Love of music doesn't pay for offices in midtown Manhattan or billions in equipment orbiting the Earth. The 2001-2003 era XM music channels were great, but it's not a good business model. Unfortunately, radio costs money to produce. Satellite radio costs a LOT of money to produce. This is the problem that Sirius has. People don't buy the units just to listen to music. That's what iPods are for. So their decision to make their music stations sound like terrestrial radio isn't a bad one once you understand what's involved.

People smash the guy, but Mel Karmizan has forgotten more about the business of radio than most of us will ever know.

But I wonder if it's such a good idea to be a "me too" audio provider when you're charging for the service and FM radio (which has better sound quality than the now-oversubscribed XM/Sirius) is your competition. I bought my XM because I heard they were carrying Telluride, Merlefest, and about a dozen other live festivals on the Bluegrass channel. That channel was vibrant and alive. So were about 8 or 10 others. Today that channel is Geriatric Bluegrass. No Yonder Mountain, no Leftover Salmon, nothing that us younger fans listen to. When I dropped my subscription the only things left that I would listen to were Deep Tracks, Jam On, and Bluesville. Even those have better-sounding competition on web radio these days. Of course, that's my opinion. But it's shared by others.

Dave B.

 

[Mike Sheridan]

Love of music doesn't pay for offices in midtown Manhattan or billions in equipment orbiting the Earth. The 2001-2003 era XM music channels were great, but it's not a good business model. Unfortunately, radio costs money to produce. Satellite radio costs a LOT of money to produce. This is the problem that Sirius has. People don't buy the units just to listen to music. That's what iPods are for. So their decision to make their music stations sound like terrestrial radio isn't a bad one once you understand what's involved.

People smash the guy, but Mel Karmizan has forgotten more about the business of radio than most of us will ever know.

But I wonder if it's such a good idea to be a "me too" audio provider when you're charging for the service and FM radio (which has better sound quality than the now-oversubscribed XM/Sirius) is your competition. I bought my XM because I heard they were carrying Telluride, Merlefest, and about a dozen other live festivals on the Bluegrass channel. That channel was vibrant and alive. So were about 8 or 10 others. Today that channel is Geriatric Bluegrass. No Yonder Mountain, no Leftover Salmon, nothing that us younger fans listen to. When I dropped my subscription the only things left that I would listen to were Deep Tracks, Jam On, and Bluesville. Even those have better-sounding competition on web radio these days. Of course, that's my opinion. But it's shared by others.

Dave B.

Especially since many of us went with XM to get away from narrow programed commercial radio.