Starting on February 9th, DirecTV subscribers will find that their XM satellite radio channels will have disappeared - and have been replaced with channels from SonicTap, according to DirecTV's website.Now, why is this more strange than "the usual" content distribution deal gone bad?
For one thing, Liberty Media (which has a 40 percent stake in Sirius XM Radio Inc.) also owns DirecTV - so you think there would be a baked in partnership between the two. But not so.
On February 9th, 2010, SonicTap will be the new source of music for 18 million DirecTV subscribers. And people aren't happy.
The one large notable difference is that there's some 10 more Hispanic music channels added in addition to the other channels. Could this have been the deciding factor for the change? It's hard to say for sure, but I can't imagine why both Liberty-owned companies would part ways unless there was a clear differentiator between the two.
Then again, who knows what kind of reasoning is behind the switch. It would be nice to see some level of transparency to explain to subscribers why exactly the change is happening... but I'm not holding my breath.
[DirecTV]
On February 9th, 2010, SonicTap will be the new source of music for 18 million DirecTV subscribers. And people aren't happy.
The one large notable difference is that there's some 10 more Hispanic music channels added in addition to the other channels. Could this have been the deciding factor for the change? It's hard to say for sure, but I can't imagine why both Liberty-owned companies would part ways unless there was a clear differentiator between the two.
Then again, who knows what kind of reasoning is behind the switch. It would be nice to see some level of transparency to explain to subscribers why exactly the change is happening... but I'm not holding my breath.
[DirecTV]
Actually DIRECTV added the 10 hispanic SonicTap channels back during the SIRIUS|XM channel lineup merge last year because at that time they dropped all theirs. They've been there for over a year at least.
Ha Ha Ha LOL
What's next, maybe XM is really becoming Sonic Tap. Let's hope that somehow XM of Canada found a way to purchase all of XM, severing ties with Sirius, providing Sirius with enough cash to commit suicide with Stern.
I suspect the following reasons.
1) There have been a lot of complaints about too much DJ chatter since the merged lineup occured. I wonder if DirecTV people complained and they decided to try something new instead.
2) Like it or not, SiriusXM is not the "sexy" thing in the media anymore. Right now its all about stuff that is truly innovative. Pandora, Slacker, Spotify, etc. I think other people are starting to notice, and try out these new things. The "buzz" is no longer on SatRad, it's now considered part of the "old media" establishment.
DirecTV has carried a goodly number of Sonic Tap Spanish/Latin music channels for almost a year now. Also, DirecTV removed the "XM" logo from the music channel background at about the same time, so this wasn't a "spur of the moment" change.
PS: "Sonic Tap" is really DMX (Digital Music Express) which transmits 30 channels of music to cable TV systems and also offers DBS music transmission to individuals and businesses. I had the DMX service from 1995-2000 via my cable system and it was great. The decision to drop DMX was a major factor in my switch to DirecTV from cable. Now, when my home receiver XM subs end I'll probably drop them and just add another DirecTV box to connect to my stereo which today is only FIVE BUCKS A MONTH extra unlike the outrageous charge for extra XM receivers on the same account.
I checked the cross-reference line-up that was provided by someone at XMFans.Com.
If the substitution for that shit-bag "Area" is replaced by "Subterranean"(hopefully Zoltar's "Subterranean" from the old XM's totally superior channel "The System", it would be a HUGE improvement from that watered-down drivel "Area" that Mel & his minions dole out for paying subscribers. That is what it lists anyway.
I remember DirecTV's MusicChoice channels from years ago. Some of the channels were great but the Classic Country was all over the place kinda like SiriusFM's "Willie's Place" is these days
Anything to get away from Mel & his shit for brains programming staff.
Can't get much worse is what I'm thinking and would be better if it is a rebirth of "The System"
DirecTV subscriber since mid-90's & XM subscriber (SkyFi generation 1) since Feb 2002.
BTW: Transparency & SiriusFM are two terms/words that can NEVER be used in the same sentence. Mel & his minions won't EVER allow that to happen.
Should we expect to see hordes of DirecTV O&A fans burning their Sat Dishes in daddy's garage in protest?
Maybe Malone has immediate plans to sell off Direct TV and is going all-in with global SATRAD. He can renegotiate audio content distribution with the new DTV entity at a later date when the SATRAD content value has increased. He's sharp like that...
^^^You have to pay extra in order to listen to 0&A on Direct TV. But who likes to research stuff before posting when you're trying to slam someone? amirite!?^^^
Dish Network has the Sirius music channels (channels are 6001 to 6084 ) , plus Dish Network also has something like umpteen music channels of their own ( channels 923 to 981 .)
Dish Network gives you both services. Plenty of music to go around , on Dish Network .
It is time for Sirius to stop giving their service away free, so I'm glad. You want the content, then get a satellite receiver or internet radio/subscription.
Good move Mel.
Why would you assume Direct TV was 'getting it for free'? I don't know that they pay or not, but my mamma told me there aint nothin' free.
DirecTV used to carry Music Choice then they moved to XM (pre-merger). Just guessing but I'd be willing to bet the (pre Sirius/XM) contract expired and Sonic Tap was cheaper. Business is business...
I don't listen to the music through DirecTV as much as I watch them but it's much better than FM. It's also nice to be able to listen to channels I'm already familiar with. I actually started using it more after the channel merge mostly because I was familiar with the channels. I never took the time to familarize myself with XM's stations. I didn't like how they were named after people. I didn't have time to figure out the differences between Lucy, Fred, or Robin or whatever they were called.
As for DirecTV they're not just modifying the music channels. I got an email the other day stating some package change/updates. I've already noticed a few channels that I used to get have dropped off of my current package. Luckily nothing I watch regularly...
>>>SXMInvestor said:
It is time for Sirius to stop giving their service away free, so I'm glad. You want the content, then get a satellite receiver or internet radio/subscription.
I agree 100%. Back in the day, I had heard that XM was getting peanuts in exchange for the audio channels... that DTV was getting them for next to nothing.
Not to mention that both Sirius and XM (being the provider of the audio programming) pay the royalties to Soundexchange for their performance.
Why did XM dump Directv? Because it was costing them money, that's why. I'm glad that they're not giving it away for free. Sirius needs to follow suit and get out of their deal with DISH too.
Regardless, they continue to make moves to clean up their operating expenses. This is a good move.
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>>>SXMInvestor said:
It is time for Sirius to stop giving their service away free, so I'm glad. You want the content, then get a satellite receiver or internet radio/subscription.
I agree 100%. Back in the day, I had heard that XM was getting peanuts in exchange for the audio channels... that DTV was getting them for next to nothing.
Not to mention that both Sirius and XM (being the provider of the audio programming) pay the royalties to Soundexchange for their performance.
Why did XM dump Directv? Because it was costing them money, that's why. I'm glad that they're not giving it away for free. Sirius needs to follow suit and get out of their deal with DISH too.
Regardless, they continue to make moves to clean up their operating expenses. This is a good move.
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The cheap bastards aren't doing jack shit to improve the quality of their programming so big frigging deal if they part with DirecTV and/or Dish. It's a drop in the bucket. This is an act of a despirate company. Kinda like rearranging the chairs on the Titanic.
Face it, SiriusFM is basically terra radio without commercials as far as music & comedy go. The actions over the last year confirm this.
The point of the deal in the first place, from XM's POV, was as a marketing tool, to expose XM to the public. XM got peanuts for the channels, but got marketing exposure out of it, which made it a reasonable deal for XM.
Today, that exposure has little, if any, value to XM and the programming has become lousy. Seems like a good time for a divorce to me.
I cant believe you haven't guessed it yet. Apple will be announcing it soon...watch and learn.
DirecTV customers should be a lot happier.
Any other music service has got to be a huge improvement over the DJ-chatty "morning zoo" SiriusFM radio.
I'm sure you're right. Years ago when I was a Pizza Hut manager and Pepsi owned us; I paid more for the Pepsi products we sold than if I had simply ran to the grocery store. If anything XM was probably gouging DirecTV - although I'm still not amused that they are dropping them.
Sirius/XM has not figured out this simple equation: Better programming = Better Radio = Happy Subscribers = Positive word of mouth = A lot more subscribers. They don't get it, they don't want to get it, and they will never get it.
I have seen some stupid people in my life, but the people who run this company have to be some of the most illogical, shit for brain dimwits in the history of the world! Satellite radio should be off the charts HUGE by now; the only reason it isn't is because of the imbeciles who are MISMANAGING the very life out of this company. The whole thing is sickening. For the love of God, will somebody do something...... ANYTHING, to stop the insanity!
NJRonbo, at least xcountry and a few others can backup their criticism of XM's programming with actually knowledge of music genres.
You on the other hand use a tired argument of "morning zoo" chatter, which only ONE channel (20on20) out of 73 music channels has. I have a recommendation for you to expand your musical horizons by listening to the 72 other channels, many of which still offer eclectic choices and have no DJs whatsoever. You might learn something about music which your current, narrow-minded, stubborn behavior prevents you from doing.
At the very least, listen to Pop2K which is superior to 20on20 anyways.
As others have said, Sirius XM surely was not giving anything away, and they do need to promote the service. My initial exposure to satellite radio was on my Dish Network TV receiver, where I heard Sirius, and on AOL Radio, where I heard XM, which led me to choose XM and ultimately have as many as four receivers activated at one time. Having satellite radio on a TV receiver or computer is going to be an extra or occasional listening point for most people, I would think. Once I got to like XM, I wanted to be able to take it different places, hear it in the car, etc.
Also, I can't disagree with those who say satellite radio is no longer a "cutting edge" media service. That's probably due half to technological progress and half to Sirius XM's regression to formulaic, terrestrial-style broadcasting.
Bman, like you, I never cared for the "inside joke" style XM used to name a few of its many channels, such as Fred, Ethel and Lucy. However, the programming on those and other XM channels was immeasurably better than what we get now, so it was a small price to pay.
Steve O I agree with you 100%. Who is running this company... Anybody????????
Bunch of whiners here.
Sirius (and XM) are light years ahead of the terrestrial radio available where I live in Virginia. Could they be even better? Sure. Are they horrible? No. Clear Channel and its wannabes are horrible.
Ironically, Liberty Media once onwed DMX/SonicTap. They sold it off in 2005.
"Light years ahead" of terrestrial radio? How so? That statement needs support when you're offering it to contradict people you dismiss as "whiners" who've provided many specific criticisms of post-merger satellite radio.
Also, you can't paint "terrestrial radio" with such a broad brush. You are talking about over 11,000 commercial stations alone, only about 900 of which are owned by Clear Channel. I can get a local terrestrial modern rock station that has a more appealing format than anything on Sirius XM. I can get terrestrial alternative country stations (not locally, sad to say, but online) that still play Americana and Texas music, both of which were all but dumped when Sirius XM channels were dumbed-down.
To save you or someone else from having to ask, the reason I don't "just shut up and move on," is because there are still a few programs on a few channels that are worth $15 a month for my single remaining radio. But, I'd rather be paying for four radios (even though it'd be close to $50 now), because I'll gladly pay more for a good service than pay less for one that's so-so.
Nobody is running the company.... they're RUINING the company!!! Just like everything else in this "screw the consumer" world we live in, people become so used to being ripped off that after awhile they just accept it. These companies know this, and being the scum bags that they are, they're more than willing to take advantage of peoples complacency. I have a basic edict that I go by, and am old enough to remember when many businesses believed in the same concept: Equal value in return for money spent. Sadly, that probably sounds laughable to most people these days. That's because we have BEEN CONDITIONED TO BEING RIPPED OFF! Every minute, of every day. Other than the rare desperation "fire sales" that Sirius/XM resortes to - when does anybody ever feel that they are dealing with a company that gives a damn about them. I certainly don't.
This company is staggering around like that fat pig Oprah at the end of an advanced pilates class. No direction. No vision. Gasping for breath all the time. Always on the verge of collapse. The one constant is their insistence of always.... ALWAYS.... ignoring the desires of the subscribers. Go ahead and bash me, all of you perfectly content Sirius/FM fan boys who think everything is wonderful. I have news for you people: you are very naive. You are gullible. You are guinea pigs in an experiment gone horribly wrong, at the mercy of a bunch of assholes who couldn't manage a Dairy Queen. You are conditioned, and that is exactly what Mel and his cronies want. This company will do the least they have to when it comes to satisfying the subscribers, but only because we allow them to. If enough of us scream at the same time, maybe they will hear us. What they are serving us is leftovers; we deserve programming that a veritable feast for the senses - something fresh, something tasty, and off of a menu that pleases the palates of those that like to sample EVERYTHING.
I have had Sirius since almost it's launch. But it's become unlistenable as the compression artifacts make the high end dull and phasey, almost as bad as that old cassette you left on the dashboard of your Pinto one summer.
Recently I drove from New Hampshire to DC - 12 hours - and listened to Pandora non-stop without a single hiccup, using my cell phone plugged into my car stereo. And to my suprise it sounded much better than Sirius! I could create my own stations so the selection was much better than Sirius/XM.
I have a lifetime sub to Sirius, but except for traffic and weather, it goes unused these days. Tragic but true.
I loved DMX as a stand alone when it was carried by my local cable. I dumped DirecTV when they went dropped MusicChoice which I love for XM music because XM has singers added into easy listening. Now if SonicTap/DMX has easy listening without singers I may come back to DirecTV plus TiVo. I only wish that DirecTV would now offer SonicTap/DMX as a stand alone subscription.
I remind you that there is only one Spanish music channel on Sirius XM anymore. DirecTV made the right move. Sirius XM suxors.
Why would Sirius XM do anything to improve the service? If the service improves, the stock price would rise. If the stock price rises, it will be more costly and difficult for Liberty Media to acquire a majority stake in the company. If Liberty Media is unable to acquire a majority stake in the company it will be more difficult to steal the company away from the shareholders by taking it private. If the company is not taken private, Mel Karmazin will not receive his "Golden Parachute" costing him the millions of dollars that he was promised.
As they say, "Money is the root of all evil." There has to be a reason why this company is reluctant to improve even the most basic aspects of the service; sound quality, programming, and customer service to name but a few. Your theory makes more sense to me every day. I'm sorry I ever invested in this fiasco!
"Good move, Mel." Really? Perhaps your screen name should be SXMEmployee, or SXMMelMinion--that comment does not hold water.
This company has been giving it away for less and less, if not free.
Example: I went to cancel my account last week; the young fellow I spoke listened to my reasons 1) the economy, 2) the lousy programming, post-merger.
He then offered me an alternative: Five months of Sirius/XM for $4 a month.
I've heard numerous "alternative" plans being floated out there. Sirius/XM will do anything to keep the subscriber on board, because they do not want to sink any money into improving the product (sorry, but re-upping Howard is not improvement; at the very least, it's same old-same old).
Someone had a very interesting point--if the stock keeps tanking, then Liberty will have a harder time getting hold of the company and taking it private. And yes, there goes Mel's "Golden Parachute," which he's been putting in place since the day he got in there.
The compelling reason that satellite radio became so necessary for many was the one thing that made it so unique, and has now been taken away: the music.
A lot of people tub-thump about "paying for radio," but these were the same tub-thumpers who said the same thing about cable TV. Now, there seems to be little reason to keep your satellite radio unless there's something on there you just have to have.
For some there is...but the product itself must be improved before it is too late, and I fear we're already way past the point of no return.
I don't know. Stations like SiriusXM U, Underground Garage, The Loft. The CoffeeHouse, the decade channels, Howard, The Virus, Backspin, The Spectrum, Real Jazz, Chill -- these are music stations I can't get on my local FM dial.
I have no basis on which to dispute this theory, but it's hard for me to imagine that a company wouldn't want to make money. That's the point of being in business, whether it's private or publicly-traded.
As I see it, the problem is a "disconnect" between company management and their most devoted customers. They're programming, by and large, to a casual listener. But, the problem with that is a casual listener is happy with AM and FM, and does not see a need to pay for radio. I work with many people who have OEM satellite radios in their cars and don't have them activated. When I ask why not, their response is generally NOT that they don't like the programming, but simply that they're not in the car enough to justify it, or they're satisfied with the local stations and like hearing the local news, weather and sports, etc.
So, until the company properly identifies its market -- people who listen to the radio a lot -- we're going to continue to see programming that alienates the very people to whom satellite radio must appeal if it is to survive.
You certainly would think so (that they would want to make money, become profitable, become dept free, etc.), but it really seems that they shun every opportunity that could lead to this coming to fruition. You are right about there being a "disconnect." Tiger and Elin have a better connection than Sirius/XM has with their listeners. They have about as much respect for music and true talent as do pitiful, totally fraudulent shows like The American Music Awards, The Grammy's, and every other shlock organization that pays tribute to pure crap. My idiotic, former coke addict, 3 times DWI, "Cops" marathon loving, white trash, lazy ass, ignorant cousin falls into the category you describe. He wouldn't even listen to XM when they activated it for free a couple of months ago. I hate that son of a bitch, if for no other reason that he is so incredibly stupid. He only listens to sports talk radio. He only likes music if he is drunk, or snorting blow. He claims to have loved CSN and Hall & Oates, but that was back in the day when he was banging black hookers in the Bronx a couple times a week.
What I'm trying to say is this: My cousin is the antithesis of who Sirius/XM should be targeting, as are the perfectly contented lovers of free AM/FM, and not free Sirius/FM. Not THAT many years ago, people actually used to take the time to listen to music, had decent stereo systems that made the music come to life, and had passion for it. When I look around and see and hear what passes for music these days, I want to vomit. Sirius/XM is trying to sell something to a culture that is very different from what it was just a couple of decades ago. People spend so much time on cell phones/texting, computers/email, facebook and all that other shit.... of course they don't have time to listen to music. I'm old school, baby! I reject about 90% of what is popular in the world these days, and I think I know what is good, and what sucks. Sirius/XM's programming sucks, and it's a shame. I believe there are still people out there who appreciate good music, programmed by knowledgable music aficionados, and if it is of high quality they would be willing to pay for it. I doubt if they will ever identify the proper market, considering how deeply their collective heads are buried in the sand.
When I look around and see and hear what passes for music these days, I want to vomit. Sirius/XM is trying to sell something to a culture that is very different from what it was just a couple of decades ago.
Steve,
Thank you.
Some people here don't understand the problem.
I get jumped on when I mention "morning zoo" with comments like "you should expand your music preferences."
Don't you see the problem? Sirius has taken their subscribers out of the subscription service equation. The fact that we are paying for radio should give us something better than what we can get for free. You can argue that there are more music and entertainment choices -- and I would have no dispute with you. However, to see how much the music channels have been "dumbed down" -- to have DJs doing unfunny shtick and talking all over the music as well as putting a lame morning zoo on a popular music channel -- is giving us exactly the things all of us hate about FM radio.
We know that Sirius has received a lot of complaints from subscribers about their music model. These complaints have been ignored for years. Management refuses to bend. They feel that the success of Sirius depends on the replication of the FM radio model.
True story. Was out in California two weeks ago on business. Had my business partner with me and we rented a car with SiriusXM. We were listening to one of the decades channels and he made the comment that he wishes the DJs would shut up and just play the music. He complained that ever since Sirius took over XM the quality of the music took a nosedive. I sat there and smiled because here was someone I didn't even have to prompt to express the same feelings that all of us have here.
Basically, the fact that SXM satisfies the rural market for mobile music and crappy places like VA (since WHFS went down years ago and WRNR is picked up only in Baltimore) will not make it successful overall. It needs to have the content to compete with the population centers. XM certainly did, perhaps because it started in DC which IMO has in the last 25 years, had the best commercial rock stations in the country and the other genres covered well. I travel and the biggest disappointment in FM is NY, NY, the home of Sirius. I moved from CT to MD/NY and discovered just how bad NY is. Hasn't always been that way, but corporations took over radio. Anyway we are getting closer and closer to the day Verizon delivers Internet to the car inexpensively, and at that point SXM will become a bunch of sold-off bandwidth to enable faster downloads to the mobile internet. SXM content won't survive the competition over the mobile internet of the future.
Excellent points. In a city that's in so many ways at the forefront of entertainment and culture, the New York City radio dial is astonishingly conservative and boring -- easily the worst of any major city in the United States. It has the feel of being completely homogenized to remove every last speck of creativity and life. And, exactly as you imply, this now is the feel of Sirius XM, and it carries over even to the channels that are supposedly more progressive, such as The Spectrum.
NJRonbo,
NO, no,no - thank you! You make perfect sense to me, you are persistent, and you are unequivocally correct about the insanity and indiscretions of these ignominious ignoramuses. This company is heading for an iceberg, but nobody is steering the ship.
I have been bombarding Sirius Customer Careless with emails - even though I know it is to no avail. They tell me they will deliver my complaints to the "proper department." I know that I'm wasting my time, but I do it out of frustration I guess. You're right - these people will not bend even a little bit. If they had the same commitment to programming, as they do to ignoring their customers, satellite radio would be ubiquitous and the talk of the town. Mel keeps saying that content is king, but he treats us like peasants. If he would stop bullshitting for 2 seconds, and give us programming fit for a king - which is what we are paying for - the sub numbers would rise quickly. He boasts about great content, but it rings hollow. The whole idea of satellite radio was to offer an alternative to terrestrial that was so superior that they could justifiably ask people to pay for it. If I was running this company, I would be embarrassed to collect one cent from a subscriber for the crap that is beaming off these satellites! He's is flirting with disaster if he thinks people will accept inferior programming indefinitely; the competition/technolgy is out there, just waiting for its prey to lie still long enough so they can go in for the kill.
The only hope that Sirius/XM has to survive is to have the BEST PROGRAMMING. Case closed... END OF STORY!!! If they don't adress this issue, and I mean SOON, the ship is going to go down. Of that I have no doubt.
Those that satellite radio, DO have it. If the demand was there, the XM channels would be sticking around. But like another poster said, satellite radio is more like old media than ever. There's no demand for the same thing that ruined terrestrial radio, except you have to pay for it.
True, but consider one point: Listener demand for certain types of programming (such as the XM channels that were removed) appears to be only weakly related to what Sirius XM does. When the channels were "merged," the company dropped many channels of its more popular service, XM, in the apparent belief that listeners wouldn't notice, didn't care, hadn't made the decision to subscribe based on the programming being offered, or would prefer Sirius programming to the XM programming they had selected. So, it would seem that listener demand, measured by the number of people who chose to pay for each service, didn't make any difference.
I think the view of this company is that it's largely a numbers game: Get OEM satellite radios into more cars, bring people on board with free introductory subscriptions, and then convert a percentage to paid subscribers by serving up mostly mass appeal programming that will be unoffensive to most, but won't inspire enthusiasm, either. But, as this is exactly the approach of much of terrestrial broadcasting, it leads back to your final comment: Why pay for what you can get free? I don't think they have an answer for that, and that's a problem.
Relying on car sales may have appeared like a good idea when auto manufacturers had adopted the service as standard for new autos. However, once the auto industry collapsed, the marketing approach which XM took on in the beginning which was based on musical content not to be found anywhere, and later on the news, weather and talk stuff, would seem the smart way to shore up the business. But, Mel would have to attract competence to his business, XM surely did with Lee Abrams the architect of early 70's FM. No, Sirius chased Abrams off. Abrams had said he didn't beleive that Sirius would kill XM Fine Tuning because the listeners of that station were so passionate that the backlash would not be worth it, politically. SXM doesn't understand politics (and I don't mean government politics) and the fact that pleasing a vocal intelligent group can payoff because they re-transmit the message for free.
Indeed. Most of the disenfranchised listeners here and elsewhere were once among satellite radio's biggest supporters. I know I'm responsible for at least four XM subscriptions among friends and co-workers, plus my own four (now down to one).
And, to add to what you said about auto sales, a further problem is that growth in that market segment becomes harder to achieve over time because satellite radio is already offered in most new cars that it's ever going to be in, having filtered down from an option on luxury and premium models seven or eight years ago to now being standard equipment or at least optional on lower-priced vehicles. So, not only is there no longer a "gee whiz" factor, but millions of people are now into their second or third vehicle with OEM satellite radio; they've already decided whether it's something they're going to pay for or not, so there are fewer new listeners to go after every day.
Internet Radio Stations Are the New Wave
Early fans of the iPhone bemoaned that, unlike many of its competitors, their favorite “do anything” device couldn’t do one obvious thing: play local radio stations
They didn’t get it. FM tuners are passé. Why include tuner technology to play a few dozen stations when you can harness thousands of radio stations over the Internet?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/31/technology/personaltech/31basics.html?_r=1&ref=technology
The growth in Internet radio is undeniable, but I do contend, though, that it's a waste of bandwidth for hundreds of thousands of people to stream a single audio program over computers or mobile digital devices. Some of the Internet stations I like report the number of listeners, and I often see numbers such as 100 to 500 people "tuned in" at once. When these Internet stations grow to where they are attracting thousands of listeners or more, will their Internet providers be able to provide this much bandwidth, or will the Internet broadcasters be able to pay for it? Further, what will AT&T and other cell phone companies do when the number of people getting in on this trend grows to the point that their networks can't support that much audio streaming?
I know it's true, as you said in an earlier post, that someday there will probably be Internet car radios, but given the restrictions now placed on 3G broadband cards (limited generally to 5 gigabytes a month), it would seem that mobile data capacity concerns might ensure this is at least several years off. Add to this the $15 monthly fee for Sirius XM versus a $100 monthly plan for the iPhone, and it would seem to me that satellite radio still has a market -- if the company would stop chasing its customers away.
3G for the internet seems expensive unless it's the only internet source you have. 5 Gbytes a month would permit about 3 hours a day of your typical internet station with a good 128kbps bitrate (sounds way better than SXM). The other factor you did not mention is the cache factor which allows "charging" of a mobile device with high bandwidth networked content when attached to the high bandwidth connection, and slower rate cache of real time content (news traffic). This idea goes a little beyond Slacker, but is very similar.
True, but my point is simply that to offer a service that's radio-like -- available anywhere to a large number of simultaneous listeners free (as with terrestrial) or at a relatively low price (satellite) -- the Internet and mobile devices still have not made radio obsolete, and probably won't for some time.
But, in view of these developments, Sirius XM should be reinventing itself as a creator of innovative content that would not necessarily have to be delivered via satellite to be appealing. If you think about the cable/satellite TV model, the content creators are not generally the content deliverers, so it's really more about what programming they're coming up with than how people are receiving it. Surely, with its personnel and their presumed radio expertise, and the revenue source of subscriptions, Sirius XM should be able to come up with stuff that would compete with the best of what's available free online, if they would leave behind the "lowest-common denominator" ideal that, as so many have said, has ruined much of terrestrial broadcasting.
We had DMX about 10 years ago when we had cable. I wasn't too pleased when I read about DirecTV dropping XM, but at least the music channels will be replaced, anyhow with something comparable. When we had DMX, many of the channels were actually good, and I would say in some respects better than the current XM offerings. The only problem I have with the Sonic Tap switchover is the replacement for "Escape", which is being replaced with the contemporary instrumental channel (mostly light jazz and new age music) instead of Sonic Tap's beautiful instrumentals channel, which is closer, music-wise, to "Escape". I've already emailed DirecTV and let them know I would prefer to hear Sonic Tap's beautiful instrumentals channel rather than the contemporary instrumental one. I did receive a reply back from them (not a generic, "form letter" type, either) letting me know they received my email and thanked me for addressing my concerns. Might not do any good, but never hurts to try. :)
You bring up a great point; to not only compete with current and emerging technologies - but to stay ahead of them - this company needs to get its ass in gear and begin a metamorphosis.... LIKE NOW!
Nobody gives a second thought about how the content is delivered, but, unbeknownst to the village idiots at Sirius/XM, a lot of people care deeply about the nature of the content, and THE QUALITY of the content. To espouse that "Content is King" to the subscribers, and then deliver content that isn't fit for a cage full of baboons...... shows just how phony and deceitful these people are. Every single day, the management of Sirius/XM utterly BETRAYS its customers. They are doing the equivalent of a 5 star restaurant serving pop tarts and hot pockets! All of us know that this policy of appealing to the "lowest common denominator" will eventually prove catastrophic to satellite radio. It isn't even advertising that they should be most concerned with; they should be FOCUSING EVERY OUNCE OF ENERGY on taking the programming up as many notches as necessary to make it the best in the history of radio.
Out of the 70+ music channels, I listen to less than 10 on a regular basis. The shortened playlists, the repetition, and the inane chatter make listening to some of these channels nearly impossible.
Millions of people abandoned terrestrial radio because it sucks. If Mel and his cronies think for one second that millions won't abandon satellite radio, then they are completely delusional.
Hey Mel - instead of having a trendy, meaningless catch phrase like "Content is King", why not take that slogan and make it THE COMPANIES MISSION STATEMENT!!!!! If you would do this (and I know you bastards won't), you would find out very quickly just how many people are willing to pay for a superior product, the churn would be reduced, and the word of mouth about Sirius/XM would spread like free lap dances at a strip club.
PS - By the way, Mel, all of this advice from us "unsophisticated" types is not only free, but it is sincere and heartfelt - attributes you may not be familiar with. The single biggest problem that your company has is this: you just don't care about people. You don't give a damn about people. This FACT is reflected by the companies performance, its perception by the general public, the pathetic stock price, and the tons of cancellations. You don't care about people, and boy are you going to regret it someday. Mark my words.
The quote is "The Love of Money is the Root of all evil"
Money, itself is GOOD!
God wants us to prosper!
I don't have DirectTV but it does not surprise me that they are dropping the SiriusXM channels. After all, there is too many chatty DJ's on there. People who listen to music on their TV's would probably prefer less interruptions. My guess is that DirectTV subscribers were not happy with the "new" channels. I know that I am not.
I don't know how this company is surviving. There is no buzz for satellite radio any more. I'm very close to dropping the service myself, and I have subscribed to XM since June 2003. The small playlists, the "jive" sounding DJ's - I am reaching my limit. My music focus is mainly on the internet these days.
I recently read that Sirius XM has essentially abandoned the retail market and is now focusing its energies more or less exclusively on the OEM car market, which does support one thing I said earlier -- that they view this as a numbers game where you get satellite radio into more and more vehicles and (hopefully) convert a steady percentage to paid subscribers.
So, consider the possibility that many of us here are just not the customers Sirius XM wants. Perhaps they believe the way you get more vehicle owners to pay for satellite radio is by providing what's familiar, safe, "tried and true."
Laying aside, for a moment, our personal preferences, is there any value to this approach? They do derive a lot of revenue from people who live in places that don't get much in the way of terrestrial radio.
I am not sure, but I would respond that XM, with its more eclectic music channels, was more popular than Sirius, even with the undeniable draw of Howard Stern. I would also say that XM had less of a "burn out" factor. I have said before that my initial exposure to satellite radio was to Sirius on my Dish TV receiver. When I heard XM online via AOL radio, I initially preferred Sirius, but over time grew to appreciate XM's depth, to the point that I chose that service when I subscribed to satellite radio.
But, that's just me. Some probably would go the other way -- and this is why I have always contended that the two independent services should have been maintained. Department store chains often maintain separate store names to appeal to different market segments and preserve brand identities. Proctor and Gamble makes many brands of soap and detergent, again, to address different consumer groups. Thus, I believe the "channel merging" was the fundamental mistake, and the best thing they could do at this point would be to re-create some separation between Sirius and XM. Not only would this provide some consumer choice, but it would open up the possibility of having dual subscribers who would pay for both Sirius and XM and get 300 different channels.
There is no perfect answer to the merging of the content of Sirius and XM. I had Sirius on Dish before I went out and paid for XM specifically for the music content. Sirius' music was not much different than most cable music channel providers. Since XM was first and gained their position with music, the best solution would have been to keep XM's music channels and fill those areas which XM didn't fill at the time of the merger. In particular, in the rock genre, jam music wasn't covered by XM (although XM did at one time have Music Lab which jam and prog). Bottom line is that rock is the most popular music genre and has the most channels associated with it.
By the way I was kicked off of the XM Fans website because I argued to people that XM was not making it clear as to what the channel selection or content was to be after the merger. There now seems a clear reason that they didn't want naysayers on that website.
I guess I have heard the misquote far more often. If it was really the root of all evil, then I would be very joyful - because I don't have a hell of a lot of it!
If God wants us to prosper, tell him to buy a satellite radio/subscription and a couple hundred million shares of stock. If he isn't too busy, see if you can get God to fix the programming that Mel and his cronies destroyed after the merger. If you do this for me, I will go to confession and divulge all that I did that one weekend that I went to Vegas with Charlie Sheen and Tiger.
I'd have been happy with keeping XM's channels, since that's the one I subscribed to, but why merge them at all? Or, merge maybe a few that were really very much alike, or could be made so with few changes, such as the hits channels or the decades channels, but beyond that, as a retail customer I don't see any justification for what they did.
But, here was their logic, I'm almost sure: Most people didn't choose Sirius or XM based on channels, anyhow: They "chose" XM if they bought a Chevy or Cadillac, and Sirius if they bought a Ford or Chrysler, and so on. So, the theory went, because a person's taste in cars has no correlation to his or her taste in music, just serve up the same Sirius buffet of warmed-over terrestrial formats to everyone. Sure, a lot of the people who had XM will think it sucks, and some will cancel, but most of the customers are ignorant suckers (similar to the way most terrestrial execs view their audience) and won't know the difference.
You hit on one of their most strategic blunders; pigeon holing all the subscribers into one, very narrow minded musical wasteland. The reason most people came over to satellite was because terrestrial no longer offered any content variety or creativity - and the torment of the commercials every 5 minutes. Many people are, as you say, "ignorant suckers." This will never change. But what kills me is how this company so underestimates the intelligence of the subscribers, and the passion that many non "ignorant suckers" have for music. It's not good enough to thinks that a wave of advertising will cure the serious afflictions that burden this company... and are making all of us ill. Marketing may get people to subscribe, but GREAT PROGRAMMING is what makes people stay on board for the long haul. I am really surprised that more people haven't cancelled - the play lists keep shrinking, and songs are repeating more frequently than ever. On Siriusy Sinatra, I heard the same song twice in an 8 hour time frame. This absolutely disgusts me no end, and it is inexcusable as far as I'm concerned. It seems that programming is the least of this companies priorities.
I maintain that this company will never be successful unless this issue is addressed. I have started to listen to my CD's a lot more often lately; Sirius/XM is starting to bore the crap out of me, and that is quite a trick to pull off when you have 130 channels. What is so sad is that nobody in management seems cognizant of the woeful programming. Perhaps they are aware, but just don't care. Either way, it is distressing to watch a bunch of bumbling fools run satellite radio into the ground. So much potential - squandered beyond belief!
XM is completely forgetting their loyalty to the customer. Their "Customer NOservice".Read ALL about it at consumeraffairs.com. Over 68 pages of complaints of billing errors, blatent credit card ripoffs,Double billings, mystery billings,mystery lifetime subscriptions,billing for accounts that have been cancelled and threats of collection activities from their INTERNAL company (CCA) that tries to fool you into compliance.
Combine this with a off-shore agency that can't speak ENGLISH and it's a disaster.
Don't get me started on the CRAPPY sound quality! When you try to cram 200+ channels into 12.5 Mhz of bandwidth it SOUNDS AWFUL!XM online is a complete joke! AOL radio, radio-locater.com and Pandora run circles around XM's god-awful offerings VIA the internet.I replaced my XM radio in my office with a Netbook and a WiMAX card and a set of Altec Lansing speakers. XM USED TO SOUND GOOD, Not now!
To sum it all up? NOT WORTH THE MONEY! or the billing errors,or the bullcrap "Royalty Fees".
I look forward to XM announcing it's BANKRUPTCY.
Then and onlt then it might be salvaged. I for one will NEVER return....
I liked Music Choice as it was music without the balbber then we got XM and the chatter is really very annoying.....I like just continuous music not someone screaming and blairing like a commercial so who knows it might be for the better.Several times I said to myself I wish those so called D J's would just sit down and SHUT UP!
Well,I for one,have just canceled my XM subscription,for three reasons.
One,they are required by the gov.to pay artist fees now,and they think they can just pile the fees on top of my yearly bill.(I smell a new Profit Center)
Two,the phone answerers are really misinformed morons. I hate calling.
Three,since the merger,my signal and sound quality really sucks.sometimes no stereo,sometimes I have to crank my stereo to even hear it.
been a subscriber 5 yrs,when i couldn't change my account info online until I gave up another CC# ,I got an uneasy feeling.
guess I can spend my yearly fees on an MP3 player with a car kit,not have to deal with it anymore.
I really despise corporations that make you feel you need them,more than they need you.
Thanks for letting me vent :)
Regarding Sirius/XM I agree that their sound quality is poor. (Sirius slightly more artifacts than XM). They should dump the DJ's except for a top of the hour identifier of what channel you're listening to and go pure music. I also would not mind them slightly reducing the number of channels if it would mean they could boost sound quality somewhat...at least on the channels where sound quality matters most to the most discriminating listeners.
switch is wack going to get rid of direct tv
Sonic Tap on Classical Channel is listing:
Title: and then
By: meaning the performer
Too bad about those composers who get no credit at all or those of us who might be interested in the composer.
This is so stupid. XM Radio on DirecTV was perfectly fine. Now Sonic Tap has come in and screwed up a perfectly good thing. What the hell is up with that? Now my younger sister can't listen to Radio Disney anymore and that was the one thing that made her happy. Thanks to the assholes that decided to change, we are now unhappy. You suck!!!!
What a bunch of crap. Just when you get used to the fact that they take away The System 82, we lose Area 38 to some new loser jackass "Sonic" garbage. What a scam. I'm heading to FiOS.
I agree this is beyond stupid. I listened to Alt. Nation and the "new Alt.Nation" is nothing like the old one. I also can't find out how to make a formal complaint on their web site! I am not a happy person anymore! Hope Sonic Tap gets the boot!!
Horrible decision, SonicTap is nowhere near as good as what they had going previously. And, gee whiz, just what I needed, 10 more Hispanic music channels, WEEEE!
I liked Sirius/Xm better but my biggest complaint is the artist or song title is not listed.
DirecTV is so stupid to change this. This SonicTap is complete garbage compared to XM/Sirius. Just opportunity for DirecTV to screw one of their good points and give me more incentive to stop its service.
This change has nothing to do with customer service
or preference.
Everyday we get greased by Corp. America-chalk this up to the bottom line.
As of today, many of the new stations mentioned as being part of the new SONC lineup were not available on my DIRECT TV.
What a bunch of crap, Direct TV should have sent an e-mail or something that is more visible to their loyal customers before making the switch. One of the biggest reasons why I have DirectTV was for all the XM channels, in particular BPM. Now Sonic tab supposedly has similar channels, are you kidding me, not even close.....
Hope Direct TV big wiggs are listening or reading these posts.. I am now considering going over to Dish since they have XM.
One of the reasons I signed up with Directv almost 3 years ago was XM/Sirius. I listened to various stations but especially the 70's Channel 804 which had replays of "American Top 40" from various dates during the 1970's. How cool it was to listen to those broadcasts again with Casey Kasem. All I can say is that I will make a decision very soon and then sign on with Dish Network if everything else looks equal. Big mistake Directv! Especially when Liberty Media owns a 40% stake in Sirius. This makes no sense to me at all. I say no to Sonic Tap. How many clients does Directv want to say goodbye to? From the response they've gotten so far I'd say a whole bunch.
screw XM SCREW MEL......subscription canceled maybe your shitty DJ's can talk about that bitch
P.S. i hope you get screwed on your "golden parchute"
So why do you think DTV dropped Sirius XM.
Last February DTV bailed XM out.
See long post below.
Last week we reported that Sirius XM was in bailout talks with DirectTV to avoid bankruptcy. Liberty Media, the parent company of DirecTV, today announced that it has reached an agreement for an investment with Sirius XM Radio. The investment will come as a $530 million dollar loan to SIRIUS XM and its subsidiaries and receive an equity interest in SIRIUS XM.
The agreement will come in two phases:
- The first phase includes a $280 million senior secured loan from Liberty to SIRIUS XM, $250 million of which will be funded today. The proceeds of that loan will be used by SIRIUS XM to repay $171.6 million of its maturing 2 1/2% Convertible Notes due February 17, 2009, and the balance will be used for general corporate purposes, including working capital and transaction costs. The loan will bear interest at a rate of 15%, mature in December 2012, and be secured by the assets securing SIRIUS XM's existing term credit agreement.
- The second phase provides an additional loan of $150 million to XM Satellite Radio, SIRIUS XM's wholly owned subsidiary. Liberty has also agreed to offer to purchase up to $100 million of the loans outstanding under XM Satellite Radio's existing credit facilities from the lenders.
Upon completion of the second phase of the Liberty investments, SIRIUS XM will issue Liberty an aggregate of 12.5 million shares of preferred stock convertible into 40% of the common stock of SIRIUS XM. In addition, Liberty will receive seats on the SIRIUS XM Board of Directors proportionate to its equity ownership. It is expected that John Malone and Greg Maffei will join the SIRIUS XM Board of Directors. Liberty's obligation to consummate the second phase of its investment is subject to various closing conditions.
Mel Karmazin, Chief Executive Officer of SIRIUS XM Radio, said, "We are pleased to have come to this agreement with Liberty Media, particularly in light of today's challenging credit markets. Liberty's investment is an important validation of what SIRIUS XM has already achieved and a vote of confidence in what we will achieve. This agreement enables Sirius XM to continue to develop the opportunities first outlined in the merger of Sirius and XM. By strengthening our capital structure and enhancing our financial flexibility, this investment allows us to continue providing the great content and innovative programming our subscribers know and love."
"We are excited to be investing in SIRIUS XM. We have been impressed with the company, its operations and management team," said Greg Maffei, president and CEO of Liberty. "SIRIUS XM's ability to grow subscribers and revenue in a difficult financial and auto market is indicative of how listeners view this as a "must have" service."
The agreements, and the transactions contemplated by the agreements, do not constitute a change in control for SIRIUS XM under its outstanding debt instruments and are not subject to the approval of the Federal Communications Commission. The receipt by Liberty of voting stock is subject to expiration of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act.
Sirius XM stock has plunged down to 5 cents from a 52-week high of 3.89 a share. Today, the stock is up 61% to 16 cents in morning trading thanks to the new money coming in to bailout the company.
Im happy with Sonic so far. I only listen to "70's". So much nicer without the vomit voice XM DJ yakking all over the music.
One of the reasons we put up with the cacamayme systems in our complex with having local channel TV thru Consolidated Systems at $17.99 per month, then pay an additional $64.99 per month for DirecTv is for Enlighten XM/Sirus music channel and all the Christian television stations available.
Now, with Enlighten gone and no more XM/Sirius, it is definitely time for us to cinch in our belts and get rid of the whole thing.
We listened to Enlighten about 20 hours per day via DirecTv. Now that its gone, why spend the money. The new SonicTap programming of Southern Gospel music is terrible! Like listening to something back in the 60's all the time!
Please consider going back to XM/Sirus. You'll loose lots of customers with the current programmer. REALLY, IT'S BAD!! Expect our "turn-off notice."
Thanks for listening!
I've been a DIRECTV subscriber since 2004. I was happy. For the last few years.....every year....DIRECTV has posted a rate increase of $3.00. I do not like that. I was happy with sirius/XM radio programming on DIRECTV. Now, I am not happy. I will be switching to DISHnetwork.
I haven't found any of the Sonic Tap channels now on directv that I like. The channel we miss the most is "Escape" which was on ch 820.We now have no channel that has pleasant unobtrusive background music.We are looking for another source.What happend to the Directv we have appreciared for many years?
First DirecTV drops Versus and now XM too for this Sonic crap. I'm a HUGE techno/trance fan and love Area. It's replacement "Subterranean" is a fair cry from anything remotely close to techno/trance. I'm in the process of moving and guess what DirecTV...I won't be keeping your service once I've moved! I've never heard of a service provider dropping services at will to suit their needs, not the customers.
Bad move, DirecTV. Sonic Tap's audio quality is just not *there* for one, sounds just slightly better than one of those huge-ass AM radios that my grandpa used to bring with him when fishing. And the channel selections don't even come CLOSE to the ones offered by XM. Crappy-sounding generic radio...this is what we are stuck with.
Hellllllllloooooooooooooo Dish!
I will cancel Direct TV when my contract is up, dropping XM for Sonic Tap is a disaster...bring back "Escape" and the 50's channel.
I personally hate the new "religous" channels. Its not the comtemporary channels that XM had. Its more old folkish and I just do not like it. Where is my Jeremy Camp, Mandesesa, Third day, Needtobreath, etc. Not the no name people who are not professional quality.
Another very unhappy customer
Sonic Tap is very predictable and boring compared to XM
Bring back XM please
how old are you steve o?
WTF is sonic crap? Is this for real?...can't be...they can't be this fucking stupid. I bet the morons who pitched this as a good cost cutting idea are shitting themselves right now. The response I got from Directv is to contact Sonic Crap..... I didn't sign up for it and I don't give a fuck what they play as long as its not on my directv! I really don't want to go to dish but I'm running out of options here. I'd even be willing to put up with music choice again then these lame ass repeating playlists. Like seriously, you guys practically own SXM...what is the fucking problem!
Until this recent change I totally enjoyed the XM Watercolors channel on DirecTV. I would leave it on most of the day - it was relaxing. Now the replacement channel is "Smooth Jazz" which is nothing like Watercolors. One of the reasons I chose DirecTV was due to the XM channels, and now that is gone! I signed up with a 2 year contract, so I can't change until September without having to pay their hefty early termination fee. I can't wait until September!
I just came to realize that XM is not longer available on DirecTV, and I am here to voice my displeasure with this! If DirecTV is listening, bring XM back! This SonicTap music is crap!
There is a major technical difference in audio fidelity between XM and SonicCrap. SonicCrap is flat with no dimensionality. I'm seriously considering dropping my DirecTV subscription. Malone should be fired, asap.
Would someone please tell the clowns at DirecTV that they are losing big business by dropping XM Radio and going with Sonic Crap. You need to call DirecTV and complain. Remember, you can go to Dish Network - they have Sirius XM Radio.
Ugh. I loathe SonicTap. Their Zen channel is a far cry from XM Chill. How am i supposed to enjoy my unhappy hipster music without XM?
I don't like this new Sonic Tap. I always listen to Casey Kasem's Top 40 countdown from the 70's every weekend. I can't believe DirecTV made this change with no notice.
Just can't find a reason to like SONICTAP. I've tried but the sound quality just isn't there. I hope DTV goes back to XM or Music Choice. I have Music Choice on cable at our summer home and we love it. Great sound and format. Except for some favorite channels we miss on XM, we like Music Choice equally as well as XM. Sound quality on either is better than SONICTAP. I'm glad my commitment to DTV has expired.
WHo cares there is 1% of hispanics who can actually afford this that listen to it. If they don't like it, go to comcast. idiots.
I hate the new change....bring back xm radio, and
the voices i learned to enjoy.......
I miss Music Choice. I have very eclectic musical tastes and their Adult Contemporary channel catered to them perfectly. Sirius (both pre- and post-merger) doesn't come close . . . although "The Blend" comes close.
Sonic is completely worthless crap! There isn't one channel that suits my taste like Lithium. Lithium is replaced by Reality Bites. How appropriate!
I find myself "channel surfing" for music and that's ridiculous!
I am an extremely dissatisfied 10 year customer at this point. I believe my contract ended last month or ends this month.
Money and stupidity, a lethal combination!
I think they did this deliberately. They must have known SonicTap would get called SonicCrap!
OMG ! Do a Google search on SonicCrap "Sonic Crap"
wow, totally agree with the comments...sonic pop SUCKS compared to XM (or Music Choice). I'm definitely looking to switch to Dish or cable now. Bring back my BPM!!!
SonicTap sucks. Looks like they did away with the old school funk channel. Directv channel 844. Bring back XM. Pleaseeeeeeeee!
The new bluegrass channel sucks. Clearly, the programmers don't know the difference between country, western, classic country, gospel, stringed elevator music and bluegrass. Just because it's by Dolly Parton doesn't mean it's bluegrass, people! There is a vibrant bluegrass scene out there and the folks at SonicTap have no idea it exists.
SonicCrap, uh, tap is really DMX MUSIC now. Well, except for one major difference. DMX MUSIC fired most of their great Los Angeles based music programmers back in 2005. So, what you hear now is mostly just shovel channels, where they hire a college kid in Austin to shovel in some songs based on what they see in the music industry controlled music trades. It's many times just a big ole pile of whatever has been released. The stuff that made it and the stuff that stiffed.
They simply do not know the difference.
It's what happens when corporate people try to do something that is supposed to be creative and requires actual knowledge about the art of music.
I put a reviver in my work shop so I could listen to Bill Mack and Dallas Wayne.
My contract is up in Nov. Hello Dish Network!
i say we as in the non satisfied costumers of directv should protest this immediately & noo im not happy is not the same, xm radio was the best..
BRING IT BACK OR IM MOVIN BACK TO DISH
I would like to see a channel for DIXIELAND JAZZ in your line up with directv. There are numerious rock channels that are redundant as wel as three various jazz channels, However a channel dedicated to DIXIELAND JAZZ would be appreciated.
Sonic Tap is an empty shell of a satellite radio service. Without any DJs or notifications, it makes the entire experience less informative. If an album were released and you depended on satellite radio to notify you, you probably wouldn't know if a new album hit the shelves. Also, the freaking "Spike" channel plays music from Rage Against the Machine and AC/DC, though Spike is a METAL channel.
horrible decision to change to SonicTap..... reminds me of the music service I had back in the mid to late 90's before I became a DTV customer - 2001. Hate the change ! I'll call every week to complain...
i vote all the time for xm keep on calling
Sonic Crap is right. Oh boy Direct tv did you make a BIG mistake. Maybe I too will switch to DishNetwork.
Direct tv doesn't seem to care about their customers.
Direct TV really screwed up in switching from SiriusXM to SonicTAP (SonicCRAP), on top of more of the shell game in switching/ dropping good programmes & channels and increasing fees for less service. Example: we used to enjoy classic Christmas Holiday Pops music (Sirius 077) on Direct TV throughout the house this time of year, but SonicTAP "Holiday Happenings" is hollow and meaningless. Thank God our Direct TV subscription soon expires- Dish TV, here we come!