Sirius Xm to raise rates another $2

[Foxbat]

They can stick it.... $15 a month for audio in my car. I'll choose the cheaper options. By the time my sub runs out I'll have my new deck in the car with bluetooth(lots of music on my phone) and a USB port on the front. Can't believe how cheap they are now...

My 2008 Milan came with six months of free Sirius and SYNC. Guess which one I can't live without and which one I can? (Hint: other than the cost of the media, it's free!)

Listening to Sirius in the car always sounded like it was coming through a corrugated tube. Music from SYNC sources sounds as good as the original source, even via the Bluetooth Audio feature on my Motorola RAZR V3xx. Sorry, Sirius, but even at $6/mo, I would pass. At current prices plus another $2/mo? LOL.

 

[GailLA]

Just talked it over with my husband and we are closing our SXM account in July before this latest increase occurs. I've had XM since October 2003. Used to love it. Now, it is a shadow of its former self, but still has some value. But who increases prices while decreasing quality and expects to keep customers? Evidently Mel does. I can live without it.

 

[tomcrown1]

I now declare XM/Sirius dead. This price increase will hurt them more due to no revenue coming in as sub drop their service.

Their is no real need for sat radio any more as more and more in car internet radio will be offered.

Time to do away with the sat radio forum lets us all pry for the death of sat radio

 

[dishrich]

Hmm, I also wonder how this will affect D* & E*, since they BOTH carry music from SXM...
Wonder if this will force them to consider carrying a different audio service, or will they figure out how to pass this down to the TV subs.

 

[darrencp22]

I now declare XM/Sirius dead. This price increase will hurt them more due to no revenue coming in as sub drop their service.

Their is no real need for sat radio any more as more and more in car internet radio will be offered.

Time to do away with the sat radio forum lets us all pry for the death of sat radio

Internet radio is still years away. I'm not a believer in this technology.. coverage is too spotty.

 

[darrencp22]

Blame congree on this one. The past two years, they were paying 6% of gross revenues as their royalty rate. This year it went up to 6.5%, next year 7%, 7.5% in 2011, and 8% in 2012 when the rates expire.

Sirius XM is not in the financial position to swallow these costs.

 

[hometheaterman]

I will also be cutting my service off here shortly. I had signed up for that $77 a year deal. I can't remember when I did it. I've been looking out for monthly charges on my credit card bill as when this runs out and it goes to the normal monthly rate I was planning to cut it off anyway. It seems like I hear newer more popular songs on FM radio. That's the first issue I have with it. I don't want to hear a ton of old stuff or a ton of stuff I've never heard of that I've never heard of for a good reason and that's because it sucks.

The few stations as I mean a few as there are only 6 or so I listen to and most I don't listen to much.
Anyway, the few I listen to seem to edit the songs. If I'm going to listen to edited music I minus well hear it on FM. I am not going to pay to hear edited music.

The next problem I've had is it's gotten to where it's a ton of commercials. It seems like it has just as many if not more commercials than most of the local FM stations. It used to not be like this. This is a huge deal breaker for me.

Honestly I find myself thinking FM is better every time I turn it on. The only nice thing I can find is that it shows you what song and the artist info of what's playing. I'm not going to pay $13 well now $15 a month for that. Sorry.

Honestly, I do listen to it some but not a lot. When I do listen to it I just listen to it because it's their. Most of the time I have most of the songs already on my iPod or they are either new and I'm getting ready to purchase them on iTunes. Usually I have the songs though and just listen to them on XM instead because they are there. I'd rather have $15 a month in my pocket though and turn the iPod on.

FM seems to be better to me if I want to hear new music anyway and doesn't have many if anymore commercials. The same edited music so it doesn't bother me either way there.

I've never loved XM. Back when Sirius and XM were seperate I used both and thought Sirius was a ton better. I just used XM because it was what came in the Accord we have and I didn't want to modify it for Sirius. However, they are the same now anyway and I'm finding it to be getting worse and worse and the price keeps going up.

I don't think satellite radio is a way of the future. I've been wrong before and may be this time but my guess is I'm not going to be.

 

[mikew]

I have a one year sub and contemplated ending it in July when it was up. I am now convinced that I will. Between the iPhone and some commercial free subchannels on my car radio, I think I have plenty to listen to. Thanks for making the decision so much easier.

It's not like the 2 bucks are going to kill my budget. My expectation from the merger was that this was going to be an improved product and the savings generated by streamlining costs was going to keep the prices at bay for a while. Instead, they water down the music channels and bump me by 4 bucks in the last 6 months. If the product was improved, then maybe I'd stay. I'm simply not going to pay more for less product.

 

[M Sparks]

XM was $9.95 when I signed up. That's almost a 50% increase over 5 or 6 years. Which I might not mind if the service hadn't dropped so dramatically in quality. They dropped half of the formats I enjoyed, and watered down the rest of them. Their playlists used to be huge and they never had any DJ chatter...now the playlists are almost as pathetic as commercial radio.

I think at this point I'm only paying for Ron & Fez. It's sad, and I blame Mel Karmizan. He's a fool who's still stuck in the olden days of commercial radio. As soon as Lee Abrams left XM, I knew it was the beginning of the end.

 

[mikew]

Hey Sparks...maybe you out to add Mel to your Avatar....

 

[HIFI]

no need to ever go back to Fm with Slacker , pandora or any of the internet radio stations out there. Hell you could even Stream Howard for free if you knew where to look. Fm is crap and I'm never going back there

I've been enjoying slacker every since scott brought it to light on this forum and have just been waiting for howards contract to end before i cancel sirius

 

[vinnyv07]

I really can't listen to reg radio anymore. I am with Sirius until it ends. It helps that I have one lifetime radio (which really paid for itself in a little over 2 years). I also pay for one radio in addition to my lifetime. If I need to cut corners, I will cut that radio out. But hell, with all of the money I waste on other crap, I still think it is a good deal. I work 2 jobs and when I drive home I want to hear what I want to hear.

 

[darrencp22]

I dont listen to SiriusXM for the the music. I suppose thats a big deal for me. In the mornings it's Opie & Anthony. In the afternoons, it's Mad Dog Radio and ESPN Extra broadcasting the Michael Kay Show out of NYC. Roadtrips, it's the comedy channels and baseball games. Very happy with it.

 

[tsduke]

Doesn't look like much good has come from the Sirius/XM merger.

 

[voodooevil]

I had enough of them anyway.
I will be leaving them after my year is up.

Joe

 

[LOBO2999]

what about someone who sing up for lifetime ? Nothing is going up for them is it? I'm I going to get another bill , sorry didnt read through everything .

Thanks!

 

[pro96]

I had enough of them anyway.
I will be leaving them after my year is up.

Joe

Same here. 2 current subs ending in August. Already notified them and they tried to throw me 6 months free if I renewed. Thanks but no thanks. Plus here in the L.A area with so many HD-Radio stations, I can't complaint since I installed an HD-RADIO in my car last year.

Gotta do the same now on wife's 2007 Ford Edge. HD-R

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Blame congree on this one. The past two years, they were paying 6% of gross revenues as their royalty rate. This year it went up to 6.5%, next year 7%, 7.5% in 2011, and 8% in 2012 when the rates expire.

Sirius XM is not in the financial position to swallow these costs.

Sirius has been paying these rates all along. And the 6.5% is no where near the $1.98 they are charging customers for these royalty fees.

I could see if Sirius dropped its rates and then added in the royalties again, but to charge the royalties then keep the price the same is nothing more then a rate increase no matter how you look at it.

 

[Hank in Bmore]

what about someone who sing up for lifetime ? Nothing is going up for them is it? I'm I going to get another bill , sorry didnt read through everything .

Thanks!

lifetime won't be effected right now . this is a cash grab they want you to get the lifetime to get that cash up front . This increase will make alot of the month to month and annual subs cancel or get the lifetime . Once there are only lifetimers left guess what they will get you too . If they dont charge more right away the will take something away to save money .

 

[hendrix04]

holy crap this is crazy... making me seriously consider dropping sirius...