Yes, I'm totally Sirius...

I like XM--lots of music channels worth listening to. But I never saw the value in spending that much money just to listen to music, especially given the plethora of choices that either cost nothing or only a little or that I already get as part of some other service. I used to have DirecTV, and when they changed over from MusicChoice to XM, I think that was an improvement**. I eventually dropped DirecTV because I wasn't willing to pay the state of Virginia a sales tax on the delivery of satellite signals (something they have no control nor say over... butt-holes... taxing the air we breathe).

At some point I started listening to XM via AOL using Winamp. Good stuff. Fairly good quality sound. Well, in only a few short weeks that relationship between AOL and XM will end. While I didn't make extensive use of the service, it was nice know it was there when I felt like listening--maybe a few times a month. And while XM is willing to give AOL members (which I'm not) a break in the XM Online price (about 50% off), it's only for a few months (6?). At $3/mo month, it'd be worth it; at $6/mo, it's not (to me, anyway).

Meh... I still have MusicChoice via Comcast, which I mostly turn on for background noise and to drown out neighborhood noise. Hey, it's only music... I've got hundreds of CD's that I've ripped to fb2k (flac) and can listen to whatever I want, whenever I feel like it, using playlists I've created or just random selection.

Music is only worth what you're willing to pay for it; and if you're not willing to pay anything for it, then it's worth nothing.

**Actually, there was one instance of displeasure with XM. Now, don't get me wrong... I'm not a big fan of disco, but when Top Tracks (XM46) started putting down other kinds of music in their promos (like playing a few seconds of disco or Carpenters and then a scratching record sound with statements to the effect that "that ain't music"), well, I was pissed. We all like what we like, and whatever that is, is just fine by me--everybody has the right to listen to what they want to and to like what they like without some dick-heads thinking they know better about "good taste" (or whatever). So, I sent them a nicely worded email to the effect that I like listening to rock & roll because that's what I like, but to (1) please remember that rock & roll includes both "rock" and "roll" and you (XM46) not liking or playing something doesn't make it unworthy, and (2) I don't want to hear this crap of insulting other musical genres... fine, don't play something, but don't come out against other music because it's not in your playlist. (And Karen Carpenter had one of the best--if not THE best--voices in all of ROCK & ROLL!) I mean, if you want to talk about "taste" and what isn't worth listening to, then just look at all of the crap (the 'c' is silent) coming out of the "music" industry these days. Like I said, if you want to listen to it, then fine. If you want to try and make me listen to it, too, then we gonna have a problem. If you want to crank it up, then you damn well better start wearing earphones, or there's gonna be a different kind of blastin' goin' on.

So, what are XM46's current promos like? "When it rocks, it rocks. And when it rolls, it rolls..." It's like they took my email and just turned it into copy for their promo. Good on me.