Jump to content
Jambands.ca

Sirius Radio - Jam On


TomFoolery

Recommended Posts

Hey,

Anyone been subjected to this or any other sirius radio channels?

My boss gave me a satellite system for Christmas. I thought it was pretty cool at first. After one road trip listening to the same ten bands in constant rotation, I was convinced that the entire spirit of improvisational music is violated by the format of the jam channel.

Oh well, onto the next. The progressive house electronica station... crap. Some good tunes, too much repetition (yeah, the irony is not lost on me) of songs and artists.

Now, I find that the only thing I use this for is getting cbc reception since I live in a remote area with spotty cbc reception.

Kayte listens to BLOODY MARTHA STEWART non-stop.

I now wonder if I did something to piss off my boss.

Any thoughts on satellite radio?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i've gotten a few as gifs and gave them all back, first of all, I dont really think i listen to enought raido to need to pay for it, also the bar i chill at uses it and I really noticed how much they reapeat stuff, and only play old, music or crappyish bands.

i guess the dont have the money yet to buy the rights to good stuff

i say its a rip off

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I absolutely love Sirius Satellite radio! The jam-on station is repetitive yes, but there are always awsome special guest DJs (Trey, Warren, Dave Schools) and even some live-to-air concerts!!

There are also other awsome channels, for instance, on my way back from Bonnaroo last year my friend and I listened to game 7 of the Stanley Cup! Thats freakin cool if you ask me!

The other music channels are great, there are a couple classic rock channels that are definately way way less repetitive than Q107 and play songs you would never think of, also a bunch of great jazz stations, some reggae, blues, bluegrass, and even an "easy-listening" coffee house station that kicks butt!

I recommend Sirius to everyone!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I liked it when I first got it, before I realized it was a similar situation to 'normal' radio. Sure they play bands that don't get played on Clear Channel, but the artists are limited in scope. Jam On plays Railroad Earth, Tea Leaf Green, bad Grateful Dead mp3's, and the same Live Phish tracks over and over again (10.31.96 Simple anyone?).

To get variety you really need to scan your favorite stations all the time, which is fairly easy. I love Left of Center (indie rock), Margaritaville (buffet), Stern, Raw Dog, Disorder, The Edge and Spectrum.

I did enjoy the live concerts, but only in passing- I never sat and listened to a whole show.

I did however find myself surprised by how much I liked the talk radio/ sports and comedy for long road trips. I wish I could sign up for a month at a time when I knew I would be travelling. Or find three buddies to split the cost and radio with.

I have let my one year subscription pass (be careful if you ordered with a credit card, they automatically renew your subscription if you don't tell them otherwise!) but may search for a good deal and sign up for a few months over the summer.

Verdict:

Less known bands, played as often as regular radio

Great special broadcasts

All of your NHL, NFL for travelling

Great comedy stations

If you travel in your car more than one hour a day, its worth it. If you don't, it isn't.

I have a receiver for sale if anyone wants it....

Sean

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've had Sirius since late '05 and love it. Got it mosty for Howard, and eveything else has been a bonus. Yes, over the short term, most channels are somewhat repetitive. This is the most common complaint of new subscribers. Weekly playlists are not huge, but they are much bigger than regular radio. Over the medium- and long-term, all Sirius channels do add many new songs, artists, etc. And, most channels play a number of artists you will simply not hear on regular radio. Ive been exposed to Lily Allen, Regina Spektor, TV on the Radio, LCD Soundsystem, Hot Chip, Editors and a bunch other cool stuff that I never would have heard otherwise.

Im sorry that you are not happy with it, TomFoolery. Give it time, I have a feeling your opinion will change. You'll find a few channels that you like and will eventually flip around between them. That seems to be what most people have done and I dont know a single person who has returned it after giving it a chance.

Really, there is no comparison between satellite and regular radio. Regular radio is at least 40% commercials and very repetitive. Try driving on a long trip with a regular radio, and see how much you miss Sirius - even after only a few weeks. (You cant tell me you miss the commercials.) And regular radio is censored - it wont play songs like Black Swan by Thom Yorke.

As for others complaining about paying for it. You pay for cable, dont ya? You can get free TV with an antenna. But, who would? Would you take Sirius over regular radio if it was free? If you would, then it is superior, and the price is a personal willingness-to-pay issue.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh for sure, bouche. My music fav's are:

26 Left of Center

22 First Wave

17 Jam On

24 90s Alt

71 Jazz Cafe

70 Planet Jazz

33 Area 33, and

07 Total 70s

but really, I'm happy with almost all of the music channels. i dont need to hear only those songs that i already own. I like hearing new stuff, some of which I like, some not and that's cool.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pure jazz gets the most rotation around here. It seems like they play a wide variety of stuff.

But I agree with Phishtaper to a certain degree - I don't need to hear stuff I already own. At the same time, I don't want to hear the same four artists over and over again even if I don't own their material.

Anyhow, I'm pretty disappointed.

I listen to a lot of cbc (which as I said before, we wouldn't get here without the satellite system.

I'm forced to listen to Martha Stewart station (which is grounds to throw the whole thing out the window).

And, occasionally I turn on Stern to hear what outrageousness he's spewing.

That's an interesting one actuallly. I don't actually find most of the Stern material funny or interesting in any way. However, there is something about his approach to showbiz that I reallly appreciate. Unabashedly commercial - knows his audience VERY well. But, quite irreverent.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I loved Sirius at first as well. It was mostly due to the fact that there's no commercials and no wing ding, honk honk sounds.

But yeah the playlists and selection of bankds gets old quick. You just have to keep it fresh by changing stations.

I can not wait to have it in the car though. I listen to a lot of books on my ipod during road trips and they really help me get through the driving. Sharing the experience of stories and comedy shows with bouche and other passengers will be really so much better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

my friend told me he got an email saying his service was going from 13 to 15 a month.

plus i wanted to mention, that is you get a car radio with the sat radio built in, and hook it up, if you want to use another sat radio in your house, you have to pay again, i thought that was a bit stupid, if i have more then one, it should be the same price, my bro got one that has a dock in the car, and one on his sterio so he can move it

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...