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Posted by
zacharythax December 10, 2007 -
544 views
I still don't know what to think about the merger between the two satellite radio companies. On the downside it would create a monopoly. Without competition it may lead to inflated rates and crappy service. Anyone who has ever dealt with a small-town cable company knows what kind of headaches a company can create when they KNOW they're the only game in town, take it or leave it, what're you gonna do.
On the other hand, they say there IS competition, not from other satellite radio, but from podcasts. Where I work it is nearly impossible to pick up Sirius transmissions (XM satellites come in a lot better, I must say) The garagepunk podcasts have proven a lot more straight up unwatered down listening than the mainstreamed garage-lite fare of Sirius' Little Steven's Underground Garage channel. While I live hearing my friends The Creatures of the Golden Dawn on there all the time, my heart sinks when I hear stuff like Bruce Springsteen and some girl band doing a cover of Twisted Sister. Plus I have a moral problem with that Who channel. I don't want any of my hard-earned dough going to that neo-con child-porn-wanking pervert Pete Townsend.
Basically, it all comes down to banking on the laziness of the American people, something that probably should not be underestimated, even though in many respects we have had laziness foisted upon us more and more in my lifetime (i.e. since 1967) You didn't used to HAVE to have a remote control for the TV. It used to be cities and towns were built so you could walk to everything. They were built for poeple. Now suburban communities are built for cars so you HAVE to walk everywhere. Satellite radio is like having your water on tap. Receiving podcasts is like taking buckets of water from the well.
Like the water from the well, however, the product is of a lot better quality.
