XM gets the axe (maybe)

On the verge of making a monumental decision. After enjoying XM Satellite Radio for 7 years I am seriously (no pun intended) considering cancelling my subscription. I've enjoyed it immensely over the course of those years. It's not that I have many problems with the service. Well, maybe a couple. For instance, they've changed, re-arranged, re-named, added and subtracted so many channels that I don't even have the channel line-up memorized anymore. One of the main things I like about XM is the ability to "channel surf" with the remote. I could sit for hours with my finger on the "up" and "down" buttons. But now the transponders are different and when I'm cruising the news/talk/entertainment channels there is a LONG gap of silence between them...like up to 5 seconds, which may not sound like a lot, but it seems to last forever when you're waiting for that next channel to load. Plus, it seems as if the audio quality has degenerated somewhat. Not that I was ever satisfied with it. When I first got XM I was under the impression that the sound fidelity was unparalleled. Maybe it was the particular model of radio I bought, but I  was never happy with it. Still, it was "good enough" and didn't really dampen the overall enjoyment. I was enamored of having so many different genres in one place (this was before such became the norm with Internet radio). That's the reason I bought it, and for the most part I'd have to say that it has served that purpose well.

So what's killing XM in my house? One word: Spotify.

Ever since I downloaded the free version of Spotify several months ago I've been intrigued with the possibilities it offers. The music database is beyond belief. It's like an ocean from which to fish tracks for personal playlists that can be configured to serve as your own radio station...I've got one playlist that has over 3,000 songs on it. You could push "play" one day and the thing would still be playing, with no repeats, over a week later. It only took a day or two to compile that one, because I added full albums and was more concerned with genre than actual artists/songs. I can't even imagine how much time could be killed compiling a radio station using only two or three songs per artist. There's no doubt in my mind that, if I were so inclined, I could throw together a playlist that would put OKC's classic rock stations to shame. And you know, I'll probably do it. And it will take forever. I'll do it because I CAN do it, then I'll share it with all my facebook friends who are intelligent enough to have already jumped on the Spotify bandwagon...and trust me, it's going to be a long trip. It's going to catch on and next thing you know it will be just as integral a part of facebook as their game apps. That's guaranteed because Zuckerberg has thrown a lot of weight behind it. He's the kind of guy who can trot out changes despite users' bitching and moaning, then a couple of months later they're all embracing them  until the next change comes along, which they'll bitch even louder about because they've come to love the LAST change so much (you know, the one they were bitching and moaning about in the first place?).

But we were talking about Spotify, and more specifically Spotify's role in the demise of XM in my household. It has a lot to do with all those home made playlists. You see, the ONLY time I ever listen to XM is at night, when I go to bed. I'll put on the headphones, take my ambien, grab the remote to surf and relax until eventually I'm sleeping peacefully. But the surfing isn't as much as fun as it was...I think I already mentioned this earlier...and I usually wind up on one of a handful of channels...primarily Symphony Hall, Met Opera, Spa (the new age music channel) or the Grateful Dead channel. Lately I've listened to Enlighten, the southern gospel channel. Even when I'm surfing I generally wind up only listening to Alan Colmes.

So I'm sure you see where I'm going with this. Why listen to the limited selection of selections in particualar genres when you can choose what you want to hear or play a massive playlist in random mode, stocked with your own choices? No duds. Spotify premium offers better sound fidelity than it's free version, and much better than XM's ever was. There are no ads...which doesn't really factor into the XM situation, since their music stations don't, either, but the lack of advertising is definitely a plus when I'm listening during the day...and it's portability insures that I will use it often. Though it wasn't a primary consideration, the fact that the Spotify monthly subscription rate is $5.00 cheaper than XM. That's 70 bucks a year. Can't beat that.

I am putting off the cancellation for a few days until I'm positive the iPhone app is going to meet my specifications. There was a problem last night when I first tested it. The music would play just fine for about 20 minutes then it would crash. Very, very disappointing. But I downloaded it from iTunes, deleted it from my phone then synced it from there. I've got high hopes, as the music has played uninterrupted for the last 2 hours. I'll continue playing it all day before I'm ready to give the green light for the XM shutdown. The XM payment goes through in a day or so anyway so I figure I'll keep it, just in case, for the next three weeks. I've read horror stories about how difficult it can be to cancel XM service. It might be a good idea to give myself a little wiggle room.

The ONLY thing that has kept me from doing this a long time ago is the channel surfing aspect of the XM experience. Can't do that with Spotify. That's going to take a long time to get used to. It may take a little while but I think I can get over that, what with being able to choose my own music. Gonna try.

The end of an era.