Siriusly?

You might recall that Sirius and XM, the two big satellite radio providers, merged last summer, pretty much swallowing that market. But thankfully, listeners are no longer locked into terrestrial radio, much less satellite, as they were in the 90s - iTunes, online streams and college radio provide plentiful alternatives. So it isn't too surprising that people would be loathe to pay a monthly fee when free sources are readily available. But apparently someone sees value in the company - last week, Liberty Media, which owns DirecTV, bailed out Sirius XM by investing $530 million, in return for 40 percent of the company, according to the New York Times.

But isn't Liberty is just staving off the inevitable? Sirius XM's strategy of hiring celebrity DJs (Howard Stern, et al) just doesn't have the same draw in today's fragmented listenership. And while the company has a variety of programming, can they really compete with the legions of podcasters who are obsessed with their own niches - and charge nothing for their content? Doubtful.

I, For One, Do Not Welcome Our New Ticketing Overlords

My first four shows in NYC, ever.

A week back, I was looking forward to a couple shows - the ArtBattles event at Le Poisson Rouge, and Modeselektor at Bowery Ballroom. I usually try to be prepared for an event - either having a ticket in hand or a guest list spot secured. But my plans were somewhat spur of the moment, and I took a calculated risk. In this case, the calculation consisted of the $6 surcharge for an online ticket, which I felt morally repugnant. Thus, I showed up for ArtBattles and it was sold out at the door. The next day, tickets for Modeselektor weren't available online, and I figured that one sold out too. In short, online convenience charges are a pain, but when a show is selling out anyways, you can afford to be a little greedy.

Today, the Wall Street Journal (registration possibly required) reports that the major culprits of the surcharge epidemic, Live Nation and Ticketmaster, are considering a merger. Cue the AIM conversation between myself and Jeff of the culture of me.

[13:03] MADLIBS04: so..is it really going to change things?
[13:03] MADLIBS04: /shrug
[13:05] thatdudejeffwho: nope
[13:05] MADLIBS04: interesting
[13:05] thatdudejeffwho: now just one website to go get raped on

Perhaps a little facetious, but let's face it - these companies aren't in the business to promote good music. They're here to increase their profit, and all else comes second. It's one of the last fringes of the music industry that actually makes money, and it pains me to see it being perverted.