Slacker Sucks Thread. People who want to bag on Slacker and Pandora.

[SiriusBuzz]

Your right and is the reason why you arent getting any traction here with your "Pandora and Slacker are great" comments, giveaways, etc... just a thought

You have it backwards, it means more coming from me and this site! If someone who ran an xbox site was praising nintendo, I would be forced to stop and recognize that! If I were slamming slacker, that would be meaningless because I would be looked at as a biased Sirius XM fanboy.

I am not getting any traction? Not sure what that means but, as far as that giveaway goes, it was a massive success, it was one of our highest traffic days on record. Not to mention the total number of entries were staggering (especially the secret ones from the Sirius XM fans!).

As far as my comments getting "traction" plenty of people agree (a lot privately via pm and email... strange ) with me and just because die hard fans/shareholders don't like to hear it doesn't mean it isn't true. If I were not talking about the real issues, no one would.

I am a shareholder... don't forget that guys. Its not in my nature to invest in a company that I do not fully understand the business of. You guys should all be thinking the same way.

This thread actually didn't get any traction until I came here to help it along

[otone]

I don't think I have it backwards....I see your point, and even considered it before I posted. Point is you won't get any support on a SiriusXM fan/investor site regarding Pandor/Slacker... and talking about PM's and secret e-mails does not count and you can't use it to support your arguement. If all those folks that feel that way want to comment in public on this thread then ok. As far as people flocking to your contest, no doubt they did. Most everyone want something for free. I didn't though. I would have no use for it. It's not possible for me to put myself in your shoes because I don't operate a web site, but I just can't imagine that I would give away a Slacker on my SiriusXM site. I'm guessing it made fiscal sense, but it just doesn't feel right. I KNOW SiriusXM hasn't been a friend at all by giving you guys anything to promote and that is unfortunate. I do not understand that at all.

You mentioned that SiriusXM is moving more toward computer generated programming. Thankfully, I have yet to hear any of that kind of programming on any of the Sirius XM stations I listen to. If that day comes and they become just like Slacker and Pandora, they will lose a subscriber. I think there is room enough in the market for both Pandora, Slacker, and Sirius XM to flourish. I know you are pissed off at SiriusXM and their marketing or lack therof... I am too. Until they come out with a new look, and show themselves as a brand new healthy company with some great ideas/programs, you will win the argument.

So remind me again... what is it that you like about SiriusXM that Pandora and Slacker do not have? What is the "must have" for you that SiriusXM has that Pandor and Slacker will never have?

[SiriusBuzz]

I don't think I have it backwards....I see your point, and even considered it before I posted. Point is you won't get any support on a SiriusXM fan/investor site regarding Pandor/Slacker

I am not looking for support. I think that is the misconception. I am simply posting my thoughts and concerns about the company. I am not looking to lead a slacker revolution... I own SIRI stock and run a website dedicated to the service... I have an interest in Sirius XM succeeding.

... and talking about PM's and secret e-mails does not count and you can't use it to support your arguement. If all those folks that feel that way want to comment in public on this thread then ok.

Fair enough but, you can see why they would be private about it right? I even tell the people to go post it in the forums if you feel that way and they reply with "no way" or ignore me. But that is to be expected, I am sure there plenty of people who dont post half of what they privately think.

It's not possible for me to put myself in your shoes because I don't operate a web site, but I just can't imagine that I would give away a Slacker on my SiriusXM site.

I would have rather given away a new stiletto or mirge but, that has never been an option

I'm guessing it made fiscal sense, but it just doesn't feel right. I KNOW SiriusXM hasn't been a friend at all by giving you guys anything to promote and that is unfortunate. I do not understand that at all.

But Taylor, the guy who owns a site which sells on Sirius XM products runs a forum with a whole section dedicated to slacker... clearly there is overlap. The audience is similar enough that I thought the fans would enjoy it.

You mentioned that SiriusXM is moving more toward computer generated programming. Thankfully, I have yet to hear any of that kind of programming on any of the Sirius XM stations I listen to.

You do, you just dont listen long enough to notice. If you grab the playlists off of any channel you will see looping similarities day after day. The programming is being geared up way in adavance. I dont know if it happens at Sirius XM yet but, they talk about guys coming in and cutting spots way in advance so, that the DJ doest have to be live in the studio.

I think there is room enough in the market for both Pandora, Slacker, and Sirius XM to flourish.

You might be right, I am still not positive of that myself but, I do not think there will be room for more then one Pandora or Slacker and if one of those big names can win out, consume the others user base, and generate enough money and or grab big VC funding, that would scare the shit out of me.

So remind me again... what is it that you like about SiriusXM that Pandora and Slacker do not have? What is the "must have" for you that SiriusXM has that Pandor and Slacker will never have?

As I get older, I love talk radio more and more. I dont know why it happens but, I remember being a kid and begging my dad to put on some damn music, now, I am like my dad. Sirius XM has great talk radio and I wish they would scoop up more big names even if that means spending 500 million on a wacky blow hard like limbaugh because he will put asses in the seats, as people would say.

As an investor, they have spectrum. Something Slacker could possible lease someday but I dont think anyone will own a chunk like Sirius XM does right now and that is a good thing.

That being said, to answer your second question, I cant be sure that pandora or slacker will NEVER have talk.

I think Stern could go rogue and start his own online radio company for just him alone and he could make some serious cash. So, why couldn't he piggy back on a service like pandora or slacker? Would 5 million people follow him to wherever he went online? No doubt.

[otone]

Understand your points. Regarding the computer playlists, I still don't think I am getting any of that type of content. Personally, I only record "Buried Treasure", "Pink and Black Days", and "Norm N. Nite" so I can listen to that in my car, on travel, etc. Love the shows and love the history.

You can't get those on Pandora, Slacker, last.fm, etc.

Amazing.. while I was looking to see if you could get "Buried Treasure" as a podcast, I ran into a site where someone was looking for the same thing. He was told to maybe try the Tom Petty site and was all pissed off because the people on the site were giving him attitude for not just signing up to get the content... He wanted it for free. Sheesh, if it wasn't for SiriusXM subscribers paying for the service and SiriusXM paying him to do the show, there wouldn't be show for them to download. These kiddies nowadays need to WTFU and stop thinking they are entitled to everything for free.

[James]

I am the holder of three Sirius-XM subscriptions I also have a Slacker Plus account. I think this qualifies me to say that Slacker has a great service. I listen to it through a G1 portable and ocassionally online.

Slacker is better than Sirius in someways. The Slacker Plus account allows for unlimited skipping and no commercials. The 80's alternative station has a deeper playlist than First Wave. It is actually closer to what Fred was. Skipping allows me to skip any songs I might not like. Sound quality on the G1 is similiar to the Stiletto with the premium internet service, which blows away the sound quality of the satellite stream.

The advantage of Sirius is the speciality programming. I don't listen to Howard but he is an obvious example. My favorite Sirius only program would be Dave Kendall's Party 360. Sirius's shallower playlists is ideal for use in the car.

I love both services. I don't feel that knocking Slacker or Pandora improves Sirius's standing.


Disclosure: Long Sirius

[imromo24]

Damnit James your not helping here.. Come on what don't you like...

[imromo24]

Otone, what are those shows and how do you record them?

[James]

Damnit James your not helping here.. Come on what don't you like...

Terrestrial Radio and Stale MP3 player playlists

[imromo24]

Those are obvious...but being a user of Slacker Plus what don't you like about that? has to be something. its the slacker sucks thread..

[nisvan]

i think i've figured this whole thing out;
it's speculative, but hear me out;

i'm a tube and transistor guy; i grew up listening
to am, then fm; did ham radio; i'd stare in wonder
at vacuum tubes for hours, and solder capacitors
and resistors into circuit boards hoping to pick up
radio moscow when i flipped the switch

charles is a software guy; it's his business, his knowledge,
his expertise. he's admitted as much

slacker and pandora are software inventions; they seam
to and bind with other software applications; ipod and
blackberry and iphone - all of this is software

sirius/xm's ancestral lines, i submit, despite the complexity
of satellite delivery, are ancestral from the tube and transistor
culture, and not so much the later borne software culture

the people that run siriusxm, including mel of course, were kids
in a tube and transistor fm shorwave and ham radio culture;
they are less likely to be of the Wired software generation and that kind
of thinking; Charles (and the creators of products like Pandora and
Slacker plainly are of the software kind of thinking.

siriusxm, because of its transistor/tube/fm heritage is not so inclined
to be as software oriented as the charles/pandora/slacker/iphone group;
they can't be; if they were or had been, they wouldn't have had the
wherewithall to create siriusxm satellite radio; it would have been a software
based creation/product instead

the key of course is to bring in more of the software kind of culture and
thinking into the siriusxm tube/transistor/fm culture; that i think is what
charles is heeding the need for - else siriusxm will be left behind

make sense?