Only way i'm locking in rates is by dumping them when my year is up (unless they give me the $77 a year offer again)

Yay for monopolies!

so this would increase my sub by 8 bucks a month with a loss of internet radio unless I sign up for a 3 year contract.

Guess I have to call and stop the sub. This was just what was needed to push me off the wagon.

Glad I never jumped on that bandwagon. MP3s ftw.

Is it me or does that dog look like it is farting?

@GIZisGOD: Nah, it looks like it took a dump instead.

Whether it is or not, I still think Sirius smells. Seriously.

To be honest, I don't see a problem. I love XM/Sirius, I have a portable receiver that I can use in my car or home, and I don't mind paying 36 bucks a year to stream if it means keeping the company in business and I can be entertained at work.

@darkjedi26: Exactly what I did. When XM kept calling to renew my trial (it came with my car) I repeatedly said that I liked their service but it was not worth the price and eventually they offered me a really cheap deal.

I'll probably cancel it again in 2 years when the contract is up.

@Brain.wav: Yeah because we know there's no such thing as free radio, podcasts, HD radio, other online radio...all controlled by Sirius and XM...oh wait they're not are they? I do believe I can receive streaming versions of much of the same content elsewhere, and for free no less.

It is not a monopoly and it is simply false to claim so. They have cornered ONE aspect of the streaming audio market. You don't want to pay the charge that Sirius/XM charges for their service then don't. But you are not entitled to their service either.

Before the XM / Sirius merger weren't reps telling people to "lock" into their cheap rates now because prices could go up?

Can't wait until HD World Band Radio gets ironed out. FM quality from broadcasters anywhere in the USA and Canada. Suppose to be available soon in Great Britain and Europe.

BTW, Ben, stop telling Carey to identify this as a monopoly. It's not. if the merger didn't happen, both companies would be out of business. Or, worst case scenario, CBS radio or Clear Channel makes a play for the company.

I have Sirius now and am an additional account on my father account and I pay yearly. Will I keep getting internet radio service for free then?

I haven't been happy with the product after the merger. Traffic has always been bad, but now they merged Detroit and Las Vegas on the same channel. As if I want to wait for a totally irrelevant traffic and weather report before getting to a mostly useless traffic and weather report for my area.

Loss of channels, new channels that are just bad and the decades channels are filled with ex-MTV jocks that drone on about the irrelevant (how many times can Alan Hunter give the date in one break???).

It's over for me. My wife can keep her subscription, but an extra $2 is the incentive I need to kill my subscription.

Fortunately for them, I have only one radio, and my plan isn't going up, or I'd be locking in at $0 for eternity.

Their station selection sucks now, their djs talk too much, and there is competition at cheaper price points from Slacker, Zune/Napster.

@Brain.wav: So you have no other audio entertainment in your car/home/office? Wow.

They are not arbitrarily raising rates on a whim. They lost 90% of their stock value because of the delay in the approval of the merger. If they DON'T do this, they will die.

I am probably going to lock in my rate (because I drive a lot and it is worth it) but will have to think about my fiance's account.

Though I am unhappy with the Sirius merger, they ruined my XM "experience", the reason I have satellite radio is
1. NHL - every game plus NHL talk radio, can't get NHL centric info anywhere in the US, rarely mentioned on ESPN unless there is an "incident"
2. No commercials for music
3. Greater variety of music choice
4. Multiple news channels
5. Uncensored comedy and talk
6. No bonehead DJs interrupting my music

OTA radio still cannot touch any of the above reasons, except now I have to put up with DJs talking over my music, but I still have everything else.

They took away my Lucy, Fred and Ethel, and Comedy 150, but at least I don't get commercials every six minutes like FM. I will probably not cancel over a $2 increase, though I am not happy about it. If they would dump the high priced talent (stern, etc.) and all the stupid DJs, and stick to music they could save some coins.

@BuddyGuyMontag:
Monopoly, noun:
1 : exclusive ownership through legal privilege, command of supply, or concerted action
2 : exclusive possession or control
3 : a commodity controlled by one party

If the shoe fits...

@zentec: You took the words right out of my mouth!

As part of the merger agreement regular subscription rates are not going up - but Sirius found a loophole where they can raise rates on internet radio and on additional subscriptions on your account

I cancelled our subscription in December. I'd rather load my favorite tunes on an Mp3 player.... cheaper, and exactly what I want. I had ours for a year, I gave them more than enough time to impress me.

I'm not quite sure what this company's intent is anymore, like every other company. Which leads me to conclude that staying away from them is probably the best idea.

@Saboth: It is only cheaper if you already have a data plan or phone that will work, plus it is a pain to install through the receiver in your car, unless you use one of those crappy fm modulators. Plus with spotty cell coverage it just is not practical for most users.

Plus I am sick of them being called a monopoly, since they are so many options, especially all of you that are canceling, you obviously have an alternative to turn to. I do think it is a BS move to raise the rates as soon as the merger was completed by going through a loop hole, and really makes them look bad in the eyes of the users and general public.

@Collie: I never understood why they have DJs on the music stations, your radio display tells you the artist and song title.

If those are the only 2 things going up, I'm sticking. I don't use either of those and don't plan too.

@friendlynerd: You can still listen to music via terrestrial radio, etc. Sirius has exclusive products (Howard, O&A, R&F, etc.) that you pay a premium for.

@Brain.wav: Not a monopoly, lets count the alternatives:

1. "free" radio with advertising
2. Pandora/Slacker over mobile devices
3. iPod/Mp3 players
4. old school - compact discs
5. really old school - cassette tapes
6. one foot in the grave - 8 tracks
7. mentally disturbed - the voices and music in your head

@Collie: Unfortunately XM is sounding more and more like FM. I have been hearing teasers for upcoming songs more and more on some of the channels like The Pulse and 70's. Almost like Mel is taking payment for popular songs to get them on the air, just like FM.

ANd they now have DJ's who offer useless chatter over the beginning of songs now. I see no point in that. I don't care if it is Elton John's birthday. Just play the music like they used to.

Hey Consumerist, did you know that your polls don't really work right in Safari? Just sayin'. As a Safari-using consumer of the Consumerist, I thought you might like to know.

@BuddyGuyMontag:
By that definition, Ticketmaster isn't a monopoly either since you can choose not to go to a concert.

I bought a car at the end of October, so the free three-month trial of XM is about to end. I've been getting harassing phone calls demanding that I pay up for the service. And now, they want higher prices. No thank you.

Folks, iPhone + iPod adapter + Pandora is both free and better than satellite radio.

Before anyone gets carried away with the whole ordeal, do a risk/reward analysis to see if you'll benefit from having a multi-year subscription at the current price, even if you have to charge it and pay a little interest. If having the multi-radio and Internet services mean that much to you, take a little time to think about it. You might come out on top.

@LuzioFantazmic: I guess to capture the people already familiar with that on the FM side. Personally, if I was paying for radio I would not want commercials, DJ's speaking over the music, etc. The only thing that has had me ever thinking about it is the NHL stuff.

The Stern and other costly jocks experiment hasn't worked. It brought in subscribers, but not enough to pay for the ridiculous salaries.

I bought stock in both of these companies as soon as I bought a radio, then dumped it as soon as they went to a high-priced talent model.

The people I know who love this service have a commute more than 1/2 an hour each way, are sick of DJs and commercials on FM and like listening to news, sports, and talk shows.

I ama single radio subscriber, so the increase doesn't affect me, but the product has such potential to be great, and the people running the show keep screwing it up.

@my_imaginary_friends_bore_me: Probably some suit did a "focus" group and thought people liked them. I don't need to know what girl some singer is doing, or what drug clinic someone just checked into. Just play the damn music and shut up. When I buy a CD no one blares out to me, "it's track 3, by the Hoodoo Gurus", I hate uninvited guests.

i killed my service back in september when they pulled fungus to promo ac/dc's album. bought a zen micro for $50 & filled it with a bunch of punk music - don't miss xm at all. plus, it's saving me $165/year.

@hellinmyeyes: I should add that that's one of the reasons they attempted this, Im betting, since Sirius desperately needs cash to help renegotiate their debt coming due this year. Like I said, if you are happy with the service and you'll come out on top, go for it.

@Sam Wille: I can not live with NHL Radio, it is my lifeline done here in the South. It is worth twice what I pay just to get real sports talk about the NHL and the great sport of hockey.

A monopoly taking advantage of its customers?

I'm shocked! Shocked, I say!

@tmed: To justify Stern's $500,000,000 contract (most of which was stock that is worth a LOT less), he needed to bring in 3 million listeners over 5 years. He brought between 8 million and 12 million.

@Brain.wav: Please, that's like saying that De Beers doesn't have a monopoly on diamonds because rubies and sapphires exist. There might be alternative ways to listen to music, but none offer the same service as satellite radio. These alternatives are not equivalents:
1) Free radio with advertising - it has advertising for one, and isn't available everywhere. I live in Canada, and if you're not by a major city, you really don't have much for radio choices. Try driving through the mountains and see what choices you have.
2) Pandora/Slacker over mobile devices - relies on WiFi or cell service being available. See my comment on driving through the mountains.
3) iPod/MP3 players - I use radio as a way to discover new music. I'm not going to hear anything new on my iPod
4) Compact Discs - see the iPod argument
5) Cassette tapes - see the iPod argument
6) 8 tracks - see the iPod argument
7) Voices in my head - again, see the iPod argument, I've already heard everything the voices have to say.

So the only way to hear new music is: FM Radio, Satellite radio, the internet, or MTV. It's tough to pick up good FM radio where I work and camp, and I don't have cable or internet when I drive, so satellite is the only way to go. Sirius doesn't have a monopoly on playing music, but they sure do have a monopoly on satellite radio.

I was an early adopter of XM, Paid $400 to buy the gear to integrate it with my Alpine. In the begining it was great, and affordable after the initial investment.

After several years, it really started to turn to crap, they would add channels and the bandwidth for existing ones would go down to the point where it sounded like garbage on my high end system.

So I canceled about a 2 years back.

It sounds like they are digging their own graves completly..

@Alex Duzik: I disagree that Pandora is better than XM. Will Pandora get you around a traffic jam, can it stream live NHL/MLB/NFL/Golf etc, How about CNN or Fox news, can I listen to Opie and Anthony? How about talk radio?

You may be happy with Pandora, but it only feels part of my needs.

Does anyone know if this affects XM online listening or just sirius online listening?

Some of you don't think this is a monopolistic corporation...

from wikipedia...

In economics, a monopoly (from Greek monos , alone or single + polein , to sell) exists when a specific individual or enterprise has sufficient control over a particular product or service to determine significantly the terms on which other individuals shall have access to it.[1] Monopolies are thus characterized by a lack of economic competition for the good or service that they provide and a lack of viable substitute goods.[2] The verb "monopolize" refers to the process by which a firm gains persistently greater market share than what is expected under perfect competition.

The first subsection is a little shaky only due to the phrase "a lack of viable substitute goods" but the second subsection describes XM/Sirius exactly.

@friendlynerd: The difference is you can listen to music from many different sources, but you can rarely buy tickets from anyone but Ticketmaster.

@BuddyGuyMontag: I'm sure the business doesn't need the 36 bucks a year to stay in business.

@MrsLopsided:Is this only for Sirius or for XM also. I haven't found that out yet.

Up next, a $3.99 bankruptcy legal team fee. Why would anyone pay for radio when most cars have an "iPod input" in their car?

@snowburnt: One million people at 36 bucks a year is 36 million dollars. You were saying?