Category: satelliteradio

Sirius is announcing that they’re adding ten more channels today with the headline “Sirius debuts 10 new channels to bring you more of what you want”. That sounds reasonable enough on the face of it, but I wasn’t aware that “more of what I want” encompassed:

• A NASCAR channel,
• A Catholic channel,
• CNN in Spanish,
• Not one but two French-language news channels,
• … and a Canadian soft rock channel

Don’t get me wrong — I totally dig Sirius — but I’m not exactly thrilled out of my gourd at the news of these new channels. Well, ya win some, ya lose some. C’est la vie.

I was listening to the Classic Rap channel on Sirius Radio (live audio feed here) yesterday. Somewhat with the same idea as “classic rock”, the classic rap channel plays tracks from rap of years past.

They play artists such as Run DMC, Grandmaster Flash, and old-skool Beastie Boys. So, I was listening on my way downtown, and on comes the Sugerhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight”. I was rather amused by the innocence and yet genuine humor of the lyrics:

Have you ever went over a friends house to eat
and the food just ain’t no good?
I mean, the macaroni’s soggy the peas are mushed
and the chicken tastes like wood.
So you try to play it off like you think you can
by sayin that you’re full.
And then your friend says “Momma, he’s just being polite
He ain’t finished. Uh uh, that’s bull”.
So your heart starts pumpin and you think of a lie
and you say that you already ate
and your friend says “Man, there’s plenty of food
so you pile some more on your plate”.
While the stinky food’s steamin’, your mind starts to dreamin’
of the moment that it’s time to leave.
And then you look at your plate and your chickens slowly rottin’
into something that looks like cheese.
Oh, so you say “That’s it, I got to leave this place.
I don’t care what these people think.
I’m just sittin here makin myself nauseous
with this ugly food that stinks.”
So you bust out the door while it’s still closed
still sick from the food you ate
and then you run to the store for quick relief
from a bottle of Kaopectate […]

I had heard parts of the song before from movies, but never before in full (what a treat). And, I’m even more amused just trying to imagine someone like Puff Daddy signing lyrics like those today ;).

Among Sirius Radio’s announcements at CES 2003, they announced 14 new channels starting on February 3, 2003. A few excerpts:

Wax/42: Turntablism and Freestyle sounds. Tune in to hear world-class DJs show off their cuttin’ and scratchin' skills. Wax will feature your favorite breakbeats and the hottest new MCs engaged in freestyle battles.

You’ll hear artists like: DJ Ace, 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes, 2pac, Notorious B.I.G., Big Daddy Kane, and DJ Red Alert.

House Party/60: Tune in for non-stop House groove!

You’ll hear artists like: Marshall Jefferson, Inner City, Doug Lazy, Todd Terry, J.M. Silk, and Frankie Knuckles.

The Rave/62: Tune in for the non-stop energy of the club nightlife. Featuring the hottest club DJs in the world. It’s the 24/7 showcase for the newest Dance remixes breaking out across America.

I’m still not clear on the various distinctions between the subgenres of techno (is that the correct term for the supergenre, or is electronica the supergenre in this case?), but I look forward to checking those out. I know that I like Eurobeat/Eurodance, though I’m not sure whether that matches with any of the above genres.

I also happened to come across this Why is it different? link on the differences between Sirius and some of its competitors. There’re the usual reasons — no commercials, more stations, and so on. But what caught my eye was that they specifically frown on their competitors’ payola, implying that Sirius doesn’t have payola — definitely a Good Thing.