Mr Matt
join:2008-01-29
Eustis, FL
kudos:1 Reviews:
 ·CenturyLink
 ·Comcast
·Embarq Now Centu..
 ·Millenicom
| Sirius XM Passes RIAA Tax (FEE) On To Consumers  I am a subscriber to Sirius/XM and I am not happy. I intend to contact my Senator and Congressman to find out why the Government has not forced Sirius/XM to honor the agreement they made with the Government in order to get approval for the merger. Sirius and XM agreed not to raise rates for Three Years. They have actually raised rates by:
1) Eliminated a benefit, that included in the subscription fee, access to Sirius/XM via the Internet. Sirius/XM is now charging subscribers a fee of $12.95 to listen to their programming via the Internet. Why doesn't the Government considered that charge, an increase in the subscription fee.
2) The RIAA fee that Sirius/XM now claims to pass on to subscribers, Sirius/XM represents as justifiable. Techdirt's author Mike Masnick, pointed out that Sirius/XM is misleading the FCC and Subscribers because the original subscription fee included payment to the RIAA for using copyrighted music. Sirius/XM management is simply using a small increase in RIAA fees to increase subscriber rates in violation of the merger agreement.
In my opinion Sirius/XM have violated the terms set forth by the Government to allow the merger. The Sirius/XM company should be forced to refund all increases in rates and fees to subscribers. The company should then be fined for violating the agreement with the Government to obtain the right to merge. |
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 tubbynetreminds me of the danse russePremium,MVM
join:2008-01-16
Chandler, AZ | said by Mr Matt:1) Eliminated a benefit, that included in the subscription fee, access to Sirius/XM via the Internet. Sirius/XM is now charging subscribers a fee of $12.95 to listen to their programming via the Internet. Why doesn't the Government considered that charge, an increase in the subscription fee. actually, you pay the $12.95 for the service. since the streaming is no longer a value-add (needed to upgrade to a 128kbps stream), you can add premium streaming for $2.99/month per account. i had paid up front for the lifetime so i never lost streaming, but when i upgraded to an iphone, i wanted to use the app - extra $36/year.
2) The RIAA fee that Sirius/XM now claims to pass on to subscribers, Sirius/XM represents as justifiable. Techdirt's author Mike Masnick, pointed out that Sirius/XM is misleading the FCC and Subscribers because the original subscription fee included payment to the RIAA for using copyrighted music. Sirius/XM management is simply using a small increase in RIAA fees to increase subscriber rates in violation of the merger agreement.
this isnt' just "lets add more fees to the user", the lovely riaa (and its puppet organization, sound exchange) have decided to up the royalty fee for songs played over satellite. as such, sirius/xm's cost of business increased. this increase was purely reactionary based on forces outside of sirius/xm's control.
In my opinion Sirius/XM have violated the terms set forth by the Government to allow the merger. The Sirius/XM company should be forced to refund all increases in rates and fees to subscribers. The company should then be fined for violating the agreement with the Government to obtain the right to merge.
you are more than entitled to your opinion, but this wasn't a raise of rates. this was a simple response to the costs of doing business that were not in play during the time of the merger. i'd be willing to bet that something like this is covered in the merger agreement. business people are smart and ruthless when it comes to money 
that being said - i'm glad i purchased my lifetime subscription in february of this year. free upgrade to best of xm and it was only a $500 up front fee. i can transfer the service on up to three radios at $75/radio. realistically, this could give me up to 10 years of service for my initial $108, the $460 prorated lifetime, and $225. thats half of what it would cost on a month-to-month for the same timeframe (not counting any fee hikes).
q.
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"...if I in my north room dance naked, grotesquely before my mirror waving my shirt round my head and singing softly to myself..." |
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Reviews:
·Comcast
| I have a sirius lifetime as well.
I also have a year paid on sirus and a 6 month demo to go yearly on XM.
Guess what , I ain't paying $15 a month for radio. Sorry , but it just isn't happening , Ill listen to podcasts every day to and from work. And on long road trips , ipod time.
This is the breaking point. The economy is in the dumper and the riaa wants to raise rates ? Get real.
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"It's always funny until someone gets hurt......and then it's absolutely friggin' hysterical!" |
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 KrKHeavy Artillery For The Little GuyPremium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
·AT&T DSL Service
| reply to Mr Matt
It's called using the letter of the agreement to violate the spirit of the agreement.
For example, you promise not to raise prices.
So, instead you create a new "Super-Dooper-Scrumcilityumpcious" tier. That costs more.
You keep your old tiers the same price, but you remove a ton of programming and put it in the new, expensive tier.
Wham! Your customers now must pay more to get what they had before, but HEY, YOU DIDN'T RAISE PRICES.
Yes, it's called a Scam. I wish the USA had much stronger consumer protection laws on a great deal of scammy issues.
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"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." -- Benito Mussolini
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 r81984Fair and BalancedPremium
join:2001-11-14
Katy, TX
 ·AT&T U-Verse
·AT&T DSL Service
·row44
| reply to Mr Matt
"that Sirius XM has simply added a $2 RIAA tax to everyone's monthly bills"
I pay about $6.40 a month at $77 a year, now they want me to pay $8.40/$101. If I cannot renew at $77 I will no longer use XM.
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For those of you playing a drinking game.... MY FRIENDS! |
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Reviews:
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 ·voip.ms
| reply to tubbynet
How can this be a "tax"? This is the "cost of doing business" as it if a fee paid to the RIAA, enforced by a kangaroo court, that goes to the RIAA.
Last I looked, taxes are levied by governments and paid to governments to support government expenditures.
Has the RIAA become a Government ?
If this increase is allowed to stand, next they will be raising rates because: electricity went up, labor costs went up, etc, etc. All of these are costs of doing business.
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The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits. |
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Mr Matt
join:2008-01-29
Eustis, FL
kudos:1 Reviews:
·CenturyLink
·Comcast
·Embarq Now Centu..
·Millenicom
| reply to r81984
I hope that you are not disappointed. I pay $75.63 on a quarterly basis for subscriptions for radios in two vehicles. You might find yourself being billed the same amount when your trial subscription runs out. According to Sirius/XM website they are now passing on the full RIAA copyright fee charging $1.98 for the first radio and $0.97 for each additional radio on an account.
Tubbynet might be disappointed if his lifetime subscription goes Voom. According to reports, Sirius XM apparently is not doing so well financially. I paid for a lifetime subscription to a magazine. Fortunately it passed away before I did. I now have a memorial in my home for the now dead magazine. |
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r81984Fair and BalancedPremium
join:2001-11-14
Katy, TX Reviews:
·AT&T U-Verse
·AT&T DSL Service
·row44
1 edit | I had a 3 month free trial subscription. When that ended I told them I wanted the $77 a year deal. All you have to do is know what to ask for. Check www.fatwallet.com for updates on what deals work.
Before when you tried to cancel they will alway let you renew at $77 a year. If that is not possible anymore then I will just cancel. Nothing has changed to justify the increase. Their price already included the copyright fees for the music creators. This extra RIAA fee is double dipping.
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For those of you playing a drinking game.... MY FRIENDS! |
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Mr Matt
join:2008-01-29
Eustis, FL
kudos:1 |  I appreciate the heads up. |
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