Sounds from the Sky

by CAE, Feb 24, 2009

After CES I was all amped up and ready to blow a fuse over the satellite radio announcements. Look guys, I'm not going to lie to you, I was trying every angle and diplomatic channel -- including magazine status -- to get my hands on one of these units. Hey, I'm an enthusiast too, just like you! At times we all have to utilize all of our ammunition when a hot new toy like this comes along.

In Las Vegas I visited the booths for Sirius Satellite and XM Satellite. I listened to their pitches as they explained how things were still in the works. They said that they were working out all the test run details, and launching this summer for consumer use. My brain started turning, "It takes three months for the magazine to go to print, I need the unit a month prior for testing..." and so on.

Naturally I wanted to be the first to have it in my car. Aside from the glory of being first I wanted to hear the content that is being promised on satellite, because it almost sounds too good to be true. Moreover, it would be a welcome change from the generic formatted "music" we have in L.A. (for that matter, the rest of the country), supposedly the music capitol of the world. I used my most persuasive arguments on reps from the two companies and they looked at me with a nervous eye, thinking we would be brutal, and slam them hard if it didn't work! I told them this would not be the case, that I was very interested in seeing this work to the fullest and that they could consider me as a "beta tester," like in the computer industry.

Although I didn't score one of the new receivers I was able to satisfy my curiosity! Just after the show, we were able to hook up with Kenwood (Long Beach, CA), who just so happened to be running a series of tests in their lab on the Sirius receiver. We discussed witnessing some of these tests for the purposes of our readership. Working with both Kenwood and Sirius' Todd Goodnight, we were able to get some prime time in for our listening test using one of the new Kenwood "Sirius Ready" units which should be on the market as of this issue. My whole point was to "test" the content and see if they actually measured up to the sales hype in Vegas. They went one better than getting the actual unit for my car by bringing out two of the music programmers who live around the Los Angeles area! This is what I wanted, to get my chance to grill these guys on what they would be playing and what I would be paying for. Let's just cut to the chase -- we are paying for music! I wanted to know if my excitement was justified or if I should save my monthly fee, and buy another CD instead. This is the big question.

We arrived early at the Kenwood USA headquarters and I was joined by staff members Ryan Hill (Internet geek and MP3 specialist) and Howie Liwanag (technical guru -- just in case they try to pull a sly one) and we got our first listen to Sirius Satellite Radio. The first programmer to show up was Shawn Wilms. He gave us some background info on his musical past, and informed us that he would be programming the Christian channel, which will have a vast variety of music for listeners. The next programmer was Swedish Egil (pronounced "eagle"). It was exciting to finally meet him . He has been at the forefront of the electronic music scene in Los Angeles, and was at the helm of two major stations (MARS & Groove). Both were progressive electronic stations that, we feel, fell prey to the politics of the music industry. The drama that arises in the music companies' relations with FM radio is commonplace across the country.

Egil continues the crusade, and is on the Internet with his www.grooveradio.com station through which he transmits year 2000s popular songs, such as an MP3 from Finland by DelRude & SandStorm. The one thing that excites Egil about this chance to work with Sirius is NOT having a "business arrangement" between the radio station and the record label for "mass appeal" programming -- and not having to be a revenue source for both the station and the record label. The programmers at Sirius are going to be able to program from different points of view, e.g., the quality of music, what the critics are saying, or what is actually popular on the streets, not just what brings in the most amount of money. Egil's specialty has always been to discover new talent and try to give the artist that big break. Up to now, working at major radio stations, he had been limited in what he could do. For instance, a plethora of independent record labels are coming out with great music, but they don't have long marketing arms and ultimately can't support a station's revenue needs. "We like your music, but we are sorry" is the usual rejection.

According to Egil, Sirius is going to be the complete opposite of FM radio! "We are here for the listener not the advertisers" is their motto. Egil says that so much of what is considered "dance music or commercial dance music" has been driven by the bottom line dollars, not what people really want. This is why we have seen the underground electronic movement (deep house, trance, techno, house, and so many more) become so popular. So they are certainly going to take advantage of that. In addition, Sirius is going to be doing a live broadcast from New York City's Webster Hall nightclub on Friday nights. This is a five-story club that flies in the most exciting trance DJs from Europe. Sirius will broadcast live, Webster Hall's "Tranzworld Fridays," into your car in digital stereo. "We feel that we will be able to give the FM stations that have their local mix shows a run for their money. They cannot get these world class artists to come to their local stations, whereas, they do come to New York City to play for such clubs as Webster Hall -- and we can broadcast out across the nation," Egil says. Also on a technical note, these shows will have a two-feed system; that is, the DJs equipment has a direct line feed and the host will have a mic. You have all heard local FM "on-site" broadcasts where the sound quality is very weak or tunnel-sounding. With the Sirius broadcast you will get that live interaction with the host, the crowd and the pure digital music blend.

Shawn Wilms also noted to us that Sirius will have world class artists included in their programming. This list includes STING, Grandmaster Flash, MC Lyte, Michael Feinstein, BeBe Winans, Dave Koz, Ray Manzarek, Randy Travis and more. They will be broadcasting from their state-of-the-art New York studios. Both Wilms and Egil agree that the studios are absolutely top shelf. Most FM stations are so profit driven that the studios are not a main focus and do not use all the best quality equipment; in a lot of cases they're very cramped for space. Sirius has made their studios the focal point.

Egil is also a big reggae fan. These artists have been shut out from radio since the beginning of their careers. Now with Sirius there is going to be a 24/7 reggae station, programmed by reggae community veteran, Pat McKay, for the entire United States. Unbelievable! This kind of access could bring about cultural change. While Egil was at the Sirius studios, Shaggy was also there with vocalists Brian and Tony Gold, as the first reggae artist-of-record for the Reggae Channel. With the incredible equipment available at Sirius, these guys were not only interviewed, but were able to play and develop exclusive new songs and signature drops for the channel. With a normal FM station being so small it is next to impossible to do this, whereas at Sirius there are a large variety of studios for the artist to choose from. It is this connection, of the artist to the listeners, that Sirius is providing.

Aside from all this interviewing and asking questions -- you want to know what the listening was like, right? Our test bed was with a couple of the new Kenwood SAT/RAD units. While doing the interview we listened to Egil's channel and instantly some good drum and bass by Aphrodite hit our ears. All I can say is, that channel is going to be great! We listened to the Reggae Channel, of course. This one, too, is going to be hot and ground breaking for U.S. listeners. Inside the Kenwood listening studio we checked out one of the Sirius jazz stations and did an A/B comparison with a local FM jazz station. The FM station had a high-end hiss and wasn't as crisp sounding on the upper-end notes, while the Sirius station was noise-free and very sharp. There's just no comparison! And the selection of jazz on the Sirius stations is going to run deep and wide. It seems the local FM stations, no matter what the genre of music, simply skims the top for the same old cycle of classics. I see Sirius as being a library of musical content and of interest to both first time jazz listeners as well as the aficionado.

We also listened to a talk station geared for college kids, and were shocked at the content. Well, not really, we don't shock that easily. But the point is that they were able to discuss what they wanted openly, and in detail. Howard Stern look out, or get on board. Sirius is not regulated by the FCC and therefore the Sirius stations can say it as they see it, play it like they like it -- and that's just how I like it! So as far as I can see it now, this is going to be well worth every penny! With so much to choose from and all of it being top quality in sound and programming, there will be no need for FM in my car. Maybe as customers we can revolutionize our listening when the switch is on. Stay "tuned" until the next episode when we will bring you more.