Apple Music vs Sirius XM..

[heyyitssusan]

Hi all, hope you are staying safe and well.

I have an offer for $5 a month for 12 months of sirius XM (I had a 90 day free trial in my car and since I cancelled a few months ago, I guess they are trying to get me to come back). the offer lets you listen in the car plus on the app as well. Only downfall is that cancelling is a pain in the behind once the offer is up.

Then there’s Apple Music.. we all know what it offers, but it’s $9.99 a month. So my thing is, what would be the best offer to go with? Those with Sirius XM, do you think the $5 a month is worth it? Or should I just stick with Apple Music where it’s a bit more $ per month but I can cancel whenever without someone pestering me to stay.

Thanks.

 

[D.T.]

I say there's a major user experience difference as well, that's what I'd look into, you're kind comparing Apples to Pears ...

XM is for all intents and purposes, "terrestrial radio" with content specific / genre channels that are broadcast at you, even though they have a few delivery mechanisms.

Apple Music, while it does include a radio-like set of features, is a fully user controlled repository of 45 millions songs. You can search, create playlists, download for offline listening, edit existing curated lists of music, mix genres, access a huge volume of content by artist, album, genre.

So if you want to simply choose "90s Alt" and listen to whatever comes up, and that's typical how you engage with music, XM is great! If you want to deep dive into music, be able to both listen to curated music __and__ explore music on your own, download to local devices, etc., then Apple Music is awesome.

Hope that helps (FWIW, we actually have both, wife loves the simplicity of XM, I'm more into exploring / discovery, and want to listen to things on a sudden whim).

Oh, yeah, hope you are (staying safe and well) too

 

[hallux]

I prefer XM because I'm on a metered data plan so streaming is out of the question for me..

 

[Jjayf]

I say there's a major user experience difference as well, that's what I'd look into, you're kind comparing Apples to Pears ...

XM is for all intents and purposes, "terrestrial radio" with content specific / genre channels that are broadcast at you, even though they have a few delivery mechanisms.

Apple Music, while it does include a radio-like set of features, is a fully user controlled repository of 45 millions songs. You can search, create playlists, download for offline listening, edit existing curated lists of music, mix genres, access a huge volume of content by artist, album, genre.

So if you want to simply choose "90s Alt" and listen to whatever comes up, and that's typical how you engage with music, XM is great! If you want to deep dive into music, be able to both listen to curated music __and__ explore music on your own, download to local devices, etc., then Apple Music is awesome.

Hope that helps (FWIW, we actually have both, wife loves the simplicity of XM, I'm more into exploring / discovery, and want to listen to things on a sudden whim).

Oh, yeah, hope you are (staying safe and well) too

^^ Great explanation. We have both also. Two different applications

 

[AZhappyjack]

Hi all, hope you are staying safe and well.

I have an offer for $5 a month for 12 months of sirius XM (I had a 90 day free trial in my car and since I cancelled a few months ago, I guess they are trying to get me to come back). the offer lets you listen in the car plus on the app as well. Only downfall is that cancelling is a pain in the behind once the offer is up.

Then there’s Apple Music.. we all know what it offers, but it’s $9.99 a month. So my thing is, what would be the best offer to go with? Those with Sirius XM, do you think the $5 a month is worth it? Or should I just stick with Apple Music where it’s a bit more $ per month but I can cancel whenever without someone pestering me to stay.

Thanks.

I have that same deal from Sirius MX, and I have to say, my experience is mixed. I mainly use S-XM in my can via CarPlay. The S-XM service is pretty good, when the app works. (My wife has the subscription for her car radio, and it works very well there). I am not sure if the issues that I am experiencing are related to the iOS app or the CarPlay interface... but often times, the app/CarPlay forgets my "favorite channels", and after months, has no clue about my "recent channels". Not sure why that is, as I use it regularly.

It gets worse if I am playing music and get a phone call or have CarPlay read a text message. The S-XM music rarely resumes on its own. If have to go back to the app and restart the music stream. This is where the bug above comes into play. I have to exit the app, and then restart S-XM (which requires using my phone to force kill the app and then restart).

Again, it's not a direct response to your question, but is a serious enough "gotcha" that it's worth mentioning in this context.

As I said, WHEN it works, I am quite pleased with it... but it rarely works as advertised.

 

[Böhme417]

I've had a love-hate relationship with satellite radio over the years. I only listen to it in my car (via radio), so you'll have to judge whether the app will be any use for you. For $60/yr, I'd say go for it if you drive a lot.

I had Sirius in the beginning, and got very annoyed when they merged with XM. Most of favorite stations either changed or were removed entirely. Format and content changed. I'll go through phases where I reactivate it in my car, because I get tired of dealing with streaming services via my phone in the car.

No service seems to be good enough to serve everyone's needs. I like Spotify's stations and for finding new music. Apple Music just isn't there with their radio stations; I find that songs get repeated too much. I rarely find new music listening to Apple Music.

 

[servenvolley]

I get those XM offers but I don't take them up on it as when I used to have the Sirius service and I tried to cancel it after a few years I COULD NOT GET THEM TO CANCEL IT! I have Spotify for my family and Pandora (no ads) for myself now and I would love for XM to offer to let me buy Pandora for my car (they bought Pandora a couple years ago) but they don't offer it. Which makes me wonder why they bought it in the first place.

 

[compwiz1202]

Apple Music, while it does include a radio-like set of features, is a fully user controlled repository of 45 millions songs. You can search, create playlists, download for offline listening, edit existing curated lists of music, mix genres, access a huge volume of content by artist, album, genre.

Yes this is definitely the other advantage after being able to just tap a few things on your phone to cancel vs being on the phone for 22 hours and still getting nowhere.

 

[cawgijoe]

I've had XM from almost the beginning. They used to have a "Lifetime" plan that they no longer offer. I think I paid like $350 or so. What that meant was I had no monthly charges after that. If the radio broke or I wanted a new radio, I had three opportunites to replace the unit before my Lifetime deal was done. I believe there is a fee of $70 (?) to switch radios. I'm grandfathered in.
I'm still on my Skyfi 2. Works great. I like XM in the car because I can also listen to sports, news, etc. as well as music and I still have those three replacement radio opportunities with no monthly fee.

I do have Apple Music and pay $9.99 a month for it. I tend to use it when I go for a walk or run. Sometimes in the car.

I like the ability to listen to whatever I want with Apple Music and even replay songs.

Two different applications and uses.

 

[Pj Bell]

Apple vs SiriusXM - I had Sirius free as trial with a new car. Thought I might continue but when they changed their only Blues station to a novelty Christmas themed R&B station in October I folded. The novelty music at best was awful. There was no break from it, clearly they were sticking with it for 3 months. It would have been more appropriate to have a stand alone seasonal station instead of hijacking the only R&B station it offered. Basically the programs are packaged in genres. One is bound to be disappointed with the limed amount of classical music that Sirius has to offer as well. Apple has a more global sense with options of making your own play lists from a vast artistic pool aside from offing radio shows & int. pod casts. Seemed to me a better option.

 

[kaielement]

I prefer XM because I'm on a metered data plan so streaming is out of the question for me..

Apple Music lets you download music so you can list it off line.

 

[hallux]

So does Google Play Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, etc. For "live radio", it's XM for me. For listening to music cached to my device I'm now using Plex on my Mac Mini to host my collection and the Plex app on my Pixel 2 XL to download the music to my device for offline listening.

 

[sjsharksfan12]

I have both but for completely different reasons. I have Apple Music because they have a vast array of music I can listen to. I have XM because I'm a sports fan and I listen to the sports talk channels, specifically NHL and MLB.

 

[josephd]

I had the trial of SXM, I liked it but it was a PITA to cancel. And you don’t have the flexibility of the streaming services. I currently have Apple Music, which I signed up for the year.
My only issue with Apple Music’s radio stations, they place too much emphasis on hip hop, rap, and now country.
Hopefully iOS 14 brings some exciting changes to Apple Music.

 

[OutGolfn]

Will be interesting to see how Apple builds upon the new live Apple Music Radio stations it announced this week

Apple Music 1
Apple Music Hits Radio
Apple Music Country Radio

Will Apple Music Rock Radio be next?

I use both for now, but depending on how both services evolve over the next 6-12 months will be telling.. Apple can do so much with Live Radio/On Demand shows. During this Pandemic bringing on more artists to directly connect with their fans during a time without concerts is great.

Also the HE-AAC codec used by the Apple music live streams is wayyy superior to the XM streaming audio quality.

Apple Music Radio needs an UI overall with presets/Carplay Radio UI update. So much can be done, follow the new on demand country/Hits artist shows, notifications of shows, history of start/stop of each show, etc.....

Satellite SiriusXM I think will have a difficult next 3-5 years with negative or stagnant growth, while the other competitors have surpassed the SiriusXM sub numbers. I think SiriusXM will need to implement a "Spotify Freemium" model for ongoing free access through their streaming app/website, then up sell Satellite/Exclusive content for higher levels.

However, Apple Music Radio could start introducing way more live stations and seriously put a dent in SiriusXM. Pandora/Stitcher/Podcasts can only help SiriusXM for so long

 

[josephd]

I agree, and well said. My subscription runs out in February. Apple does need to reach out to a broader range of listeners when it comes to their live stations.
Other than that, Apple Music works well enough for my needs. Not to mention it’s as I once said, butter smooth across my Apple devices.

 

[Eric Idle]

I agree, and well said. My subscription runs out in February. Apple does need to reach out to a broader range of listeners when it comes to their live stations.
Other than that, Apple Music works well enough for my needs. Not to mention it’s as I once said, butter smooth across my Apple devices.

Agreed. Apple's radio stations play way too much of that filthy hip hop music. Every 3rd word is bleeped out. Country music isnt my thing so I rarely ever listen to Apple Music radio stations. really poor programming.

 

[Planepics]

We have a limited data phone plan, so when in the car, that could get expensive. ALSO, we travel to places with no cell service. SO, that being said, we use the Sirius XM in the car, as we are always able to get the Satellite..Apple Music at home, and still working on downloading more.

 

[C DM]

We have a limited data phone plan, so when in the car, that could get expensive. ALSO, we travel to places with no cell service. SO, that being said, we use the Sirius XM in the car, as we are always able to get the Satellite..Apple Music at home, and still working on downloading more.

More or less the same reasoning here, aside from some overpasses and covered garages/locations where satellite reception disappears.

 

[compwiz1202]

Hi all, hope you are staying safe and well.

I have an offer for $5 a month for 12 months of sirius XM (I had a 90 day free trial in my car and since I cancelled a few months ago, I guess they are trying to get me to come back). the offer lets you listen in the car plus on the app as well. Only downfall is that cancelling is a pain in the behind once the offer is up.

Then there’s Apple Music.. we all know what it offers, but it’s $9.99 a month. So my thing is, what would be the best offer to go with? Those with Sirius XM, do you think the $5 a month is worth it? Or should I just stick with Apple Music where it’s a bit more $ per month but I can cancel whenever without someone pestering me to stay.

Thanks.

Yes Sirius needs to be sued hard already for their BS cancellation policies. Everything needs to be cancellable online already.

 

[philrock]

I just renewed S/XM for my truck for $99/yr which comes out to $125 after all the fees We spend a lot of time in the car and operating a radio is much quicker and easier than streaming especially for short trips or if you want to channel surf. Sound quality is not as good as streaming. I could have gone with the $30 6/mos but I was willing to pay a little more to not have to think about it for a year.

My alternative is Amazon Unlimited which has great stations, playlists and every song I have searched for. I have been considering Apple Music now that bundles are available and I want to upgrade to a family plan as my daughter has started to listen to music on her own.

I go through periods of letting s/xm lapse to see how it goes. I tried streaming exclusively for a while and it was okay until I went on a road trip and was without service for hours at a time. There was also a several times I reached my data cap on my "unlimited" plan and was downgraded to 3G 👎 Camping in the wilderness, no cell service but s/xm radio works.

It's a lifestyle choice for me. I don't like paying for both services but having both makes my life simpler and ensures I have music where and when I want it.

Final note: managing your s/xm account online is way easier. Easy to sign up, renew, cancel, etc. Calling will always yield you better results when subscribing but be prepared to negotiate for a while. YMMV

 

[C DM]

I just renewed S/XM for my truck for $99/yr which comes out to $125 after all the fees We spend a lot of time in the car and operating a radio is much quicker and easier than streaming especially for short trips or if you want to channel surf. Sound quality is not as good as streaming. I could have gone with the $30 6/mos but I was willing to pay a little more to not have to think about it for a year.

My alternative is Amazon Unlimited which has great stations, playlists and every song I have searched for. I have been considering Apple Music now that bundles are available and I want to upgrade to a family plan as my daughter has started to listen to music on her own.

I go through periods of letting s/xm lapse to see how it goes. I tried streaming exclusively for a while and it was okay until I went on a road trip and was without service for hours at a time. There was also a several times I reached my data cap on my "unlimited" plan and was downgraded to 3G 👎 Camping in the wilderness, no cell service but s/xm radio works.

It's a lifestyle choice for me. I don't like paying for both services but having both makes my life simpler and ensures I have music where and when I want it.

Final note: managing your s/xm account online is way easier. Easy to sign up, renew, cancel, etc. Calling will always yield you better results when subscribing but be prepared to negotiate for a while. YMMV

Trying to cancel and then seeing available offers online seems to surface some decent options. The 6 months for $5/month ($30 plus taxes/fees total) option is there, and the 12 months for $5/month ($60 plus taxes and fees total) seems to be there as well.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I just got a brand new car and it came with a Sirius XM trial (3 months). If I didn't know any better, I think Apple Music sounds so much better than Sirius XM, which is highly compressed and tinny sounding.

It is my first time with Apple CarPlay which, I am liking as well. From my experience over the years, Sirius tends to play the same songs over and over on their different channels. With Apple Music, you can create playlists that will allow you to go months etc. (if you wanted) without hearing the same song. You have much more user control over the music you want to hear versus Sirius XM.

 

[Eric Idle]

I just got a brand new car and it came with a Sirius XM trial (3 months). If I didn't know any better, I think Apple Music sounds so much better than Sirius XM, which is highly compressed and tinny sounding.

It is my first time with Apple CarPlay which, I am liking as well. From my experience over the years, Sirius tends to play the same songs over and over on their different channels. With Apple Music, you can create playlists that will allow you to go months etc. (if you wanted) without hearing the same song. You have much more user control over the music you want to hear versus Sirius XM.

I never listen to music on Sirius radio. I listen to the news, talk shows, Howard Stern, BBC, sports. All kinds of things that Apple Music does not have.

 

[BotchQue]

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