Tune nut

Do you love classic rock? I know I do.

If you answered "yes" - I give you Wolfgang's Vault. The classics, live, streaming, and free.

Yell avoid art radio valley

By now you've probably heard that the two major satellite radio providers XM and Sirius are planning to merge. I predicted this a couple of years ago, but I'm not here toot my own horn. I want to show why the merger doesn't violate any anti-trust regulations, and should be allowed to proceed.

USA Today had conflicting editorials regarding the merger, including this scathing attack by private media consultant Jimmy Schaeffler: Reject their request

It seems like Schaeffler's only legitimate gripe is that neither XM nor Sirius has demonstrated profitability, possibly due to poor business planning. He takes the attack too far however:

Moreover, it is disingenuous, if not ludicrous, to suggest that XM and Sirius face financial woes because of threats from Internet radio, iPods or alternative music platforms.

Well, I don't think anybody is arguing that the companies' financial woes stem entirely from competition from Internet radio and iPods, so your disingenuous straw man is easily squashed. However, I think the argument in itself is disingenuous, because he is making the case that satellite radio is a market unto itself, and faces no competition from outside sources. This is clearly false.

I got Sirius with my new Jeep last year, including a 1-year trial subscription. I won't be renewing when the trial period ends, mainly due to the fact I can bring my iPod in the car with me and listen to whatever I want. Other reasons include workable free radio options in the Denver area, and cheap factory dashboard displays on all Chrysler cars.

XM and Sirius may have been built upon poor business models, but that's not the only reason for their lack of success thus far. The main obstacles to their profitability have been competition between the companies, as well as from iPods, terrestrial and HD radio, the internet and wi-fi, and even digital cable. They also have to pay the government for use of their airwaves, about $90 million each, a fee not levied upon terrestrial radio broadcasters.

The bottom line is, this merger can only benefit both companies and their subscribers. The competition between XM and Sirius wasn't helping anyone, so why not give them a chance to provide comprehensive radio coverage, in order to compete fairly in their own market. If they can't do a good job as a provider, then we as consumers don't have to buy their product because we have plenty of other options. It's really that simple.

Mother at song no star, eh Tom?

I decided that I'm going to start a Tom Petty cover band. I am dead serious about this. I will go it alone, if I have to, but I just don't see how this wouldn't work. These are the songs I already know:

Free Fallin'
Won't Back Down
Last Dance w/ Mary Jane
Learning to Fly
Refugee
You Wreck Me
American Girl
The Waiting
Into the Great Wide Open

Not a bad start, right? I need to rehearse for a bit, but I think I could nail all those songs. If I add a few more, that should be about an hour's worth of entertainment. I'll probably have to start at open mics and coffee shops, but I think this could be a lucrative opportunity on the bar scene, down the road.

A slut was I ere I saw Tulsa

OK, I have an announcement to make. It is entirely possible, that I, Shap, am the father of Anna Nicole Smith's baby. I mean, I do get pretty drunk sometimes, and I don't always remember what I was doing. I'll bet my chances are better than getting struck by lightning...

(Obviously this is a joke, but maybe it will get me some traffic!)

Joking aside, wouldn't you rather have a dose of reality?

UPDATE: No visitors today, as of 3:30PM Wednesday. Apparently my little ruse didn't work so well.

Now do I repay a period won.

Welcome back to Detroit, Chris Webber.

I've been defending you for a long time, although at times you make it so tough. You are a great passing forward, with very soft hands. You may not be able to jump anymore, but you are still a presence down low. After beating New Jersey tonight, the Pistons have won 5 out of 7, and are hopefully righting the ship again.

Chris, I'm willing to accept you back into the heart of Detroit basketball. You've had a colorful history throughout Michigan sports history. Let's hope this story has a happy ending...

Also, Chris - congratulations on producing a song on Nas's new album, Hip Hop is Dead. The name of the song is Blunt Ashes, it's not that bad!

Donna made Ted, a man, nod.

You know how you sometimes get that feeling you really should have started listening to [insert cool new band name] like 5 years ago, and what the hell took you so long to find out about them?

Right now, it's Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

I picked up their 2004 album, Shake The Sheets, on iTunes a couple months ago. Props to my friend Carly for the suggestion. It's a solid piece of post-punk catchiness, complete with thick candy shell. Very re-listenable. It's also quite political, as you might have noticed if you followed the link to Ted's website.

I also found this podcast (iTunes link) to be very cool. It's by a radio station called KEXP in Seattle, and has a bunch of recent live shows with bands that I think are cool. If you don't have iTunes, check out their website.