A couple of new channels already added to the XM line-up and 8 more coming on April 17, in case you haven't heard.
The ones currently on the air are XM49 (I think) Big Tracks, which is sort of a late-period version of Top Tracks. Classic rock for people born after 1970, I suppose would be one way to look at it. I ran across it the other day and it wasn't too bad, although I am definately of the older demographic that would prefer Top Tracks, if I hadn't already been burned out on EVERYTHING they play there.
Then there's XM84, The Chill, which the website describes as "the smooth side of electronica"... I've listened to a few songs there in the last 30 minutes and basically it sounds like a full channel of what XM77 AudioVisions' Star Streams plays. That's okay, I guess, ifn' they'll take Star Streams off of AudioVisions and replace it with more new age or space music. That chill-out stuff never really fit in the XM77 format, IMO, and it's better to have a channel devoted to it for the rare occassions when I'm in the mood. If they don't axe Star Streams from XM77 I may just write a letter urging them to do so.
And I would have been a LOT happier if they had made a channel of IDM, ambient and non-trance cutting-edge electronic music instead of playing it safe and going with a chill-out channel. Maybe it will evolve into that when people start falling asleep to all the chill. :)
As for the 8 other channels, I'm most excited about XM34 EnLighten, the Southern Gospel channel moving from Online-Only status to regular XM. Call me corny, I love that stuff.
Liquid Metal is coming back to the regular line-up after having been in Online-Only limbo for the past year. That's probably a good thing, because one can only tolerate so many hair bands on the Boneyard before craving some REAL metal (and Squizz sure doesn't fit the bill).
The bad news...and IMO this is REAL bad news...XM51, the Music Lab is being shuffled off to Online-Only status. :( How can they do this to me? I LOVE the progressive stuff there. They say they're going to move what they call "the ethereal side of progressive" to XM76 Fine Tuning, and that'll be fine and dandy as long as they get rid of the superabundance of celtic music currently in vogue there (nothing against celtic music, but a little bit goes a long way). The "harder" progressive is going to Deep Tracks, so who knows how that will affect that channel...could be an improvement, IMO, but it's bound to tick a few people off.
Other new channels...
.S. Country - XM 17 - Country Superstars of the 80s and 90s
Flight 26 - XM 26 - Modern Hits 90s & Now
XM Hitlist - XM 30 - Today's Hit Music
enLighten - XM 34 - Southern Gospel
XM Liquid Metal - XM 42 - Heavy Metal XL
The Heat - XM 68 - Rhythmic Hits
Escape - XM 78 - Easy Listening
Viva - XM 91 - Latin Pop Hits
That new country channel looks to be replacing XM11 Nashville, which is still gonna be around, but it's been co-opted by Clear Channel and will have commercials, so that kinda defeats the purpose of satellite radio in a way, don't ya think? I'll never listen to Nashville again, I can tell you that, nor will I bother with the other Clear Channel stations, Kiss - XM 21, Mix - XM 22, Sunny - XM 24, or WSIX - XM 161 (note that the first 3 on that list used to be commercial free XM channels...oh well, I never listened to 'em anyway).
Another sad aspect to the new line-up, at least as far as I'm concerned, is the complete removal of The Torch from both regular and Online-Only XM. That was good stuff most of the time. That REALLY sucks.
The Fish has changed to The Message, and one can only hope that it will lose some of the more "pop hit" type stuff that drags it down. I would be very pleased to see a much more hardcore spiritual basis employed on that channel, with more praise/worship and more solid, unmistakeably CHRISTIAN music...If I never hear another secular hit dressed up with a few mentions of Jesus name on that channel it will not be soon enough for me.
The more I listen to this Chill channel the more convinced I am that I will probably never listen to it again. Big disappointment that they went this route.
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