Commentary: My Life with XM – Or: How a Movie Soundtrack Collector Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Satellite Radio

For many years, I have been an avid listener and collector of movie soundtracks. And, no, I am not talking about the cross-marketed album of songs played only over the end credits; I mean the film’s underscore, the instrumental (and sometimes choral) music supporting the on-screen story. In other words, I was the guy who bought the Danny Elfman Batman album with the tiny little Batwing on the cover instead of the big Bat-symbol – emblazoned Prince album.

It is likely impossible to know just what genetic quirk results in a soundtrack aficionado, but the nature of the market certainly plays a role in making many of us collectors as well. While the past ten years or so have been very kind both in new soundtrack releases and reissues of old classics, soundtracks still occupy a small niche in the overall music market. Many albums are produced in small quantities and become instant collectors items.

Well at least I know I have a grundle of soundtrack CDs. And I used to listen to them constantly. How could one ever grow tired of the symphonic range of Basil Poledouris’s Conan The Barbarian, the peaceful melancholia of John Barry’s Dances with Wolves, and, yes, the thunderous charges of Elfman’s Batman? Given the irritations of tiny playlists and commercials on FM radio, I almost always had a couple discs in the car. My driving soundtrack was a constant companion … until my CD laser died.

Le Morte d’CD Deck

I first noticed the occasional skip on the odd CD in my car. I began to have to eject and reinsert discs to play them all the way through. Then, it came: A complete and utter refusal to read any disc. The deck was dead.

My first impulse was to drive to the nearest electronics store and demand that they install a new deck immediately. However, I took a deep breath and began to ponder the alternatives.

You see, for years, my father had expressed an interest in satellite radio, especially after XM, one of the two current satellite providers (the other being Sirius), landed the exclusive satellite rights to Major League Baseball. I had been giving thought to buying him a radio for Christmas, and had already done some preliminary legwork, so I knew a little about the service.

I had been pleasantly surprised at how cheap even the fancier radios are, including ones with advanced features such as VCR-like, timer-based recording. Both Sirius and XM frequently offer discounts and rebates, so that the hardware cost of entry is actually very reasonable. This leaves subscription fees as their prime source of revenue, and these did give me pause. As of early 2007, XM and Sirius service are both priced at $12.95/month, and, even with a long-term agreement, my own service is just a hair under $12.

Of course, the fact that XM just happens to have a channel devoted to movie soundtracks helped their case considerably.

XM Channel 27: Cinemagic

I have had an XM radio for almost a year now, and it is tuned to channel 27, Cinemagic, probably seventy-five percent of the time. In fact, I am listening to it right now. Cinemagic basically plays movie scores 24-7. There is an interview show called Reel Time, and another show titled PopFlix that actually plays songs used in movies (instead of the underscore, the horror!), but the rest of the time is devoted to soundtracks from a wide variety of movies.

And it is not just well-known soundtracks like Star Wars and Titanic either. For example, ever see a great little horror movie by the name of Re-Animator? Well, somebody at XM has, so you will hear the score pop up from time to time (controversy over its “inspiration” from Herrmann’s Psycho notwithstanding). How about fan favorite Somewhere in Time? Yup, plays quite often. Golden Age classic The Adventures of Robin Hood? Check. I became officially impressed when some of Halloween director John Carpenter’s synthesizer music made an appearance late one night. Speaking of Halloween, Cinemagic recently aired a 100-hour block of Horror movie scores, another testament to the depth of their library.

Of course, new soundtracks are also featured. Reel Time plays snippets from the movies it profiles, and scores to new movies generally arrive the week of the movie’s release. It is a great way to preview new soundtracks, particularly those for movies I am not sure I want to fork over eight dollars to see.

Full and fair disclosure: Cinemagic does incorporate movie dialogue with some of their music, widely considered a cardinal sin in the film score world. However, as the dialogue is played only as separators between tracks, I have granted a personal indulgence to XM. The nasally-voiced lady who introduces the film segments is more problematic.

As this article is being written for a Science Fiction and Fantasy – friendly audience, I suppose I might also mention a new show called Hi-Fi / Sci-Fi. Hi-Fi / Sci-Fi devotes an hour each week to SF and horror movie music, usually following some kind of theme (e.g., recent shows have covered the entire Star Trek movie franchise).

Cinemagic in general is very kind to SF and fantasy movies, and I think many genre fans will find the channel of interest. Here are some other channels fans might enjoy:

Channel 163: Sonic Theater

Billed as providing “pictures in your head,” Sonic Theater features Radio Dramas, comedy shows, and audiobook excerpts, with special emphasis given to SF and detective stories. Some shows do have commercials, true of much third-party content on XM, although many are commercial free.

Shows of particular interest for the SF fan are:

–The Twilight Zone – Classic episodes adapted for radio, featuring full casts and Hollywood voice talent, along with music and sound effects. Have not caught any episodes myself, but I would like to. http://www.twilightzoneradio.com/

Radio Tales – An award-winning series presenting adaptations of literary classics, often from the genres of SF, fantasy, and horror. I caught an hour-long Journey to the Center of the Earth that was quite good, if a bit compressed. http://www.radiotales.com/

–Alien Worlds – SF drama among the stars. The one episode I caught (“Deathsong”) is without a doubt one of the stranger things I have ever listened to (and I own albums by both Leonard Nimoy and Wesley Willis), but check it out if you are so inclined. J. Michael Straczynski, of Babylon 5 fame, is listed as contributing to some episodes. http://www.alienworlds.com/

–Slice of SciFi – A weekly talk show dealing with media SF topics, including movies, television, conventions, and whatever else is going on. The show is decently polished, the hosts are opinionated, and the episode I listened to was wide ranging and entertaining, featuring an interview with some of the surviving cast of Forbidden Planet. http://www.sliceofscifi.com/

Channel 164: Radio Classics

Radio Classics replays old-time radio shows: think Burns and Allen, The Shadow, Dragnet, and The Jack Benny Program. Genre material, including suspense, Horror, and detective stories, are in frequent rotation, mixed in with the lighter comedy and variety programs.

Two shows of interest:–The Shadow – Nearly seventy years on, many still remember the classic opening of this series. The mentalist crimefighter returns to cloud minds on satellite radio.

–Lights Out – A classic series of psychological horror tales, often with supernatural elements.

Closing Arguments

After saying all of these nice things about XM, I guess I ought to pick at least a couple nits. The first is that frequent listeners will notice the use of playlists, chiefly in the form of pre-sequenced sets of music. Many of the music channels are nearly repetition free, but others, including Cinemagic, have a robot in the booth the majority of the time. Generally, though, I have found that the nice surprises of new, unheard music outnumber the repeats.

A second nit has to do with the current pricing schemes. Unfortunately, both XM and Sirius charge subscription fees for each and every radio in use. While both offer discounted fees after the first radio, these still make a somewhat expensive service even pricier. A fully wired satellite radio does indeed provide sound superior to FM radio (although even my untrained ear hears the occasional artifact from the compression used in transmission), but the best wired options mean separate radios for each listening environment (i.e., car, home, etc.). I went with a portable receiver to avoid the extra radio fees, but, alas, was not completely able to duck additional expense, as using the built-in FM transmitter in my car resulted in (surprise) an FM level of static. I got back to crystal clear sound only after purchasing a couple expensive cables. With satellite TV generally throwing in multi-room service these days, it might be nice if satellite radio would allow home and car for one price.

Complaints aside, however, I have no regrets about making the jump to satellite radio. While I was not initially terribly keen to add yet another monthly fee, the relatively low cost of hardware dulled that pain, which proved to be well worth it. I enjoy the steady stream of specialized listening at the push of a button, without having to program from my own music collection. Reception in my area is very good, no doubt due to the proliferation of ground-based signal repeaters across the U.S. I can even listen in areas without direct line of sight to the southern sky, including my condo’s underground garage! And, the lack of commercials ain’t bad either; here’s hoping pay radio can stay commercial free longer than pay TV did.

Final note: Sirius and XM both offer three-day trials via Internet radio, if you are on the fence. See http://www.sirius.com/ or http://www.xmradio.com/.

posted by Christopher Primeau