siriusxm.com
SiriusXM is one of the biggest satellite and online radio names out there. When you purchase a new car, they usually offer a free trial subscription to the radio service. Sirius has done an amazing job of making AM/FM radio obsolete.
SiriusXM is available to users in so many places! The company has an online website, an app for phones, it can be hooked up to your card, and you can also purchase a stereo-like radio system. The main radio is transferrable to a couple of other bases, like car bases and stereo bases.
Website Design
The website design is really blatant with its advertising. From the very start, the company is trying to get you to sign up for their radio service. They come at it in a very pushy way, making it difficult to determine where the real streaming section of the site actually is.
It's slightly disappointing that the company relies so heavily on these ads. The colors used are unflattering and the forceful tactics are unfortunate. The product is a very good product, so their marketing is confusing. The product speaks for itself. It is very good radio.
The website's streamlined design and easy navigation is appealing. Colors are used sparingly, and the organization could be better but it's not the worst.
Content
SiriusXM offers a wide variety of content. There are over 140 channels available, and there are many different types of channels, including music channels, talk shows, and comedy channels. The choices are endless!
Another cool thing about SiriusXM is that they offer exclusive content on their app and website. One of my favorite channels is the Alt Nation. They occasionally borrow playlists from an exclusive internet channel called Emo Halloweeno during the month of October.
The streaming menu has a Discover tab, Favorites, Recent, and Search. The Secondary Menu has a Personalized for You Tab, Music, Sports, News, Talk, and Howard Stern.
Desktop & Mobile Accessibility
The desktop login screen is very confusing. It immediately feels like you're being pressured to sign up for a trial. The menus are hard to find because of the ads. Once I figured out where the click to listen button was, it was smooth sailing. I chose not to create a profile at first to check out the available free content. The official streaming platform's website is much cleaner and nicer looking. Searching google lands listeners on the wrong page for streaming, so that's confusing.
The vehicle version of SiriusXM is a great experience. I have had the subscription for many years and haven't had many problems with it. The only issue I have personally had with the vehicle version was the start-up of it. After installation, navigation mostly depends on your vehicle's make and model but generally speaking it is very simple. Hands down, SiriusXM is the best radio service for vehicles.
The app version of Sirius XM is great. However, users need to pay a membership to access the app. This is unfortunate but understandable. The application is a scaled-down version of the website that's optimized for cell phones. All three versions of the service are good options. My personal favorite way to listen remains in my vehicle.
Positives
There are many positives about using Sirius XM as a radio service provider and streaming service. The company has done a great job in paving the way for other radio streaming websites. It is one of the best radio streaming services I have ever encountered.
The price for the product received is usually a fair price, and the company offers free trials for a long time. After the free trial runs out, the subscription price is different depending on your preferences. For cars, bundles range from $8-$13 per month, while for outside the car, bundles cost $17-$19 per month.
The variety of channels available to subscribers is amazing. Approximately 300 or more channels are available with premium memberships. There are tons of channels to choose from, including music, sports, comedy, news, and talk shows. The company provides very niche genres like "The Coffee House" for indie/ acoustic fans and many other options.
Another great thing about SiriusXM is their great audio quality. Regardless of which device listeners choose to use to listen to the radio, the sound quality always remains high. Some of the live special features that SiriusXM does with artists sound like you are actually in the studio with them.
Sirius still has a lot of great free features for listeners. You can listen to the radio on your computer without having to subscribe, and you can also listen for free in the desktop browser. There are also a lot of special offers and discounts available, so it's affordable for most.
I have found that SiriusXM's website has good functionality when I'm looking around other websites. The site has no issues with me leaving the tab open and multitasking on other web pages.
SiriusXM's personalized listening experience is really great. They bought Pandora, a website that uses your past listening habits to play songs. This makes the listening experience really unique because it is based on what you like.
Negatives
I'm glad to say that there are few negative features of Pandora website and streaming service. The radio company has put together a unique product. However, there are a couple of features that could be improved.
The amount of ads on the first Google search page sends you to is frustrating. It's difficult to figure out where to go to get to the real streaming webpage. The banner on the first page is distracting and almost completely covers the primary menu.
Another thing I am confused about is the branding of the company. It feels like each website, app, and other listening options the goal is not unified. The first website is a billboard for new users to sign up and try free trials. This webpage has bright, loud colors that are overwhelming. The colors are also very bright on the streaming page of their website, but it is designed much differently. The app is somewhere in between the two.
The only true complaint I have is the poor signal in rural areas. When traveling, in rural areas it is almost impossible to listen to the radio in the car. It isn't a major issue, just frustrating, especially for people living in these areas.
Improvements Needed
I don't have many recommendations for Sirius XM, but one thing that could be done is to make the landing page more appealing to the eye. I think about changing the size of the large banner so it does not overlap the main menu, and I also prefer using a color scheme instead of having so many different colors.
Summary
Internet radio streaming has been on the rise for a number of years now. Leading the competition, SiriusXM blows competitors out of the water with their unique technology that tailors itself to users based on their listening preferences and history. Although the website is muddled with ads, the sound quality and overall product are everything users look for in a streaming service.
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