A satellite radio shakeup has working comedians demanding answers. Back in April, SiriusXM’s Raw Comedy channel was rebranded as Sebastian Maniscalco’s Comedy Radio, and according to the advocacy group Stand Up for Standup, the shift has funneled spins away from a pool of over 800 comedians into a much narrower list of household names. More than 75% of plays now go to the top 50 artists, and many of those are comedy legends who have passed away, like Joan Rivers and Norm Macdonald.
The royalty math is the part that’s really raising eyebrows. Stand Up for Standup says many working comics earn roughly $15 per SiriusXM spin, an amount that used to be a genuine financial lifeline for touring standups between club gigs. On Monday, Michelle Wolf, Margaret Cho, Dan Soder and Patton Oswalt launched an online campaign to push for restored pay and airtime. SiriusXM responded by saying it continues to invest in comedians more than any other audio platform to deliver a wide range of comedy offerings.
So far, Maniscalco himself hasn’t publicly weighed in, and the campaign isn’t slowing down. The bigger question is whether a comedy channel built around one famous name can still make room for the comics who grind it out in clubs night after night.
Where do you land on this one: should satellite radio guarantee airtime for working standups, or is a big-name playlist just good business?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.