...First things first. "Dear valued subscriber?" Since I have not personally received the email notification and have only seen the email second hand on several occasions, would I be correct to assume that I am not in the "valued" subscriber category? It certainly feels that way. Secondly, the perceived value of a subscription is a completely subjective premise. If you signed up for a subscription in 2001-2006, you will likely agree that both Sirius and XM have each added more variety and exclusive content over the term of your subscription and a price increase can be rationally justified.
If you signed up for Howard Stern, (as I did) the added value proposition becomes a bit flimsy, due to the fact that I am actually getting less value since Howard reduced his "live" weekly contribution by 25% and I have since been charged to use the internet feed, which was originally offered as complimentary, as well as the increased charges for additional subscriptions and new royalty fees. Upon the release of the mobile apps, Stern fans were shocked and dismayed after signing up for the $2.99/mo. service only to find that the "King of All Media" (some media apparently) was not available until his latest contract was negotiated and signed last December. To this day under the Sirius XM Appstore reviews, potential new subscribers are greeted with this horrendous and currently inaccurate 1 star review and rant that is visible by default as the most helpful: "No Howard 100/101?? Are you...
Read more on Seeking Alpha: http://seekingalpha.com/article/307359-sirius-xm-the-app-pathetic-approach