Michael Jackson gets his own SiriusXM radio channel for a month, fans say 'make this a permanent fixture'
The SiriusXM satellite radio network has now rolled out a dedicated channel for the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. The deal with the premium music provider was announced by the late singer's estate on July 15, and the channel is now featuring 24/7 coverage of Jackson's music, which started at noon, ET. Besides playing music from the singer's discography and live performances such as his 1988 concert from the Bad Tour at London's Wembley Stadium, the channel will also feature special curated playlists that were created by Jackson's brothers Jackie, Marlon and Tito, who played with him in Jackson 5.
Additional playlists will be provided by singer Akon and Steven Ivory, a journalist and family friend who often interviewed Jackson. Ivory will also provide the voice for the channel, as he chronicles the history and storied career of Jackson. In a statement, Ivory said, "Michael's music has always rallied the world to acknowledge historical anguish in songs and videos such as 'They Don't Really Care About Us' and 'Black or White.'" He also added, "At the same time, he aspired to unify and lead the world with inspiring anthems like 'Heal the World' and 'Earth Song' which addressed issues that were important to him such as the care of our planet."
SiriusXM will also include music that influenced Jackson, so we can expect to hear some James Brown and Sly & the Family Stone. Besides this, we will also hear music from artistes who consider Jackson a profound influence, such as Justin Timberlake, Usher and Beyonce. Jackson will join the elite group of artistes such as Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen, Frank Sinatra and The Beatles, who already have their own dedicated SiriusXM channels, albeit for a limited time.
The dedicated Jackson channel will only be available for the next 30 days on the SiriusXM app and streaming devices, and on the satellite radio network's Channel 50 only for the next week. Other limited channel offerings include artistes such as Prince, Queen, the Beastie Boys, Coldplay and Bob Marley.
Fans were quite thrilled about the new Jackson channel and voiced their excitement on social media. One passionate fan said, "I’m so happy Sirius made a Michael Jackson channel for right now." Another music lover chimed in, "The Michael Jackson SiriusXM station is really playing all the jams plus live performances whew." An MJ fan also tweeted, "I always contemplate getting Sirius but never do. This might change that."
Other supporters were also clamoring to make Jackson a permanent channel on the SiriusXM network. As one fan exclaimed, "This is awesome!! Can't you just make this channel become a permanent fixture in Sirius? Why just a week?" Another fan observed, "If Elvis and The Beatles can have PERMANENT channels, then MJ can have a permanent one as well." Looks like we'll have to wait and see how this plays out.
