Sebastian Maniscalco asks for "a little time" to fix SiriusXM’s comedy problems

Raw Dog may have one of the most obnoxious names in radio, but it was a hub for working stand-up comics, who received $15 per spin on the network and reached thousands of subscribers. After rebranding, the station dropped more than 500 comics from rotation, many of whom depended on that extra income. The website StandUpForStandups.com tracked the changes and found that the programming shift mostly hurt comedy’s middle class, favoring wealthier comedians like Jim Gaffigan and Kevin Hart. “The spins on Sebastian’s channel have drastically shifted from a wider pool of 800+ comedians enjoying spins (and thus, royalties and exposure to the audience of listeners), to a narrower pool of comedians getting plays per month,” the site reports. “And of those few hundred who are getting spins, over 75% of the plays are going to the top 50 artists, which results in a concentration of wealth among the top echelon, which is largely made up of big-name celebrity comics.” 

Sirius has also been listening and released a statement on the matter, blaming the change on the channel’s “underperformance” before Maniscalco’s participation. “We have been listening to comedians speak out this week and want to clarify that our decision to end Raw Comedy was due to the channel’s underperformance and came prior to Sebastian joining the SiriusXM lineup,” the statement reads. “While the challenges facing working comedians are bigger than any one person or decision, we remain committed, as we have for more than two decades, to making SiriusXM a place where comedians at every stage of their careers can be heard.”