Podcast subscriptions, April 2020

Here is my list of podcast subscriptions as of April 2020:

Backstage Journal with Rhett Shull
The Bob Murphy Show
Bound by Oath
The Brion McClanahan Show
Cato Daily Podcast
Contra Krugman
Daily Audio Bible
Grammar Girl
Lexicon Valley
The Libertarian Podcast
Make No Law
Part-Time Genius
RadioLab Presents: More Perfect
Serial
Short Circuit
This American Life
The Tom Woods Show
The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe
The Week in Review at Abbeville Institute

What ever happened to Grooveshark VIP for $3/month?

Update (1/1/2015): Grooveshark contacted me following my tweets and this blog post. They explained that the deal expired if your account ever lapsed. Apparently, mine did for a couple of days a few years back (unfortunately, there were no "your account is about to expire" emails, either). Fortunately, Grooveshark added my account back into the $3/month (or $30/year) VIP category and all is well again. And now my account is set to renew automatically.

Back in November 2010, music streaming service Grooveshark advertised "Grooveshark VIP" which promised that:

If you sign up for Grooveshark VIP at the current price before December 1, you will never be charged more than $3 a month. Your account will be grandfathered in, and you will have access to our mobile apps—and everything else we ever make.

I signed up then, and have been a Grooveshark VIP member since. However, the $3/month deal seems to have disappeared somewhere along the way. Last year, I apparently paid $50.00 for the year. Now, when I go to renew my account, it's offering $5/month, and the "normal" price seems to be $9/month.

My question is simple: if my account was grandfathered back in November 2010, why is the $3/month price not accessible to me?

With other streaming music options out there, I have no interest in renewing my account if Grooveshark isn't going to honor their side of the deal.

My Country Music in Ten Songs: Brad Paisley / Old Alabama

One in a series of posts presenting ten songs that represent country music for me. Not necessarily my top ten favorite songs. Presented in no particular order. For the rest of the series, see here.

My Country Music in Ten Songs: Conway Twitty / That's My Job

One in a series of posts presenting ten songs that represent country music for me. Not necessarily my top ten favorite songs. Presented in no particular order. For the rest of the series, see here.

My Country Music in Ten Songs: Diamond Rio / Walkin' Away

One in a series of posts presenting ten songs that represent country music for me. Not necessarily my top ten favorite songs. Presented in no particular order. For the rest of the series, see here.

My Country Music in Ten Songs: Carrie Underwood / See You Again

One in a series of posts presenting ten songs that represent country music for me. Not necessarily my top ten favorite songs. Presented in no particular order. For the rest of the series, see here.

My Country Music in Ten Songs: Kacey Musgraves / Follow Your Arrow

One in a series of posts presenting ten songs that represent country music for me. Not necessarily my top ten favorite songs. Presented in no particular order. For the rest of the series, see here.

My Country Music in Ten Songs: Brett Eldredge / Raymond

One in a series of posts presenting ten songs that represent country music for me. Not necessarily my top ten favorite songs. Presented in no particular order. For the rest of the series, see here.

My Country Music in Ten Songs: Keith Urban / For You

One in a series of posts presenting ten songs that represent country music for me. Not necessarily my top ten favorite songs. Presented in no particular order. For the rest of the series, see here.

My Country Music in Ten Songs: Shenandoah / Next To You, Next To Me

One in a series of posts presenting ten songs that represent country music for me. Not necessarily my top ten favorite songs. Presented in no particular order. For the rest of the series, see here.

My Country Music in Ten Songs: Brooks & Dunn / She's Not The Cheatin' Kind

One in a series of posts presenting ten songs that represent country music for me. Not necessarily my top ten favorite songs. Presented in no particular order. For the rest of the series, see here.

My Country Music in Ten Songs: Jamey Johnson / In Color

One in a series of posts presenting ten songs that represent country music for me. Not necessarily my top ten favorite songs.  Presented in no particular order. For the rest of the series, see here.

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Night

Music, dreams, and the band played on

I fell asleep with headphones on. I started dreaming, and the headphones were still on (and the music was playing) in my dream. At some point in the dream, I consciously took the headphones off (in my dream), but the music kept playing. I thought (in the dream), that's odd, maybe I have earbuds on. Nope. The music kept playing. A new song came on. Then I woke up. And the same song was playing.

Ed Sheeran on what surprised him most about Americans

I was listening to Z100 (a station I rarely listen to) on XM this morning and they were interviewing Ed Sheeran (a British singer I don't listen to). They asked what surprised him the most about Americans. And he said, among other things, that Americans like to celebrate success. Such a simple, yet powerful answer.

For You by Keith Urban (from Act of Valor)

Weekly iTunes awards show (is back!)

When I started walking on the treadmill every night about 5 weeks ago, I found that time passed faster if I could distract myself. My iPod was one obvious solution. I also found that (quite impressively!) I can walk and read at the same time, so a book works too.

Even better, I started bringing my PSP and playing NCAA Football 2007 while I walked (in case you cared, a full game takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes). I was so hooked on my PSP that I stopped listening to my iPod for a while, and thus haven't published any recent versions of my "Weekly iTunes awards show."

In the past week or so I've moved from walking to running on the treadmill, and a book or the PSP doesn't work too well! So it's back to the iPod. Here are the "Top 5" songs I have listened into the ground over the past week (in no particular order):

1. "Far Away" Nickelback
2. "White and Nerdy" Weird Al Yankovic
3. "You're Pitiful" Weird Al Yankovic
4. "Up!" Shania Twain
5. "All My Roads" Collin Raye

Fresh from the WTF file: Kanye West

I usually stay away from the "rap" and "hip hop" scene as it is not my type of music, but some people have a tendency to attract unnecessary attention. You all remember Kanye West's tirade from the Katrina special:

West: I hate the way they portray us in the media. You see a black family, it says, "They're looting." You see a white family, it says, "They're looking for food." And, you know, it's been five days [waiting for federal help] because most of the people are black. And even for me to complain about it, I would be a hypocrite because I've tried to turn away from the TV because it's too hard to watch. I've even been shopping before even giving a donation, so now I'm calling my business manager right now to see what is the biggest amount I can give, and just to imagine if I was down there, and those are my people down there. So anybody out there that wants to do anything that we can help -- with the way America is set up to help the poor, the black people, the less well-off, as slow as possible. I mean, the Red Cross is doing everything they can. We already realize a lot of people that could help are at war right now, fighting another way -- and they've given them permission to go down and shoot us!

Myers: And subtle, but in many ways even more profoundly devastating, is the lasting damage to the survivors' will to rebuild and remain in the area. The destruction of the spirit of the people of southern Louisiana and Mississippi may end up being the most tragic loss of all.

West: George Bush doesn't care about black people!

Well, Kanye West is at it again. At least this time, it's about his music. Sort of:

Rap star Kanye West was named Best Hip Hop artist but still came off as a sore loser at the MTV Europe Music Awards.

Kanye apparently was so disappointed at not winning for Best Video that he crashed the stage Thursday in Copenhagen when the award was being presented to Justice and Simian for "We Are Your Friends."

In a tirade riddled with expletives, Kanye said he should have won the prize for his video "Touch The Sky," because it "cost a million dollars, Pamela Anderson was in it. I was jumping across canyons."

"If I don't win, the awards show loses credibility," Kanye said.

Wow.

Weekly iTunes awards show

The "Top 5" songs I have listened into the ground over the past week (in no particular order):

1. "Main Theme from Chariots of Fire" Vangelis
2. "Now You're a Man" DVDA
3. "Coming to Your City" Big & Rich
4. "What Hurts the Most" Rascal Flatts
5. "Who Says You Can't Go Home" Bon Jovi and Jennifer Nettles

Weekly iTunes awards show

The "Top 5" songs I have listened into the ground over the past week (in no particular order):

1. "For Unto Us" Glad
2. "Tribute" Tenacious D.
3. "Speed of Sound" Coldplay
4. "Start of Something New" High School Musical
5. "Something To Be Proud Of" Montgomery Gentry