After comics launched a sincere campaign to revitalize a vital part of the stand-up economy, their targets — Sebastian Maniscalco and SiriusXM — appear largely dormant.
The famous comedian recently took over the satellite radio network’s Raw Comedy channel; the channel provided a financial lifeline by featuring the work of working club comics on air and providing much-needed royalty checks.
However, since becoming Maniscalco’s Comedy Radio in April, it has featured well-known comics and largely left touring people out of its schedules.
On Monday, comics including Michelle Wolf, Margaret Cho, Dan Soder and Patton Oswalt joined an online petition on behalf of their lesser-known counterparts.
They begged Meniscalco, who broke records by selling out four nights at Madison Square Garden in 2024, to put the regular series back on the air.
Additionally, industry advocacy group Stand Up for Standup said many comics who live paycheck to paycheck through SiriusXM satellite radio “spins” earn about $15 in royalties.
“The spins on Sebastian’s channel have changed dramatically, from a broader pool of over 800 comedians enjoying spins to a narrower pool of comedians receiving spins each month,” the group said in a statement.
“And of the few hundred people earning spins, more than 75% of the plays go to the top 50 artists, resulting in a concentration of wealth among the upper echelon of largely famous comics.”
Others pointed out that many of the big names, like Joan Rivers and Norm Macdonald, were dead.
When Page Six reached out to Maniscalco’s rep for comment, they referred us to Sirius; he, too, sent out a statement that didn’t suggest he was in any rush to return to his role as benefactor to comedy’s middle class.
“SiriusXM works with our creative partners to program the best possible experience for our listeners,” a SiriusXM spokesperson told us in a statement.
“The launch of Sebastian Maniscalco’s Comedy Radio has introduced a new creative direction and a steadily evolving programming mix for the channel, and SiriusXM continues to invest in comedians more than other audio platforms to deliver a diverse range of comedy offerings across our channels.”
Looks like road comics shouldn’t be booking island holidays anytime soon. Or No Problems.