Comedian Liz Miele has recently faced a significant decrease in her earnings, mirroring the predicament of many others in the industry. SiriusXM has discontinued its Raw Comedy/Raw Dog channel, which previously showcased over 800 comedians, and replaced it with a new channel spearheaded by renowned comedian Sebastian Maniscalco.
The removal of the old channel has left Miele and numerous other working-class comedians without a primary source of income and visibility, as affluent celebrity comics now dominate the platform. Miele shared with As It Happens host Nil Köksal that Sirius XM was crucial for her financial stability in a challenging year, emphasizing how the channel supported hundreds of comedians in making ends meet.
Although Maniscalco and SiriusXM have pledged to offer opportunities for comedians at various career stages, data from industry advocacy group Stand Up for Standup paints a different picture. The previous Raw Comedy channel featured over 800 comedians monthly, each earning $15 US in royalties per play of their content. In contrast, the revamped channel showcased only 275 comedians the past month, with a substantial majority of plays going to the top 50 artists, including well-known names like Chris Rock and Kevin Hart.
Miele expressed her concern over the current scenario, highlighting the significant wealth concentration among a select group of comedians, which was not the case previously. Without platforms like SiriusXM, she fears that upcoming comedians may struggle to break into the industry as she did.
Canadian comedian Danish Anwar also shared his experience, noting a decline of 30 to 40 percent in his royalties following the channel switch. Many Canadian comics reliant on SiriusXM royalties to sustain their U.S. careers may face challenges, potentially leading them to return to Canada.
While high-profile comedians like Patton Oswalt and Michelle Wolf have urged for support for emerging talents on the platform, Maniscalco clarified that the decision to discontinue Raw Comedy was not his, and he aims to include a diverse range of voices on his channel.
In response to the situation, Toronto-born comedian Steph Tolev has called for solidarity among comedians to address the changes, drawing from past successes in advocating for their plays on SiriusXM’s Canada Laughs channel. Despite uncertainties, there is hope that industry solidarity could lead to positive changes amidst the financial challenges faced by many comedians.