Sonos launches streaming radio service containing curated genre-based stations, and more than 60,000 local radio stations now available to Sonos users for free. Sonos Radio is a free, ad-supported streaming radio experience complementing the 100+ streaming options available on Sonos. Research from Sonos suggests that nearly half of all listening time on their smart speakers is on customers’ favourite stations and DJs.
Sonos Radio integrates multiple internet radio services, including TuneIn and iHeartRadio, with more to come. Customers can listen to music, sports, news, and more from local stations based on zip code as well as access any station globally. Sonos Radio will be continually updated with new stations powered by partners, including integrations with Europe’s largest radio company, Global, and Radio.com for US listeners, both coming soon.
Sonos have also created an ad-free station, Sonos Sound System, which contains original radio programming curated and hosted by the Sonos team recorded in a newly built radio studio in Sonos’ flagship store in New York City. Sonos have also created a number of ad-free artist curated stations which will have a new release every Wednesday.
Sonos Stations, inspired by Sonos user’s favourite genres, feature 30+ curated ad-supported stations. It will contain a mix of music handpicked by Sonos and include Concert Hall, Country Outlaws, Hip Hop Archive, Kids Rock, and more. Sonos has also partnered with Super Hi-Fi, a company delivering AI for digital music, to create custom programming and curation tools for Sonos Stations. These tools include volume levelling across songs and ads, song blending and seamlessly mixing in voice commentary.
Sonos has brought together long-time partners to deliver its listening experience with Sonos Radio, from TuneIn and iHeartRadio, to Napster (formerly Rhapsody), the first-ever streaming service on Sonos. Rhapsody’s ‘Powered by Napster’, a complete music and audio platform service, is powering the catalogue for Sonos Stations.
Global radio stations will be available for all customers worldwide. Sonos’ original programming will be available in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, and Australia to start. Support for additional countries will follow.
The sound of Sonos
To coincide with the launch of Sonos Radio, the company commissioned Philip Glass, to produce an original composition to represent the Sonos brand. To read more about how the work was created there is a blog posting which can be found here.
