Taking its own unique foray into the streaming world, Sonos has launched its streaming and ad-supported radio service Sonos Radio. Available to owners of the audio company’s speakers, the newly launched platform features special curation from GRAMMY-winning artists Brittany Howard, Thom Yorke and David Byrne as well as artist hours dedicated to exploring their inspirations and heavy rotations, both new and old.
Released today (April 21), the service comes packaged directly within the Sonos app for simple integration into listeners at-home devices. In addition to over 60,000 free stations including Sonos Sound System and artist stations, Sonos is partnering with iHeartRadio and TuneIn to host ad-supported news, sports and local radio stations.
Stations curated by artists on the platform will "hear the influences and obsessions of some industry icons complete with their personal liner notes," according to a statement. Amongst these stations will be "In the Absent Thereof…" curated by Thom Yorke, which launched upon release today, Brittany Howard's "The Encyclopedia of Brittany" and David Byrne’s "Here Comes Everybody," which will both appear on the service soon and be constantly updated.
In a statement regarding the station, Yorke wrote that he hopes for his collection of music will "stop the walls from closing in so quickly" with masses of people stuck at home under quarantining measures. He said the vertical will be populated with music "that fascinates or moves me, obsesses me, challenges me, opens new doors, reminds me of what I might have forgotten, is insanely complex or elegantly simple, violent, messy, heavy or light. Whatever has hit me over the head, basically." Listeners can also expect radio takeovers from the likes of JPEGMafia, Angel Olsen, Soccer Mommy, Whitney and Jamila Woods.
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On the other hand, Sonos’ signature Sonos Sound System station will focus on music discovery, looking to "dive deeper into music and sound" with new releases, historical favorites and the stories, contexts and artist profiles behind them. Other stations will feature handpicked music from the Sonos team, based on genres like Kids Rock, Global Pulse, Indie Gold and Reggae Roots.
With the service, Sonos bolsters its audio ecosystem by adding a new level of immersion and engagement to the listener’s experience and filling rooms with "music for every mood and every listening experience." You can find out more information on Sonos Radio and other products here.
