Sonos CEO stepping down
John MacFarlane has stepped down as CEO of Sonos. Patrick Spence, who has already served as Sonos’ chief commercial officer and president since he joined in 2012, is taking over in the top exec role. Continue Reading
Sonos
Spotify is now beta testing Sonos control in-app
Sonos’ partnership with Spotify is getting a new layer. The companies have launched the public beta for controlling music on the wireless speakers directly from the Spotify app. With this beta, anyone on the same wifi network as the Sonos speaker can take control of the music choices. Continue Reading
Apple to sell select Sonos speakers
Apple will begin selling Sonos speakers on Oct. 5. The tech company will have the wireless speakers for sale in its brick-and-mortar stores and on its website. Sonos’ PLAY:1 and PLAY:5, two of the company’s most popular products, will be sold by Apple. Continue Reading
Sonos adds voice-control from Amazon’s Alexa
Sonos announced that it is adding some third-party app integrations to its wireless speaker products. Most intriguingly, one of the first partnerships for app support is with Amazon. People who have both Sonos speakers and one of Amazon’s Alexa-enabled devices – the Echo or Echo Dot – can now use the Amazon voice-controlled product to operate their Sonos system. Continue Reading
SoundCloud Go now available on Sonos
SoundCloud announced that its subscription streaming service is now available on Sonos speaker systems. Subscribers with Sonos gear should have their accounts automatically reflect their Go status. Continue Reading
Sonos opens first retail store in NYC
Sonos has opened its first physical retail location in New York City’s tony Soho neighborhood. The store places a high value on creating listening environments to best showcase its speaker products. In addition to the usual shelves of merchandise, the store has seven listening rooms designed to look like real rooms in houses. Continue Reading
Sirius XM brings Music for Business to Sonos
Sirius XM announced that its Music for Business service is now available on Sonos wireless speakers. This partnership brings Sirius XM’s licensed commercial-free music to businesses using Sonos products. Continue Reading
Quick Hits: Sonos updates and a Spotify hack?
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Sonos gets Prime Music in EU; Spotify denies hack, despite weirdness. Continue Reading
On the Move: Sonos, Vine, and Vevo
On the Move tracks hires, promotions, and other notable personnel changes within the online audio industry. Today’s moves include a major exit from Sonos, a promotion at Vevo, and a new face joining Vine. Continue Reading
Sonos pivots toward a future of subscription streaming, voice controls
Sonos announced a big business shakeup, including layoffs and a new focus in how it will bring music into the home. In a blog post discussing the changes, CEO John MacFarlane spoke about how the home audio landscape is changing and how the company wants to stay at the forefront of that transition. He pointed to the growth of streaming, and subscription tiers in particular, and the increased interest in voice controls as the reasons for the pivot. Continue Reading
Quick Hits: Interviews from Spotify, Pacific Content, and a Sonos neuroscientist
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Spotify’s programmatic plans; when companies sponsor podcasts; Sonos taps into neurological research. Continue Reading
Sonos continues to lead home speakers thanks to many, many partnerships
At the start of the year, annual tech show CES signaled heavy interest in at-home wireless speaker systems. And that trend has indeed been an undercurrent of the music and tech worlds through this year. Despite the arrival of more competition, Sonos is still one of the top choices in the field. Continue Reading