Sonos Unveils Exclusive New Artist Stations and Music Shows for Sonos Radio and Sonos Radio HD
D’Angelo, FKA twigs, Björk and The Chemical Brothers bring fans their latest inspirations with new hand-curated radio stations on Sonos Radio HD; Sonos Radio expands to include original content offerings and podcasts
Santa Barbara, Calif. – January 13, 2021 – Today Sonos (Nasdaq: SONO) announces a new line-up of exclusive artists stations and original programming coming to Sonos Radio and Sonos Radio HD. Building on its success as the 3rd most streamed service on Sonos today, Sonos expands into new show formats and genres, offering even more of the human-curated content fans have grown to love.
Adding to its growing catalog of stations from artists, curators, and DJs, Sonos announces the launch of personal stations from D’Angelo, FKA twigs, Björk and The Chemical Brothers, giving fans exclusive access to artist’s latest inspirations and obsessions through hand-selected songs and personal commentary. New radio shows from artists currently streaming on Sonos Radio, including Thom Yorke, Brittany Howard, Dolly Parton and Third Man Records, will also debut
Additionally, new genre stations will be added including Blacksmith Radio from Corey Smyth, industry veteran and manager to renowned talent such as De La Soul, Vince Staples, Mos Def and Dave Chappelle. Smyth will give listeners a behind-the-scenes look at his unprecedented career with reflections and lessons from his years in the industry, intimate conversations with his closest collaborators and of course, his favorite tracks.
The brand’s ad-free signature station, Sonos Sound System, will also launch new shows including Object of Sound, a weekly radio show and podcast that brings listeners in tune with the music shaping our culture. Hosted by poet and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib, each episode will be studded with personal interviews, profound questions and unparalleled playlists.
“Sonos' original and artist-curated stations go beyond the playlist format to inspire listeners to discover new music with the personal context and stories that add meaning,” Brian Beck, Global Head of Music at Sonos. . "These stations are direct lines into the minds of creators, and opportunities to hear what fuels their creativity in a fresh, raw way. We're giving listeners a chance to find new music by flipping through the personal record collections of some of the most private but influential artists of our time. It's taking music discovery to the next level."
Exclusive Stations Available Only on Radio HD
Sonos will add new artist-curated stations to Sonos Radio HD, the ad-free, CD-quality audio tier of Sonos’ popular streaming service, Sonos Radio. The new stations offer fans access to the artists’ latest inspirations and obsessions through curated playlists and personal commentary. The first artist station to launch, D’Angelo’s Feverish Fantazmagoria, is available today, offering listeners a deep dive into his musical library.
“This is a curation of sorts - a collection of musical expressions that I call ‘Feverish Fantazmagoria’,” said D’Angelo. “It includes some crate digging; a lot of psych rock and funk rock in there, even some gospel and soul. Just a lot of incredible music that’s fun and inspires me.
The full line-up and air dates include:
- D’Angelo’s Feverish Fantazmagoria airing January 13
- FKA twigs’ main squeeze airing February 10
- Corey Smyth’s Blacksmith Radio airing February 24
- Björk’s 21 years worth of wave files liquidated into a stream airing February 24
- The Chemical Brothers’ Radio Chemical airing March 2
New Programming Debuting on Sonos Sound System and Sonos Radio
Created and hosted by Sonos, Sonos Sound System is Sonos Radio’s signature ad-free station to discover new artists, learn stories behind the music, and tune-in to artist-hosted Radio Hours. Artists currently streaming on Sonos Radio - Thom Yorke, Brittany Howard, Dolly Parton and Third Man Records - will be debuting additional radio shows and music on their stations.
New shows coming to Sonos Sound System include:
- Object of Sound, a weekly music and culture podcast hosted by poet and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib, will dive deep into the music of the moment and the stories surrounding the songs of today. Two episodes of Object of Sound are streamable today and feature guests Jenna Wortham, Kimberly Drew, Sudan Archives, and Jeff Tweedy. The first weekly episode will air January 15 with guest Moses Sumney. Object of Sound will be available on Sonos Radio and podcast platforms everywhere.
- Black is Black, hosted by ATL/NYC-based multi-hyphenate DJ Lindsey, offers a monthly look into music of the black diaspora and how it’s impacted modern music over time. The station debuts on February 4 on Sonos Radio and Mixcloud.
- Unsung, hosted by independent British music publication Crack Magazine, speaks to contemporary artists about their heroes who never caught the spotlight. Unsung is live on Sonos Radio and podcast platforms everywhere, with new episodes launching bi-weekly.
- New Artist Radio Hours with artists Tiwa Savage, Chris Stapleton, A$AP Ferg, Yola, Japanese Breakfast, Sun Ra Arkestra to air in the coming weeks.
On February 1, Sonos Radio will debut Say It Loud, a station curated by Sonos’ Employee Resource Group, Black@ Sonos. Celebrating the Black diaspora of music, the station will feature tracks spanning across genres and eras as well as voice-overs from Sonos staff. It will remain on Sonos Radio permanently, offering new content and shows throughout the year.
Sonos Radio is available free for all Sonos customers globally, pre-loaded in the Sonos app. Sonos Radio HD offers an expanded catalogue of original content streaming ad-free in high-definition, CD-quality audio with skips and repeats, currently available in the US and UK for $7.99 per month after a free 30-day trial. Listeners everywhere can tune-in to select Sonos Radio shows at www.mixcloud.com/sonos.
About Sonos
Sonos (Nasdaq: SONO) is one of the world’s leading sound experience brands. As the inventor of multi-room wireless home audio, Sonos innovation helps the world listen better by giving people access to the content they love and allowing them to control it however and wherever they choose. Known for delivering an unparalleled sound experience, thoughtful design aesthetic, simplicity of use, and an open platform, Sonos makes the breadth of audio content available to anyone. Sonos is headquartered in Santa Barbara, California. Learn more at www.sonos.com.
About Sonos Radio
Sonos Radio is the premiere radio experience, only on Sonos. Built for and inspired by Sonos customers, Sonos Radio represents the broadest selection of radio available around the world, bringing together more than 60,000 broadcast radio stations from long-time partners along with dozens of exclusive original stations from Sonos. Available free to all customers globally, Sonos Radio is an ad-supported streaming radio service that comes pre-loaded in the Sonos App, bringing all streaming radio into one place from the moment customers set-up. Sonos original content is available in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Ireland, Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, and Denmark.
Available first in the United States and United Kingdom, Sonos Radio HD offers an upgraded, ad-free Sonos Radio experience that delivers an expanded catalogue of exclusive original content in high-definition, lossless CD-quality audio (16-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC). Customers who upgrade to Sonos Radio HD will enjoy all original stations across both tiers in high-definition audio with skips, repeats, and with no ads, excluding global broadcast stations.