Apple Music finally streaming through Sonos
After a beta test from early December, Sonos announced that its whole-home speaker systems around the world can now access all Apple Music features, and stream its 43 million + tracks.
Australia is one of the 60 countries that Sonos is available in. The Santa Barbara, California-headquartered company has an office in Australia, as well as in Boston, Seattle, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany and China. It has dozens of streaming music providers (including Spotify, Pandora and Amazon Prime Music) and, according to its website, is sold through “thousands of retailers” and found “in millions of homes.”
The beta was tested by “hundreds of thousands” of customers, some of whom reported that using Apple Music through the Sonos Controller app was at times better than Apple’s own app. Sonos already supports.
To stream Apple Music on Sonos, users select “Add Music Services” from any Sonos controller app, look for the Apple Music icon and enter login credentials.
In the Sonos Controller app, Apple Music is organized by For You (suggestions), New (albums and singles), Radio, and My Music, similar to in iTunes or the iOS Music app. The app also allows consumers to stream Apple’s Beats 1 station, other featured stations and the stations they create.
Apple Music hosts a Sonos station curated by artists in collaboration. New users can sign up for a free, three-month trail membership of Apple Music.
“The feedback from Apple Music members on Sonos during the beta period has been great,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services. “Sonos plus Apple Music provides an amazing listening experience at home.”
Added Sonos CEO John MacFarlane, “This partnership has been an excellent example of two companies that truly care about music coming together to deliver a great listening experience. Working with Apple gives us the opportunity to share Apple Music throughout people’s homes in a way that’s easy, intuitive, and sounds great.”
Apple Music was noticeably absent from the Sonos system when it launched in June 30 last year, given it already supported Beats Music.
When the beta test began, Cue was asked why this was so. He explained to BuzzFeed, “It’s important to get the integration right the first time out. Apple has a high bar for this stuff; So does Sonos. Apple Music isn’t even six months old yet, so this really did not take much time at all.”
The Sonos/Apple announcement came with a Sonos study on the positive effects of music listening in the home using an Apple Music subscription paired with a Sonos sound system. It found it created a greater harmonious social and sexual relationship in the house (see accompanying story here).