If you have a Sonos speaker, you probably enjoy playing music through it via apps like TuneIn, Spotify or Pandora. But now you can play radio stations on the speaker directly out of the box, no external apps required.
The speaker company has launched Sonos Radio, a free suite of stations for your aural pleasure. You can use it in several ways. Firstly, there are more than 30 ad-supported playlists based on genres of music. These playlists include things like 'Alternative Energy', 'Blues Masters', 'Hip-Hop Archive' and 'Fat City Gumbo' (think New Orleans second line, lots of horns).
There are also stations called Sonos Sound System, which is more like a radio station than a playlist. These are curated stations, with music chosen and explained by DJs and artists. Sonos Sound System stations include things like behind-the-scenes stories and conversation, as well as guest artist radio hours and chat. These stations are not only free to access, but they're also ad-free. One of the first is In the Absence Thereof, a station curated by Radiohead's mercurial frontman Thom Yorke, who describes his station as "whatever has hit me over the head, basically". The music in his station is "what I have found recently that fascinates or moves me, what obsesses me, challenges me, opens new doors, reminds me of what I might have forgotten, is insanely complex or elegantly simple, violent, funny, messy, heavy or light."
New guest radio hours are released every Wednesday, so there will always be something new to listen to.
Want something else entirely? You can also access more than 60,000 radio stations from around the world, including many that are on TuneIn, so you're sure to find something that marches to the beat of your drum.