Is Sonos a Speaker company or a music streaming serivce?


Is Sonos a Speaker company or a music streaming service?

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19 replies

What do you think?
What do you think?The only possible response to this question.
What do you think? I thought it was a speaker company.
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a)It's a speaker company that uses WiFi to stream music to its speakers, the source of which can be locally stored media or that provided by online streaming services.

b)Or it's a WiFi household streaming service that can only be listened to by the speakers it sells.

a) sounds more authentic to what it sells.
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Is Sonos a Speaker company or a music streaming service?

Maybe you should try signing up for its streaming service and let us know how you enjoy it :D:D:D
"The easy to use Home Wireless System"

I don't think it's quite accurate to call it a speaker company since they sell products with no speakers in them. In fact there first products had no speakers. As well, they don't sell any passive speakers as the vast majority of speaker companies would.
I'd suggest that Sonos itself provides zero actual content, just a path by which you can add others to their speakers, so they aren't a streaming service at all.
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IMHO, they're neither. They're a technology company integrating speakers and/or audio hardware, and digital music playback (internet radio, playlists, etc.) into a consumer-oriented home audio product. They have speakers and non-speaker audio products. They don't make a passive speaker, like most "speaker companies" do.

They're not a music service, since they don't actually license music and provide it for customers to listen to... they provide a means to access other music services through their products.
Other than that it is not a streaming services provider, why does this matter?
Other than that it is not a streaming services provider, why does this matter?

Because the OP wanted to stir things up with an oft cited (and even more oft shot down) conspiracy theory that Sonos somehow makes money from streaming services instead of from selling hardware.

*Yawn*

Just another day on the Sonos forum.
Lol. Between troubleshooting posts and those of this type, the forum is getting dull.
Other than that it is not a streaming services provider, why does this matter?

Because the OP wanted to stir things up with an oft cited (and even more oft shot down) conspiracy theory that Sonos somehow makes money from streaming services instead of from selling hardware.

*Yawn*

Just another day on the Sonos forum.
I'm really not trying to breathe life into any conspiracy theories. I haven't been a member of this forum long enough to be party to any of that. I was merely asking a question because I have suddenly been unable to access music stored on my PC hard drive in track order as recorded on the CD, only alphabetically. If i use Google Play i can access the the music in track order and can also cast the music to the Sonos speakers in track order.
a)It's a speaker company that uses WiFi to stream music to its speakers, the source of which can be locally stored media or that provided by online streaming services.

b)Or it's a WiFi household streaming service that can only be listened to by the speakers it sells.

a) sounds more authentic to what it sells.
Thanks. I'm having trouble with the "locally stored media" portion. It seems both the Sonos Android and PC apps will list and play locally stored music in alphabetical and not track order. If I use Google Play as the source the music is listed and plays in track order not alphabetically. I can also cast the music directly to the speakers from Google play and they will be in track order. Have you ever experienced anything like this? (Also, if I create a playlist from the music stored on my PC they will play in the order I created them)
It seems both the Sonos Android and PC apps will list and play locally stored music in alphabetical and not track order.
An acknowledged bug. Some reports suggest it could be limited to WMA files. Others correlated the problem with the use of track number tags of the form "number/total", e.g. "02/11".
I'm really not trying to breathe life into any conspiracy theories. I haven't been a member of this forum long enough to be party to any of that. I was merely asking a question because I have suddenly been unable to access music stored on my PC hard drive in track order as recorded on the CD, only alphabetically. If i use Google Play i can access the the music in track order and can also cast the music to the Sonos speakers in track order.

Well then maybe you should have stated that in the OP, instead of the vaguely accusatory contents of your post and title.
I'm really not trying to breathe life into any conspiracy theories. I haven't been a member of this forum long enough to be party to any of that. I was merely asking a question because I have suddenly been unable to access music stored on my PC hard drive in track order as recorded on the CD, only alphabetically. If i use Google Play i can access the the music in track order and can also cast the music to the Sonos speakers in track order.

Well then maybe you should have stated that in the OP, instead of the vaguely accusatory contents of your post and title.
I received a nice email from Sonos Customer Care re: case #00160822 that suggested, among other things that I submit a diagnostic on my system. I did that, to no avail, and it was further suggested I reach out to members in this forum. My question was an earnest attempt to understand the problem I'm having. If you perceived it as "vaugely accusatory" I'm not sure there's anything I can or should do about that.
It seems both the Sonos Android and PC apps will list and play locally stored music in alphabetical and not track order.
An acknowledged bug. Some reports suggest it could be limited to WMA files. Others correlated the problem with the use of track number tags of the form "number/total", e.g. "02/11".
Thanks. I noted and passed on to Sonos that I did find at least three CDs recorded in MP3 format that were unaffected by this. Somewhat perplexing but thanks for your input.
My question was an earnest attempt to understand the problem I'm having. If you perceived it as "vaugely accusatory" I'm not sure there's anything I can or should do about that.

Yours is the first post I've read where the poster was seeking the answer to a problem by means of asking a completely unrelated question.

I received a nice email from Sonos Customer Care re: case #00160822 that suggested, among other things that I submit a diagnostic on my system. I did that, to no avail, and it was further suggested I reach out to members in this forum. My question was an earnest attempt to understand the problem I'm having. If you perceived it as "vaugely accusatory" I'm not sure there's anything I can or should do about that.


You are having a very specific problem with the listings of your local library, you ask "Is Sonos a Speaker company or a music streaming service?" in order to get help with that very specific problem, and you are surprised people find it vague and accusatory? Really?

Also, now that we know your problem, does your question not imply/accuse that Sonos was once one thing (a speaker company) and may now be another (a streaming company), with an assumed assertion that your problem (local library bug) has been ignored because Sonos concentrates more on streaming than it does on local libraries? Otherwise, what exactly do music streaming services have to do with your specific problem?

So c'mon man, you really weren't that vague. We all got the inference, at least admit that's what it was.

PS - If you did not relay the reference # of your diagnostic, Sonos has no way of connecting it to you. If you didn't, submit another and post it here.